COLLEGE DIVISION NOTEBOOK / MARTIN BECK : Chapman Coach Ready for Long Haul in CCAA

The Chapman men’s basketball team opens its California Collegiate Athletic Assn. season tonight, and no one has to tell its first-year coach, Mike Bokosky, what awaits him.

“Well, Cal State Bakersfield is ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Division II,” Bokosky said. “We don’t have to talk about them, do we? Everyone knows how good they are and everyone knows how good Riverside is and how well they are coached. You can go right down the line, Pomona, Dominguez Hills. . . .

“I might be naive, but I really think the CCAA is as good as the Pac-10 is at the relative level.”

Bob Boyd, who was fired last spring, found that out the hard way in three seasons as the Panthers’ coach. Boyd’s teams finished last three times in a row and won only seven CCAA games during that span.

But Bokosky is working from a disadvantage compared to Boyd, who had as many as 10 full scholarships. Chapman is moving from NCAA Division II to Division III, so it no longer offers athletic scholarships. Five scholarship players remain for the program’s final CCAA season, but Bokosky expects the Panthers to be overmatched in every conference game.

“If someone favored us in a game this year in the CCAA, there has to be something the other team has come across, like food poisoning, an eligibility problem or a virus,” he said.

That doesn’t mean, however, that Bokosky is conceding the season.

“We’re competitive,” he said. “It’s not like we go into every game thinking we are going to be overwhelmed.”

The Panthers finished their nonconference schedule with a 3-9 record, but Bokosky said he is encouraged entering the CCAA opener against Cal State Los Angeles at 7:30 tonight at the Hutton Center.

Chapman had a strong showing at the Chico State tournament, losing to Chico State, 93-92, in the first round, beating Bethany, 99-81, and losing to Grand Canyon, 106-83, in the consolation final.

Chapman trailed Grand Canyon, ranked No. 15 in the latest Division II poll, by 10 points with about three minutes remaining before falling back. Grand Canyon beat UC Riverside, 105-65, in the title game of the Grand Canyon tournament.

The Panthers’ most glaring weakness is their inside game. Other than Richie Bethune, a 6-foot-7 center, Chapman has no true inside player and has to make do with 6-4 Rod Summers, 6-3 Jeff Gardner and 6-1 Brian Kenney.

“We are starting to play better as a team,” Bokosky said. “The evidence is how we’re playing, not the final score. But our biggest flaw is that we have a problem guarding inside players who try to push it down our throats.”

Bethune might be part of the answer, but in an 89-81 loss to Fresno Pacific Monday, he fouled out in only eight minutes of play--with 13 minutes remaining.

Gardner is leading the team and is among the conference leaders in rebounding, averaging 7.6 . He is averaging 18.3 points, third in the conference.

Chapman’s opponent tonight, Cal State Los Angeles (8-2), is led by Tony McGee and Derek Knowles, the conference’s top two scorers. McGee is averaging 22.7 and Knowles 21.7. Los Angeles also has an outstanding point guard in Marcus Williams, who leads the conference in assists (7.1) and steals (three).

Southern California College ended a three-game losing streak with recent victories over Dordt (Iowa) College and Ambassador (Tex.).

The Vanguards (8-6), who beat Christian Heritage, 113-68, Wednesday, play host to Pacific Christian at 7:30 p.m. Saturday before opening Golden State Athletic Conference play Tuesday against Azusa Pacific, the preseason favorite.

No one can accuse SCC Coach Bill Reynolds of setting up an easy nonconference schedule. The Vanguards have lost games to Division I Cal State Long Beach and UC Irvine and Hawaii Pacific, which is ranked in the NAIA Division I.

SCC made several rallies against Hawaii Pacific in their Disneyland Freedom Bowl Classic game before losing, 91-90.

“We came back a couple of different times, so I was really proud of our effort,” Reynolds said. “Hopefully, it will transfer into some Ws down the line.”

Notes

The Chapman men’s team also plays host to Cal Poly Pomona at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. The Broncos (7-5) are led by Matt Mitchell, who is averaging 13 points.