BIG WEST TOURNAMENT : McNaull Has Lost That Losing Feeling With 49ers

Hot water rushed onto Joe McNaull’s weary face as he stood in a shower stall, but he didn’t feel a thing. He couldn’t feel anything.

McNaull, then a junior center at San Diego State, and his teammates had lost to New Mexico, 77-52, at home on Jan. 17, 1993. He was in the midst of an 8-21 season that had followed a 2-26 season, and the lack of victories was taking its toll.

“I don’t know how long I stayed in the shower that night,” McNaull said. “That was the first night I really thought about transferring. I just couldn’t take it anymore.”

So with only a season of eligibility remaining, McNaull left San Diego State for Long Beach State.

“I knew I couldn’t go through another year like that. I’m so happy I decided to come to Long Beach. It’s been even better than I thought it could be.”

Not only is McNaull finally part of a winner after his transfer, but he has emerged as the 49ers’ best player and a pro prospect going into this weekend’s Big West Conference tournament.

The third-seeded 49ers, 17-9 overall and 13-5 in the conference, play sixth-seeded UC Santa Barbara (13-13, 8-10) Friday in the quarterfinals at 2:35 p.m. Cal State Fullerton (7-19) plays UC Irvine (11-15) in a first-round game today at 2:30.

After a slow start, McNaull averaged 18.1 points and 8.4 rebounds as the 49ers won 10 consecutive conference games from Jan. 28 to March 2. He leads Long Beach in scoring with 12.1 points a game and rebounding with seven.

“Joe has improved tremendously over the last half of the season,” said Marty Blake, NBA director of scouting. “He’s finally playing up to his potential.

“He can definitely play somewhere in the world. I’m going to give him every opportunity to be seen because he’s earned it.”

A classic back-to-the-basket center, McNaull has a nice shooting touch. He always battles hard for low-post position and is an aggressive rebounder.

But what especially pleases point guard Tye Mays is the target McNaull provides at 6 feet 10 and about 250 pounds.

“We have a big force down low in Joe,” Mays said. “When everything is stuck on the perimeter, he’s like a big sign for me.

“If I penetrate, of course I’m going to see Joe because he’s so big and he’s so wide. He’s a great finisher, so I just try to keep my eye on him and he’s been coming through.”

The 49ers’ opponents have noticed too.

“McNaull is a very good player,” New Mexico State Coach Neil McCarthy said. “I think he and (Utah State center Eric) Franson are the two best in the conference as far as what they do to help their teams, but McNaull probably has the physical stature to be the better player at the next level.”

McNaull dominated Franson in a head-to-head meeting Feb. 4 at the Pyramid, outscoring him, 24-13. McNaull made 11 of 15 field-goal attempts.

McNaull, 22, decided on Long Beach because of Coach Seth Greenberg. He knew of Greenberg’s reputation as a teacher, and he figured Greenberg could help unlock the potential McNaull, and others, believed he had.

Highly recruited at Monte Vista High in Spring Valley, McNaull received attention from national powers such as Nevada Las Vegas and Syracuse. He chose San Diego because it was close to home.

The 49ers’ final two regular-season games resoundingly illustrate McNaull’s importance. With the conference title on the line, Long Beach lost both games as McNaull played in foul trouble and was mostly ineffective.

“I can’t say I’m disappointed we didn’t win, but for at least one season I had a lot of fun,” he said. “I was always watching the scores, watching to see what Utah State and New Mexico State were doing.

“And it’s not over yet. I think we’ve got a great chance in the (conference) tournament.”

Notes

Eric Franson of Utah State was voted the Big West player of the year, and the Utes’ Larry Eustachy was honored as the conference’s coach of the year. A junior center, Franson led the conference in scoring with an 18.7 average to help the Utes (21-6, 14-4) to their first Big West title since 1980. Kevin Simmons of UC Irvine was named the conference’s freshman of the year.