WOMEN’S BASKETBALL : Earle’s Presence Will Give Chapman a Boost

Soon after becoming the Chapman women’s basketball coach last spring, Mary Hegarty learned of a seemingly impossible task: persuading Melody Earle to stay on the team.

Because of the school’s move from NCAA Division II to Division III, anyone on an athletic scholarship had to give up the funding or stop playing.

Hegarty, a Tustin High graduate who came to Chapman after four years as an assistant at UCLA, wasn’t aware of the situation before she took the job, but made player retention a top priority.

After a long discussion with Hegarty, Earle decided to play, although it meant she had to give up the scholarship that paid a large portion of the $20,000 in costs to attend Chapman.

“The thing that was always going for the program was how much she loved Chapman,” Hegarty said. “The hard thing for her is she’s had people tell her that she’s crazy to give up that much money.”

A look at the local teams:

CHAPMAN

1992-93 records: 2-23, 0-12 in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn.

Conference finish: Seventh

The Panthers are fortunate that Earle, a junior guard from Estancia who averaged 16 points, has returned. Hegarty has moved her from point guard to off guard to better take advantage of her scoring ability.

Heidi Sorour, a senior from Loara High and Saddleback College, is the team’s best outside shooting threat and Deborah Nilsen has moved over to the point.

Although Hegarty is pleased with the team’s talent level, she admits the Panthers’ weaknesses on the inside--they don’t have a player taller than 5 feet 11. Tiffany Fest, a 5-11 junior, has been impressive, although she has been hampered by respiratory problems. Jolee Lautaret, a 5-9 freshman, and Shawna Parkinson, a 5-10 freshman from the volleyball team, will also help.

“If we pressure the ball on the perimeter, I think the tall teams won’t hurt us too badly because they won’t be able to make the easy lob inside,” Hegarty said.

CONCORDIA

1992-93 records: 25-6, 10-0 in the Golden State Athletic Conference

Conference finish: First

Sharon Campbell takes over as coach after Kent Schlichtemeier led the Eagles to consecutive appearances in the NAIA national tournament.

Campbell, who played at Huntington Beach High and Golden West and Chapman colleges, has coached at Howard Payne and Eastern Oregon.

Two All-NAIA District 3 players--Stacy Kirch and Genevieve Graff-Ermeling--have graduated, but Gitte Mejer, a 6-2 All-American center, is back for her senior season.

Mejer, who is from Denmark, is joined by two other Scandinavians--freshman guards Karen Gadeberg and Kikka Jarvelainen.

Gadeberg, who is expected to start at point guard, is recovering slowly from reconstructive knee surgery.

Senior guards Stacey Giem and Julie Workman are the other two returning starters, and Wendy Johnson, a 6-0 junior forward, has moved into the starting lineup.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COLLEGE

1992-93 records: 14-13, 2-8 in the Golden State Athletic Conference

Conference finish: Fifth

The signs are good so far in Coach Dean Cooper’s second season with the Vanguards. They opened the year with a narrow loss to Division II Grand Canyon and then routed NAIA rival Biola, 75-44.

Four starters return, but only two of them are starting this season--Jamie Zitterkopf, a 6-0 center who averaged 11.6 points and 7.9 rebounds and Tina Demarsh, a guard who averaged eight points.

Emily Wedel, a sophomore guard who sat out last season with an injury, and Oregon community college transfers Sheri Treadwell and Shawna McComb, round out the starting lineup.

Nicole Kelley, a senior who was the starting point guard last season; Orange Coast transfers Heather Brannan and Carrie Elsaesser, 6-0 senior Dana DeVaney and 5-10 freshman Jennifer Moser give the Vanguards a deep bench.

PACIFIC CHRISTIAN

1992-93 record: 16-14

Joan Vande Voort, a forward on PCC’s team that reached the National Christian College Athletic Assn. Division II tournament last year, became the Royals’ third coach in three years in September.

The Royals have only three returning players and most of the rest had never played basketball before Vande Voort persuaded them to join the team.

Sophomore guards Margarita Ramos and Kristin Hawks and sophomore forward Kelly Carr are the players with experience. Vande Voort believes the rest of the team will improve enough to make a return trip to the national tournament.