Titans’ Channell an Einstein in Sneakers : Basketball: Scholar-athlete hopes to make more of an impact on team this season.

Khalid Channell loved all kinds of sports as a kid--baseball, football, basketball, soccer, swimming--but one of his favorite pastimes was watching TV.

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ESPN? MTV? HBO?

Try PBS.

You don’t want to get in an argument with Hiram and Sydnia Channell about the effects of TV on children.

“I used to watch Nova all the time,” Channell said, “PBS and educational stuff. I didn’t really know it was educational, but my mom and grandma were both teachers and my dad is an administrator at Cal State LA, so that’s just all that was ever on in my house.

“And since I was 6 years old, I’ve always known I wanted to go into bio(logical science).”

Fourteen years later, a student at UC Irvine, Channell is already making an impact in the field. When the National Science Foundation held a minority workshop in Washington, Channell was asked to participate. He delivered a 15-minute talk on a project he has worked on for almost four years.

“I’ve been doing research with a professor here, Dr. Joe Graves, on the aging of fruit flies and extending their life span through genetics,” Channell said. “The workshop in Washington was a very big thrill for me. I’ve never seen so many people of color in one place like that, especially talking about things like chemistry, physics, bio. . . .

“And it was thrilling to meet some of the people there. I was rubbing shoulders with people who rub shoulders with (President) Clinton.”

When Channell, a member of Irvine’s campus-wide honors program and a two-time Big West scholar-athlete, isn’t rubbing shoulders with the leaders of the nation’s scientific community, he’s trading elbows under the basket for Irvine’s basketball team. He’s a walk-on, but don’t let the label fool you. This is a young man who has a knack for success and isn’t afraid to work hard to get what he wants.

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He worked as a lifeguard for a couple of summers at a pool in Culver City and loved swimming, but Channell had already made up his mind about concentrating on basketball at Chino Don Lugo High.

“I liked a lot of sports but it seemed that realistically, basketball would be the thing I would be best at,” he said.

He injured his knee his senior year, however, and wasn’t recruited by “any major schools.”

Channell was looking for two things when he graduated from Don Lugo: a good education and the chance to play Division I basketball. Thanks to the Biological Science department, he chose Irvine.

He talked to then-Coach Bill Mulligan about walking on for the 1990-91 basketball season, but then decided to wait and hit the weights.

“I sat out my freshman year because I just didn’t think my body was ready for it,” he said. “I just wasn’t big enough or strong enough. So I worked out a lot, ran a lot, played a lot, ate a lot and lifted weights a lot.

“Then Coach Mulligan left and Coach Baker came in. So I approached him and asked him if I could come out. I made the squad and it’s been a building process ever since.”

A slow-growth scenario at the outset--he played in only 12 games in 1991-92 and scored just 10 points--but late last season, Channell found himself with the chance to become a player instead of a watcher. He played a career-high 28 minutes during a game at San Jose State, a 67-62 Irvine victory.

He saw action in only three of Irvine’s first 21 games. Why did Baker decide to give the sophomore forward that opportunity?

“I don’t know, really,” Baker said. “It was just his turn. It was just that mystical moment when it’s your turn.

“Looking back, there were times earlier in the season when he should have gotten some time and didn’t. But he waited. The secret to success on the college level, when you’re not a front-line player, is to do something with the opportunity when you get it. When front-line guys don’t do what they’re supposed to, they’re having an off day. But if you’re not a front-line guy, and you don’t seize the opportunity, you’re done. You may never see it again.”

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C hannell was just as surprised as everyone else when Baker put him in, and then left him in, against San Jose. But it was a moment he had been preparing for a long time.

“I have never envisioned myself as a guy who just sits on the bench,” he said. “I walked on here with the aspiration of being a player. I don’t know what prompted Coach Baker to play me in that game, but every time I go into a game, I have the feeling I’m going to make the most of it.

“He played me a lot that game and I tried to play to the best of my abilities without trying to do too much and things worked out. It turned out to be a great boost of confidence for me. Now, I want to use it as a stepping stone. Now, I’m trying to find my place on the team, do some things so I can become a more integral part of the team. That’s what this year is all about for me.”

Channell, 6 feet 6 and 205 pounds, didn’t spend the summer spinning no-look passes and tossing up 23-foot jumpers in pickup games. He headed straight for the drudgery of the weight room.

“I didn’t really play that much,” he said. “My emphasis was on strength conditioning. I felt I got banged around and thrown out of the way a little bit last year, so I thought that was the most important area for me to improve in.”

Another scientific approach and another logical solution.

“Khalid’s role with this team has changed because he’s made the effort,” Baker said. “He’s changed his body. He’s gotten bigger and stronger. He’s stayed healthy. He’s the guy who’s been there every day, focused, giving everything every day. So any benefits he’s reaping now are strictly related to the work he’s done.”

The Anteaters opened practice Saturday with few things etched in stone. Channell will be vying for playing time at the No. 3 (small forward) position. Is a starting role too much to ask?

“There are a lot of guys who can play the three spot,” Channell said, “so it’s going to be a big battle. Whoever brings the best performance will be the guy who gets to play the most and that’s the way it should be.

“I feel like if I get the opportunity, I can do something with it. I think I’m better physically, but I also think I’m better prepared mentally.”

Clearly, Channel’s mental capacities are not to be underestimated. And, while Baker says he has no preconceived notions about how things will play out, he’s also betting Channell will see considerable action this season.

“He will be a player and a contributor, and that’s more important than who starts, anyway,” Baker said. “But somebody has to start at the three spot for us and I don’t really care who it is. If he demonstrates the ability that he can do it, then it’s going to be him.

“That walk-on (stuff) is gone. It doesn’t matter anymore.”