COLLEGE BASKETBALL / PACIFIC 10 : Raveling: Parity Has League Up for Grabs

Preseason predictions indicated there was not a dominant team in the Pacific 10 Conference this season. That hasn’t changed after the preconference competition.

As Pac-10 games begin Thursday night, USC Coach George Raveling thinks there are seven teams with a chance to win it.

“I think the problems every team has faced is an indication there isn’t a great team in the league,” Raveling said. “There may not be a great team, but there are a lot of good ones.

“I put UCLA, Arizona, Oregon State and Cal in the top rank. Then, there are Arizona State, Washington State and us.

“UCLA has played the best so far, but I still think Oregon State is the team to beat. Arizona is picked by most people, and the Bears with Jason Kidd and those other youngsters were really looking good until they went East. Even with Kidd not playing, they shouldn’t lose to Cornell.

“If someone told me we would be 7-2 at this stage, I would have said he was crazy. What we have achieved is miraculous. We are still in a learning process, but we are doing better than expected. We are having fun.”

The Trojans open the Pac-10 season Thursday night against Arizona State.

At one time, the Sun Devils didn’t figure to be a threat in the conference.

Before the season opened, they lost their two best players. Mario Bennett, a freshman All-American, was sidelined for the season because of a severe knee injury. Then, No. 1 scorer Jamal Faulkner, one of several Arizona State athletes to have had problems with the law, was dropped from the team.

“I think you have to give Bill Frieder (Arizona State coach) a lot of credit,” Raveling said. “It is amazing that he was able to resurrect this team. They play the same style we do, and they have overcome the loss of their two best players.

“I think the Cougars are also a big surprise. I think they have done a fine job of getting ready for conference play. Their freshman center, Mark Hendrickson, is a good one.”

Coach Lou Campanelli of California has long tried to make freshmen ineligible. The experience of first-year player Jason Kidd has given him firsthand knowledge of the problems.

“If we really want to put academics first, we have to let freshmen spend their first year without pressure and free to study,” Campanelli said. “I think it would be all right to let them practice three days a week to keep their game sharp, but I have seen the pressure Jason Kidd has been under and I think it is harmful.

“Jason seemed to be handling all the pressure well at first, but the media is relentless. He was wanted for interviews on radio, and they never gave him time to go to school. I am glad to see that Jason and his parents have quit holding a weekly press conference. I just think it would be better for him and all freshmen if they could avoid all the pressure.

“The media is looking for a Messiah. It is looking for the new Michael Jordan or Bird or Magic. It just never lets up.”

The coach says that all the attention paid his young team has contributed to its inconsistency.

“We have played some good basketball and some bad,” Campanelli said. “To have a good season, we need to have (6-foot-9 center) Brian Hendrick regain his best form. He is the only senior on a team dominated by freshmen and sophomores. Right now he is bothered by the knee he had operated on and is below his best form. We need him at his best.”

Opposing coaches praise the play of Burt Harris, USC’s quick point guard, but until he achieves the goals Raveling has set for him, the 5-10 freshman won’t hear compliments from his coach.

“I told Burt at practice yesterday that I couldn’t afford to be impressed by him, “ Raveling said. “He means too much to us. For us to succeed, he has to keep improving. Until he becomes the best point guard in the country as a senior, I can’t be praising him.

“The truth is he has done a tremendous job for us. He seems to think defense is a time to rest, but he has keyed our offense. I doubt if any freshman point guard is playing better. He has a chance to be as good as Duane Cooper, who was one of the best in the country last season.”

A year ago Harris was playing the point for Fairfax High. He has jumped in to fill the job for the Trojans and is a big reason why they go into league play with a 7-2 record.

Pac-10 Notes

USC’s Dwayne Hackett has made 43 three-point baskets and Phil Glenn 32. Together, they have more than any other Pac-10 team. . . . Washington State Coach Kelvin Sampson has trouble understanding why nobody acknowledges his 6-8 forward, Mark Hendrickson. “There are a lot of freshmen being talked of around the country, but nobody knows about Hendrickson. He leads the Pac-10 in rebounds (10.6 average). . . . Jason Kidd gave Cal a scare in the Meadowlands tournament Dec. 29. Late in the loss to James Madison, Kidd fell hard on his back. It was feared he had suffered a cracked rib, but it turned out to be only a bad bruise.