LONG BEACH STATE NOTEBOOK / JASON REID : Coach McDonald Hopes the 49ers Can Bounce Back

What happened to the 49er women’s basketball program is as common in big-time college basketball as turnovers and buzzer-beaters.

The story goes like this: longtime successful coach leaves for greener pastures, coach’s chief assistant takes over team, new coach works to put his/her stamp on program and team hits rock bottom--in a hurry.

And the ending?

Well, that remains to be seen. But Coach Glenn McDonald sure expects happier days.

“This year, I really believe,” McDonald said. “The players believe they’re going to have a very, very good year, and that helps a whole lot.

“The kids are really anxious about this season. The returners saw games last season they should have won that they didn’t pull out at the end. I think that’s going to change. That should be a big change.”

Oh, does McDonald hope.

Once a perennial power, the 49ers have spent the last two seasons looking up at teams they used to stomp with regularity. Long Beach hasn’t exactly been the Big West Conference’s doormat, but teams don’t recoil in the 49ers’ presence nearly as much as they used to.

In the three seasons since McDonald succeeded former Coach Joan Bonvicini, who left to take control of Arizona’s program, the team is a very un- 49er like 41-44, including 20-34 the last two seasons. Long Beach was 21-10 in McDonald’s first season, but then the road became rocky. Last season, the team finished 11-17 and tied for seventh in the conference at 9-9.

McDonald was one of Bonvicini’s aides from 1986-91, during which time the 49ers won four conference titles and made two appearances in the Final Four. Since it first fielded a women’s team in 1962-63, Long Beach has won 21 conference titles. Moreover, Long Beach has compiled a record of 575-188 (75.4%), the most women’s basketball victories of any NCAA school.

Glorious history is great for waxing nostalgic at alumni parties, but it won’t help you break a full-court press. McDonald spent more time than he cared to over the last three seasons trying to persuade his charges to focus on the present.

“In the past, (the players) felt that when they stepped on the floor they were going to win games,” he said. “They didn’t realize that (teams) really wanted to jump on Long Beach State because of past experiences.

“Now I think the players understand what it takes to win.”

Much of McDonald’s optimism is based on the fact that eight players return from last season, including talented senior center Melissa Gower. Gower (6 feet 2) was selected second-team all-conference as a junior after averaging 15.8 points and 9.6 rebounds.

McDonald also expects big contributions from senior guard Michelle Miller (4.6 points), junior guard Akia Hardy (4.4) and junior forward Kim Barfield (5.4, 4.2 rebounds).

“Everybody now on this team is my player,” McDonald said. “There are no more leftovers, and I think that makes a big difference. I had to get rid of some people who were disrupting the team, and some people who didn’t want to go to class.

“I got rid of those people, and the ones who are here now are students opposed to just basketball players, but they’re also focused and committed to winning.”

And with a little luck, McDonald believes, this story might wind up with a happy ending for the 49ers after all.

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Denied: The NCAA last week denied a university appeal to overturn the ineligibility of three water polo players stemming from a misinterpretation of rules by Long Beach officials, said Mary Ann Tripodi, Long Beach director of compliance and student services.

Seniors Terry Romine and Trevor Wiens, and sophomore Adam Lee cannot play for the 49ers again this season because they failed to make satisfactory progress toward degrees, the NCAA Eligibility Committee ruled. The students, however, are in fact making solid progress toward their degrees, Coach Ken Lindgren said.

Lee, the team’s starting goalkeeper, has not played since Sept. 29. Romine and Wiens have been out of the lineup since Oct. 5.

Lindgren said university officials wrongly advised the students about selecting the proper courses for their majors in order to remain eligible under NCAA guidelines.

“This is extremely frustrating because they were following directions on what to do,” Lindgren said. “They all thought they were OK.

“They were just following the path they were told to take, but I don’t think you can point the finger at any one person on campus. It was a mistake.”

Lee has two years of eligibility remaining. Tripodi said the university plans to file another appeal to request Romine and Wiens be granted another year of eligibility.

“We’re going to try to get this year back,” she said. “Basically, we’re going to try to get their clocks extended.”

Tripodi said the NCAA often grants fifth years of eligibility for extenuating circumstances but declined to comment on this latest appeal’s chances.

This is just another headache for Lindgren, whose team has been hit hard by injuries. Long Beach is 4-13, 0-6 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.

“Having them back would obviously help our team, but my main concern is them losing a year,” Lindgren said. “I feel terrible about that.”

Notes

The Big West Conference named senior middle blocker Traci Dahl player of the week (Oct. 17-23), the second consecutive week a 49er has won the award. Dahl led the 49ers, ranked 10th in the nation by the American Volleyball Coaches Assn. and Volleyball Monthly magazine, to road victories over Nevada (16-18, 15-1, 15-8, 15-0) and New Mexico State (15-7, 15-3, 15-5). She totaled 36 kills in the two matches, including a career-high 23 kills against Nevada. Senior outside hitter Nichelle Burton received the distinction last week (Oct. 10-16). . . . Long Beach and Santa Barbara, ranked No. 8, meet in a conference volleyball showdown Friday at The Gold Mine. The 49ers (15-3, 10-1 in conference) trail conference-leading Hawaii by one-half game. Santa Barbara (19-2, 8-1) is third. The 49ers lost an intense match to the Gauchos on Oct. 1 at Santa Barbara, 11-15, 15-10, 15-12, 6-15, 15-8. . . . The men’s cross-country team finished fourth in the Bronco Invitational at Pomona. Pat Bendzick finished second with a time of 25 minutes 32 seconds for eight kilometers.