UC IRVINE NOTEBOOK / ROBYN NORWOOD : Coach, Tennis Team Working Hard to Forge New Identity

One weekend into his first season as UC Irvine’s tennis coach, Steve Clark has a 3-0 record, his team has beaten a ranked team and he says the Anteaters could be creeping up on a top-25 ranking.

He inherited a team that lost a number of top players--including Brett Hansen-Dent, who left school to pursue professional tennis. But Clark has high hopes.

“If we hold off our next two, Washington and Cal, I’m certain we’ll be in the top 25,” Clark said.

Irvine plays Washington at home Jan. 31 and is at California Feb. 12. The next day, they get a real test--No. 2 Stanford.

The Anteaters lived in the top 25 under former coach Greg Patton, but they weren’t there at the end of last season, Patton’s final year at Irvine.

Clark is a former Patton assistant, and he publicly thanks Patton for his support in the team media guide. But Clark is never going to be a quote machine full of elaborate, quirky metaphors as Patton was. Much as he likes his old boss, he wants the program to move on. After all, Patton did, packing his family off to Idaho for a better “quality of life” at Boise State.

Before he left, Patton did one easy piece of scheduling. He set up a meeting between Irvine and Boise State in Albuquerque, N.M.

Last weekend, Patton’s former team beat his new one, 4-3.

Since outsiders found it an intriguing matchup, Clark cautioned his team beforehand.

“I wanted to make sure all their emotions were cleared and they were ready to play ball,” Clark said. “They all were real fired up and wanted to win as normal. I don’t think there was any emotional attachment. They wanted, in their own words, to kick butt. They want to make it into the national rankings.”

Clark’s highlight wasn’t beating Patton. It was more that No. 2 Chris Tontz, No. 3 Fred Bach and No. 6 Julian Foxon all went unbeaten in three matches. And that Tontz broke a 3-3 tie with No. 24 New Mexico by beating the Lobos’ Roy Canada.

“Roy Canada’s a very good player, and I mean Chris beat him, two and three,” Clark said. “Chris just systematically annihilated the guy.”

Clark wants this team-- his program--to forge its own identity. He’d as soon Patton’s name didn’t come up every time Irvine is written about. Like this, for instance.

“I feel people have got to let go,” Clark said. “Let’s move on.”

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New scoring system: If Irvine 4, Boise State 3, didn’t make much sense to you--especially since Boise State won five matches and Irvine won four--that’s because the collegiate tennis team scoring system has changed.

Before, each of the six singles matches and three doubles matches were worth one point in team scoring.

But doubles has been de-emphasized, with the three matches together worth only one point in the team scoring. For example, the team that wins two of three doubles matches wins the one point.

In other changes, doubles now precedes singles, and the doubles teams play eight-game pro sets instead of matches.

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Basketball scholarship limits: One of the results of last week’s NCAA convention is a two-scholarship difference between the maximums in men’s basketball and women’s basketball next year.

A scheduled reduction in scholarship limits for women’s teams was postponed, leaving the maximum at 15.

At the same time, a proposal to postpone reductions in men’s scholarships was defeated, meaning men’s teams will have only 13 next season.

That’s gender equity?

“I think in this day and age--with the level of play, the travel and injuries--both programs need to have 15 players,” said Colleen Matsuhara, Irvine’s women’s coach. “I know right now, my two assistants have to play a lot (in practice.) I think it’s extremely difficult to field a team with depth (with less than 15 scholarships).”

One problem: An NCAA maximum of 15 doesn’t mean Irvine gets 15. The women currently have 12 scholarship players.

“I’m hopeful our university can see that a lot of schools are making that commitment toward reaching that buzzword for the ‘90s: gender equity,” Matsuhara said. “When you run into opponents with fully funded programs, you’re looking at ability to recruit and have depth on your team. Three extra bodies makes a difference.”

Rod Baker, Irvine’s men’s coach, isn’t happy with the limits facing men’s programs, but he didn’t criticize the decision on women’s scholarship limits.

“It doesn’t affect us; it doesn’t make my life any better or worse,” he said. “I’m happy for them; that’s the way it should be.”

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Men’s basketball took it on the chin at the convention on two issues--scholarship limits and coaching staff limits that call for the third assistant to make no more than $16,000 a year. The convention rejected proposals recommended by coaches on both issues, despite the lobbying of the National Assn. of Basketball Coaches and by one of the game’s most widely respected coaches, Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski.

After speakers made jokes and derisive comments about the coaches’ proposals, Krzyzewski became indignant and addressed the group again, saying he was more disheartened by their attitudes than by Duke’s upset loss to Georgia Tech.

Baker had a similar reaction--and he has had a lot more losses.

“All I know is what I read, I haven’t spoken to Mike,” Baker said. “But for Mike to get upset in public, it had to be really bad. It’s just a further example of people not understanding what we do. If not for student-athletes and coaches, there really is no reason for athletic directors and faculty reps and all that other stuff. Somehow or other, we’ve got to figure out how to be a little more sensitive to each other’s needs and feelings.

“You sit on one side and feel as if you have a really good sound argument for what basically is your own common-sense view of what’s going on--stressing that it’s your own opinion based on what you do. To have it not be taken seriously is really disheartening.”

As for the effect of the NABC’s efforts, “They really worked at it,” Baker said. “Think how far away we must have been before?”

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Baker says the scholarship limits are an example of how NCAA efforts at cost containment give coaches “a narrower and narrower window to make mistakes,” also citing reductions in recruiting contact and practice time.

As for the salary limit on the third assistant coach: “I think it’s a joke that someone is going to legislate how a university can determine how much they can afford to pay an employee.

“If I can afford to pay one of my coaches $30,000--and it’s not taking away from anyone else--giving someone legitimate pay for a job done, why can’t I do that?

“I don’t feel real comfortable telling a guy who’s really interested in being a basketball coach, ‘I’m going to pay you less than minimum wage to do this job.’ I don’t think it’s as difficult if someone is single, but what about (someone with a family whose earnings had been much higher). It’s not right.”