Mardi Gras Doesn’t Distract Madison

Aside from playing three basketball games, Tony Madison hardly ventured out of his apartment last week. The behavior on the streets was too bizarre for the former Antelope Valley College guard.

People, many of them intoxicated, were running around in strange masks and costumes.

His school--the University of New Orleans--was out of session, observing a week-long holiday: Mardi Gras.

Madison and his teammates headed to Bourbon Street one night to catch a glimpse.

“We just walked around watching people act crazy,” Madison said. “The people can just do anything out there. It’s like a big, wild party. People screaming . . . drinking. . . .”

On the court, Madison made his own festivities. The 6-foot-4, play-making guard averaged 19 points in three victories. He capped the week with a career-high 33 points and five assists in a 74-64 victory over Texas Pan American on Saturday as the Privateers (17-6, 11-4) took over first place in the Sun Belt Conference.

“I usually come out and hit my first three-point shot and then work the ball inside for the rest of the night,” Madison said. “But we were struggling down low. I made my second three, and then my third. And I said to myself, ‘I’m taking this all the way.’

“On some of the shots I was way behind the line. But I felt like they were all going in. I was in a zone and I just wanted the ball.”

Madison set a Lakefront Arena record for most points by a New Orleans player and tied the arena mark for most three-point baskets in a game--seven.

Games like this were common for Madison during the 1990-91 season at Antelope Valley. He averaged 26.1 points in his sophomore season, second only to J.R. Rider’s 30.8. But like many guards making the jump to Division I, Madison had to shelve his jump shot and concentrate on ballhandling and defense.

“The biggest adjustment was playing defense,” Madison said. “We played a lot of zone at AV. We play a lot of man-to-man here. I was concentrating on it so much, it was affecting my shooting.”

That might be an understatement. At the start of last season, Madison missed 18 of his first 19 shots. He bounced back to become the Sun Belt’s most accurate three-point shooter (32 of 74, 43.2%).

“Now I think I’m becoming a complete player,” he said.

New Orleans Coach Tim Floyd recognized potential in Madison after watching him play in a junior college all-star game during his sophomore year. Floyd convinced him to come to New Orleans instead of accepting a scholarship to New Mexico, as Madison had planned.

But something got lost in the translation.

“Coach Floyd was telling me they needed a shooter,” Madison said. “They wanted me right then and I was ready to leave. I just went for it.”

But Madison’s gun was strapped to its holster. He averaged only 6.5 points last season. His average has climbed to 12.9 this season--second highest on the team--but he has struggled through cold spells. His percentage from the field has dropped to 41.5%.

Before his 33-point outburst, Madison’s previous career high was 20, reached three times this season. Madison is not exactly filling up the score book, but he’s not disappointed. Winning has always been more important to Madison.

His teams won at Dorsey High, they won at Antelope Valley. Now, New Orleans is winning. Before Wednesday night’s game at Southwestern Louisiana, Madison’s collegiate record was 95-22 and 56-7 in conference games.

“Winning is what I’m all about,” he said. “Last year, we got a look at the NCAA (tournament, losing in the first round to Xavier). This year, we’re winning the conference. We’re peaking right now. We’re trying to get an automatic bid, and I think we can make something happen in postseason.”

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Checking the fax: Guard Reggie Phillips (Ventura College) leads NCAA Division II defending national champion Bakersfield (20-5) in scoring at 15.4 points per game. He had made 53.5% of his shots. Although only 5-10, he ranks second on the team in blocked shots (10) and third in steals (25). He scored 27 and 23 points in the past two games. . . .

Guard Kevin Franklin (Taft High) leads Division III power Oklahoma City (20-5) with a scoring average of 14 points a game. His percentage from three-point range (44.2%) is nearly as good as his overall percentage (45.1). . . .

Reggie Bell (College of the Canyons) has been Quincy’s leading scorer in eight of the past 10 games and its leading rebounder in seven. In the games in which he led the Hawks, Bell averaged 25.4 points and 12.7 rebounds. . . .

Former Cal Lutheran baseball coach Rich Hill picked up the 200th victory of his career in San Francisco’s 4-0 defeat of San Jose State on Tuesday. Jason Chandler (Granada Hills) pitched a three-hitter, improving his record to 3-1. USF is 6-4 in Hill’s first season.