UC Irvine Lands Forward From Utah

Jermaine Avie, a 6-foot-7 forward who averaged 12.3 points and 10.5 rebounds last season at the College of Eastern Utah, has enrolled at UC Irvine. Avie, who originally signed a letter of intent with Houston, became available because he hadn’t completed academic requirements by the time classes began at Houston.

“His JC coach (Ron Stubbs) just called us,” Irvine Coach Rod Baker said. “It’s not exactly sight unseen--I’ve seen some tape--but it’s close to it. He’s another big body and he put up some pretty good numbers in a competitive league. So I think he’s got a chance.”

The Anteaters also lost one player, at least for a while. Chris Brown, a three-point specialist who averaged 19.1 points last season at Bakersfield College, is academically ineligible this quarter. He’s taking an extension course to make up one unit and could be eligible to join the team in mid-December.