CAL STATE FULLERTON NOTEBOOK / SCOTT MILLER : Injuries Have Taken Big Toll on Women’s Basketball Team

The Amazing, Shrinking Titans:

The Cal State Fullerton men’s basketball team has played most of this season with only nine players.

Now two members of the Titan women’s team are scheduled to have surgery next week, leaving eight available players.

Junior transfer LaCheri Grant will have surgery Tuesday to fix a shoulder separation.

Freshman Michele Leitner will have reconstructive knee surgery on Wednesday to fix her anterior cruciate ligament.

And freshman Tonya Jones, who missed most of the first semester because of a heart problem, will not play anymore this season.

“Losing Michele Leitner was a big blow,” Coach Debbie Ayres said. “She was on track to be our center this year. And Grant was providing some big help off the bench for us on the transition game at both ends.

“It certainly has affected our depth.”

Still, the Titans (1-9, 0-4) were able to play Nevada Las Vegas close last week before losing, 75-70, and they led for most of a game against Long Beach State before losing, 81-76, when foul trouble forced the Titans to finish a game with four post players and one guard.

“I think we’ve done real well,” Ayres said. “But if we get into injury or foul trouble, it has an effect on us at the finish.

“With a smaller group, you have to play well together. This is a real cohesive unit. But it’s a lot of pounding for eight bodies to take.”

One bright spot has been the play of guard Autumn Hollyfield, a junior transfer from Sierra Community College. At one time this season, Hollyfield was leading the nation in three-pointers. She had six--and 26 points--in Saturday’s game at UNLV.

“She’s playing real well,” Ayres said.

As for the rest of the Titans, if they play well, Ayres will notice quickly. After all, with only eight players, it would be hard to miss.

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Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski and North Carolina Coach Dean Smith signed shoe contracts with Nike last year. Krzyzewski reportedly earned a $1 million signing bonus and got a 15-year contract worth $375,000 annually.

Smith’s is a four-year deal in which Nike will provide the university with $4.7 million in cash, shoes and athletic apparel.

Last week, Adidas got into a disagreement with Indiana Coach Bob Knight last week and the company pulled the plug on a 17-year association. In a highly unusual move, the Hoosiers switched shoes, to Converse, in mid-year--beginning last Saturday.

Meanwhile, at Fullerton . . .

Coach Brad Holland has deals with Rawlings and Reebok.

As a result of Holland’s Rawlings contract, the Titans were able to get 15 new basketballs this season.

Reebok also provides the Titan men with equipment: shoes, sweat suits and travel bags.

“The Reebok people have been really good to our team,” said Holland, who signed a three-year contract with Reebok before this season. “It’s an excellent product, the service is good . . . I’m very happy with them.”

The company also pays Holland an undisclosed amount of cash. But with less than two full seasons of experience as a head coach and no NCAA titles, suffice it to say that Holland’s shoe deal doesn’t exactly allow him to use Krzyzewski’s tailor.

“It’s about one one-hundredth of what Mike Krzyzewski receives,” Holland said.

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If you switched your television channels with a surgeon’s precision over the last couple of weeks, you saw several former Titans romping around during the NFL playoffs and college bowl games.

--That was Green Bay quarterback coach Steve Mariucci, who performed the same duties at Fullerton, hugging Packer quarterback Bret Favre after Favre’s game-winning touchdown pass against Detroit on Saturday.

--That was Mark Collins celebrating the New York Giants’ playoff victory over Minnesota.

--Quarterback Chad May (275 yards passing) and offensive lineman Bryan Campbell were instrumental in Kansas State’s Copper Bowl victory over Wyoming.

--Defensive back Darrius Watson played in Louisville’s Liberty Bowl victory over Michigan State.

The only loser in the bunch? Richard Smith, former Titan assistant, who is special teams coach of the Denver Broncos.

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Former Titan Leon Wood played in the Continental Basketball Assn. all-star game on Tuesday in Ft. Wayne, Ind. Wood, playing for Fargo-Moorhead, is the CBA’s leading scorer at 22.2 points.

Wood, in his fourth CBA season, also was a member of the 1984 U.S. Olympic gold-medal team.

Titan Notes

Three of last year’s Titans are still playing basketball: Guard Aaron Sunderland is with Oklahoma City in the Continental Basketball Assn., center Sean Williams is playing professionally with Rio de Janeiro and forward Bruce Bowen is playing professionally in France. . . . New Mexico State Coach Neil McCarthy was not happy the Aggies were called for 12 fouls and Fullerton only four during the first half of the Aggies’ 77-64 victory on Saturday. “Hmmm, amazing, huh?” he said. “I think the referees saw every foul we made and missed every one they made. Either that, or else Fullerton is the cleanest team we’ve played all year.” . . . Goalkeeper Mike Ammann has been selected as an All-American by Soccer America. . . . Entering this week, guard Shayla Bradshaw was second in the Big West Conference in assists (5.9 per game) and third in scoring (18.2). . . . The women’s gymnastics team opens Jan. 21 at San Jose State and then plays host to UCLA on Jan. 28 and Stanford on Feb. 4. . . . The women’s tennis team opened practice on Monday. Its first match is Jan. 25 at home against Southern California College. Coach Bill Reynolds has three freshmen in his top six.