Hansen Starts Late, Then Exits Early at Ojai : Tennis: USC player from Newport Harbor, just off a suspension for NCAA rules violation, is ousted in first round.

The Ojai Valley tennis tournament began three hours late Thursday for USC’s Brett Hansen, and ended about three days too early. Hansen waited through several long matches at Libbey Park for a court to open up, then went out and lost in 90 minutes to Stanford’s Chris Cocotos, 6-3, 6-4.

The loss, Hansen’s first of the season after 19 dual-match victories, was almost predicted beforehand.

“If I play like I’ve been playing, I have a chance to win the (Pac-10 singles) tournament,” he said. “But 19-0, I’m due to lose sometime.”

But these days, Hansen, who played for Newport Harbor High, is simply thankful to be playing again. Two weeks ago, Hansen and three USC teammates received a two-match suspension by the NCAA for accepting too much prize money in professional tournaments.

Under the NCAA rule, players cannot receive more expense money than they would receive as prize money for a first-round loss. The USTA says amateur players can receive expense money for as many rounds as they remain in a professional tournament, as long as the money is documented. Hansen, who played on the pro tour for nine months, apparently accepted too much money.

Hansen said the rule is too confusing to understand.

“No one really knew the rule for sure,” he said. “So every player and coach assumed that if it costs you a thousand bucks to get somewhere and you won a couple rounds, you could take a thousand dollars prize money. In all the time I traveled, I might have won some money. But overall, I know I was way down, thousands of dollars.”

Hansen said he is not the kind of player the NCAA should be pursuing.

“Anywhere I had to sign, I signed as an amateur,” he said. “These European players have been playing the tour since they were 14, I only played for nine months and I came back.”

USC Coach Dick Leach said if the NCAA begins stricter enforcement of its rules, fewer talented players will be able to attend college.

“The way it is now allows kids to see if they’re good enough to move on,” he said. “They might be more inclined to stay in school now, because when they go and play those tournaments, they realize they’re not ready for that level.”

Hansen is a perfect example. He left UC Irvine after two years to try the professional circuit and never made anything more than expense money.

“He got his butt kicked for a year and he realized that he’s not good enough,” Leach said. “And now, he’s coming back to school with a great attitude and he realizes that he’s got a lot to learn.”

Hansen decided this summer that he wanted to learn from Leach, so he contacted UCI Coach Steve Clark and asked for a release from his scholarship.

“I was kind of stunned when he asked for the release,” Clark said. “I really like Brett and I thought he was good player and nice kid. I was kinda hurt and I guess I took it personally. But I guess you can’t blame somebody who wants to play for a team that won the NCAA the previous year.”

With Hansen’s help, the Trojans might repeat. They won the Pac-10 for a fourth consecutive time and lost only three matches all season, two of them being forfeits when Hansen and his teammates were suspended.

Hansen couldn’t be happier with his decision to return to school.

“My confidence is up,” he said. “I’m playing smarter. I’m not going for the low-percentage shots. Confidence has helped me know I can stay in the point and I don’t have to go for a winner straight off.”

Said Leach: “When Brett first came here, he was playing stupid,” Leach said. “So I asked him what were his two strengths. He said his volleys, then he didn’t have a second. So I told him it was his legs. I told him you’re not using either of those, because you’re trying to hit winners from the baseline. We got him to be more patient and use his assets.

Against Cocotos, Hansen never had much of chance to use his legs or his volleys. Cocotos smothered the net throughout and never gave Hansen room to breathe.

But at least Hansen is still breathing.

“What if he couldn’t have come back to school?” Leach said. “Then he’s just another fatality. He can’t get his degree. He doesn’t have any money and he’s not good enough to play. But because of the rules the way they should be, he kept his amateurism and he can come back and finish.”