Mistri Doubles Workload, Adds Women’s Soccer Team

Start a women’s soccer team, they told him.

So Al Mistri, who has been the Cal State Fullerton men’s soccer coach since that program began in 1981, went to work last month. He put together a schedule for next fall, started recruiting players and figured he’d better order some equipment, too.

It was then he learned his first lesson: The differences between coaching men and women starts long before you call your first team meeting.

“I was ordering uniforms and equipment and I wrongly assumed you should double the order for everything,” Mistri said sheepishly. “Including jock straps. I didn’t give it much thought. It was only afterward that I realized I had really made a mistake.”

Mistri was able to adjust his order and cancel half of the jocks, which was probably a good thing. How would he have explained that part of his increased budget to Athletic Director Bill Shumard?

That little detour aside, things are on target for a Titan women’s team to being play in the fall. Mistri already has a 15-game Division I schedule and even has a scrimmage set for March 26 against Loyola Marymount.

Mistri volunteered for the job last spring, when it was announced as part of an out-of-court settlement relating to a sex-discrimination lawsuit that Fullerton would start a soccer program for women.

“I told the bosses that it would be best to have two soccer programs under one direction so that we don’t fight over the fields, the money, et cetera,” Mistri said. “I said if I was in charge, I would see to it that both the men and the women achieve the same thing.”

Although it took awhile--Mistri wasn’t named women’s coach until late December--the Fullerton brass agreed.

The only problem is that, for now, Mistri and his new women’s assistant, Durell Petrossi, are basically volunteers. There has been $35,000 budgeted for salaries for the women’s coaches, but that doesn’t kick in until the new fiscal year begins July 1.

But the workload, of course, has already doubled. Mistri has reached an agreement with one of his longtime sponsors, Adidas, in which the company will donate twice as much equipment--shoes, balls, uniforms--as it has in the past. He also has advertised in the Fullerton student newspaper for players and started to recruit.

Tryouts for Fullerton women will be held from March 8 until May 7; in August, there will be another tryout for new students.

“We will have no problem having at least 50 people try out,” Mistri said.

Besides current students and new students in the fall, there is another group of potential athletes Mistri is looking at: Players from Division I or II programs who have contacted Mistri about transferring since learning that Fullerton will field a women’s team.

“In the men’s program, I have been very, very leery of this sort of thing,” Mistri said. “But at the same time I recognize that things do in fact happen, so we will see.”

All in all, it hasn’t been one of Mistri’s slower springs.

“I get in the office now and the next thing I know, it’s dark,” he said. “I’m on the phone longer than I wish to be--I want to answer all of my calls.

“It’s very challenging. I’m committed to the game--I wish it to succeed. It’s certainly not the most popular game in the United States right now, and I find that motivating.”

For now, though, Mistri has an assistant coach, a schedule and equipment.

The San Jose State football coaching job is open for the third time since 1990, but, so far, former Fullerton Coach Gene Murphy said he has not spoken with any Spartan officials.

Murphy interviewed for the head coaching job there in 1990 and 1992 and finished second both times. The job is open again because Ron Turner, who got the job in 1992, last week accepted a position as the Chicago Bears’ offensive coordinator.

“I’d be interested in any job right now,” said Murphy, 53. “But I have not been contacted. I’ve interviewed up there twice and nothing has changed.

“It’s not an ego thing, but if they’re interested, they know where to find me.”

Tom Brennan, San Jose State athletic director, said late last week that the Spartans have not narrowed the field.

“We’re at the point now where we’ve initiated our search,” Brennan said. “We’ve just convened as a group. We haven’t formally contacted anyone.”

Brennan said he has not spoken with Murphy and would not say whether the former Fullerton coach will be considered again this year.

“At this point, I’m not commenting on who is a candidate and who is not,” Brennan said.

Midway through the men’s basketball season, free-throw shooting was at its lowest point in 35 years. The national average, 66.8%, was down from 68.1% last season and, if things continue at the current rate, it will be the biggest one-season drop in history, according to NCAA records.

Furthermore, free-throw shooting percentage has declined every year since 1989.

Why? There are several theories but no real answers. A couple of thoughts from Fullerton:

“I think it’s because practice started two weeks late,” said center Sean Williams, referring to an NCAA mandate that moved the start of college practices from Oct. 15 to Nov. 1 last fall. “Coaches have to get straight to plays. Plays were more important than free throws.”

Yeah, but Division I players should be able to make a free throw regardless of whether practice starts Oct. 15, Nov. 1 or Dec. 1, right? It’s not as if college practices are for focusing on the art of the free throw.

“It’s probably the crowds, the way they’re distracting everybody,” guard Don Leary said. “Like at (UC) Santa Barbara with the pinwheels and at New Mexico State with the dots. If you block the crowd out, a team will shoot well.”

Yeah, but Santa Barbara and New Mexico State didn’t just invent rowdy crowds this year. Check out the decibel level at Duke for the last couple of decades, or at Notre Dame when Digger Phelps was turning out Top 20 teams in the 1970s, or at any one of a few dozen other schools.

“I have no reason as to why it is,” Fullerton Coach Brad Holland said. “To me, it’s an easy shot. I can’t relate to not being able to shoot fouls for a high percentage.”

As a team, Fullerton’s goal is to have a shooting percentage in the low 70s. The Titans are currently shooting 67.9% from the line.

“We don’t have one guy shooting 80%,” Holland said. “To me, that’s just amazing. How we can not have one guy at least 80%, I have no explanation.”

Leary is the team’s top free-throw shooter at 78.7%.

The baseball season got off to a high-octane start over the weekend. The Titans, who opened the season ranked eighth by Baseball America, defeated No. 12 Stanford twice in three games--during which 11 batters were hit by pitches.

Fullerton pitchers plunked six batters--Derek Fahs hit three--and Cardinal pitchers hit five Titans.

“That’s the one disappointing thing,” Fullerton pitching coach George Horton said. “We’ve shown an ability (previously) not to walk people or hit people. None of them, I believe, were intentional--that I know of. You never know what a kid does on his own.

“It’s uncharacteristic. Part of it was first-time jitters with a young staff that is unpredictable.”

Fullerton moved to sixth Monday in the Baseball America poll. UCLA, which comes to Titan Field on Wednesday, is 17th and Texas, which plays host to the Titans in a three-game series this weekend, is fifth.

Titan Notes

The Fullerton basketball team (12-6) already has matched its victory total for last season, when the Titans finished 12-16. . . . At least seven NBA scouts have requested seats for Wednesday’s Fullerton-Houston game. They are mainly interested in 6-foot-8 Houston center Charles Outlaw.