Sense of Family Leads Marcaccini to Pepperdine : Basketball: After playing in Italy, swingman returns to California to be close to ailing father.

Monte Marcaccini, who spurned Indiana’s Bob Knight to play basketball in Italy last summer, has returned to California and signed to play college basketball at Pepperdine.

Marcaccini, 19, The Times’ Valley player of the year in 1993 while at Notre Dame High, said Thursday that the deciding factor was his desire to stay close to his ailing father. Giancarlo Marcaccini, 60, is battling lung cancer.

“I would have loved to go to Indiana,” said Marcaccini, a 6-foot-6 swingman. “But I have a different situation than I did a year ago, with my dad being sick. Our whole family’s real close. This is a pretty big blow. It’s something you’ve got to deal with.”

His father’s illness was diagnosed four months ago. Giancarlo had surgery to remove a lung in Paris in June. He continues to live in Paris, where he is undergoing radiation treatments. Monte said his father plans to return to Encino as soon as he is strong enough.

“I hope he gets out here as soon as he can,” Monte said.

Marcaccini also was attracted by the new Pepperdine coaching staff, headed by former San Diego State Coach Tony Fuller. One of Fuller’s assistants is Bob Mandeville, who coached lower-level basketball teams at Notre Dame High from 1986-89. Mandeville also had assisted Fuller with the Aztecs.

“I know Coach Mandeville,” Marcaccini said. “The coaching staff’s good guys.”

Marcaccini also has an opportunity to play right away.

“For my situation, I need to be somewhere where I can play right away and get some experience,” he said. “Indiana right now probably wouldn’t be the best place for me to develop my game. Coach Knight’s got three guys at my position right now. I think I’d be able to play, but not as much as I want.”

In Italy, Marcaccini averaged about 25 points a game as a shooting guard for the Benetton United Colors, which won the junior national championship. He led Notre Dame to the Southern Section Division III-A championship in 1993, averaging 19.7 points and 11.4 rebounds.

He signed with Indiana during the fall signing period in November 1992, turning down an offer from UCLA. But last August, Marcaccini left for Italy before the start of classes at Indiana.

Because Marcaccini played for an amateur team in Italy, he retained his NCAA eligibility.