UC IRVINE NOTEBOOK / JOHN WEYLER : Anteaters Have a Big Game This Week, Too

UCLA and USC aren’t the only ones preparing for a big game this week. The Anteaters open their basketball season Thursday night with an exhibition game against the storied Brisbane Southern District Spartans of Australia.

Sure, the outlook for 1993-94 is one of those good news/bad news things--Irvine has a lot of players back from a team that was 6-21 last season--but hope springs eternal around the Bren Center before the opening tipoff.

So forget football, it’s time for hoopmania at UCI.

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Sleeper? New Mexico State Coach Neil McCarthy says the Anteaters, picked to finish sixth in both the Big West coaches and media polls, may be a dark horse candidate to break into the conference’s upper division.

“They are one of the most experienced teams in the league,” McCarthy said. “I like their athleticism, I like their rebounding, I like their depth and I think Rod (Baker) does a really good job with them.

“I like the transfer from Cal (LaDay Smith), I like the big center (DeForrest Boyer) and, of course, (Lloyd) Mumford is an excellent guard. To underestimate them will be a mistake.

“Really, I think they’re this close,” he said, holding his thumb and index finger less than an inch apart. “If they can get over the hump and win a few games early, they could be a very good team.”

Clearly, McCarthy hasn’t forgotten last season’s Aggie-Anteater battles. The Aggies beat Irvine in overtime at Las Cruces and overcame a six-point halftime deficit to win, 76-74, at the Bren Center. New Mexico State handled Irvine a bit easier in the first round of the Big West tournament, winning, 87-76.

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Oh Fudge! How good is guard Lloyd (Fudge) Mumford? NBA good, according to Baker.

“If he can continue to increase his (shooting) range, I think he has a genuine chance to play in the pros,” Baker said. “You look at a guy like Adonis Jordan, who was drafted in the second round, and I don’t see much difference. Lloyd is more than strong enough. He’s worked hard to improve his range. He’s got quickness and toughness; he’s got a real good feel for the game, and he can really go hard for long periods of time.”

Baker, however, is expecting Mumford to take his game up a level from last season, especially when it comes to decision-making. Mumford committed 122 turnovers last year and forced some others on his teammates.

“Great players put the ball in guys’ hands or they don’t throw it to them,” Baker said. “If he’s concerned about whether a guy is going to catch a pass, then don’t throw it. Find another way to get him in position where he can catch it.

“Some guys, you can’t throw the ball to on the run. Well, you can’t throw that guy the ball on the run and then say it’s his fault if it ends up a turnover.”

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Two to watch? Key players aren’t always the ones who score the most points or grab the most rebounds. Sometimes, a role player can be the final piece in the puzzle.

The men’s and women’s teams this year are looking to two such players, junior guard Zuri Williams and freshman forward Sherise Sandoz.

“It will be interesting (to see) how far Zuri can come along,” Baker said. “He can make it so much easier for us at guard, give us so much flexibility. If he can come out and give us major minutes, not just complimentary minutes, but if we can depend on him for 20-plus minutes a game, then we can do a lot.

“He played more as a freshman than as a sophomore, but he’s made significant strides over the summer, and if he can take that next step, then that does a lot for us.”

Women’s Coach Colleen Matsuhara is counting on Sandoz, who played a lot of low post at Downey Pius X High, where she averaged 25 points and 16 rebounds as a senior. With the Anteaters, Sandoz will play a wing position.

“She was forced to play down low a lot in high school,” Matsuhara said, “but it’s a necessity for her to make the switch to the perimeter for us. Of the three freshmen coming in, she’s the one who has a real chance of vying for a starting spot.

“Sherise is very quick and has a keen sense for the ball. She can help us in our transition game and also allow us to use different people in different places.”

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Ouch patrol: Baker is hoping for an early holiday gift over the next few days as some of his injured players return to action. Forward Joe Hannon (hip flexor) could begin practicing today. Center DeForrest Boyer (abdominal strain) could return this week and guard Todd Whitehead (hamstring) and forward Mark Odsather (calf) shouldn’t be far behind.

“The four guys who aren’t practicing, I think are pretty good,” Baker said. “It would be a lot nicer if they were practicing, but now it will be like a little present when they come back.”

Boyer, a 6-foot-10, 250-pound senior who averaged six points and six rebounds last season, is a key player underneath for Irvine. And while he’s sidelined, the battle of the bulge rages.

“Anytime you have a guy that big, who’s that mobile and can anchor what you’re trying to do defensively, he’s obviously a necessary part,” Baker said.

“It’s been a vicious circle for him. If he gets heavy, he gets hurt, and if he gets hurt he can’t stay fit. But it’s not like he doesn’t want to play. He rides the bike for an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening and works on the Stairmaster, too, everything you can do to stay in condition when you can’t run.

“We’ll just have to ease him back into it.”