Tryout Offer Lures Dorsey Back to Japan : Basketball: CSUN forward taking advantage of dual citizenship in hopes of making 1996 Olympic team.

Mike Dorsey, the most valuable player on the Cal State Northridge men’s basketball squad, said Wednesday he has accepted an invitation to try out for the Japanese national team.

Dorsey, who was born in Japan and maintains dual citizenship, hopes to make Japan’s 1996 Olympic team, a goal Northridge Coach Pete Cassidy fully supports--as long as the Matadors’ best player returns for his senior season.

The Japanese training camp is from April 12-16, during Northridge’s spring break. Dorsey, who plans to leave for Tokyo on Saturday, said he expects to resume classes April 17.

“Most likely I’m going to come back,” Dorsey said. “Nobody has talked to me about staying. If they do, I’d have to weigh my options.”

Japanese professional teams last year had informal talks with Mike Miller, Dorsey’s former coach at Los Angeles City College, before the 6-foot-4 forward accepted a scholarship offer from Northridge.

Professional teams in Japan are allowed two foreign players on their roster, but Dorsey would be excluded from that category because he is a citizen.

“That’s a possibility, but I can’t see him doing that,” Cassidy said of the prospect of Dorsey signing a pro contract. “If they give him an offer he can’t refuse I suppose he might, but I hope he chooses to come back.”

Noted for his quickness, leaping ability and flair for the spectacular, Dorsey is a player Cassidy plans to build around in hopes of improving on the Matadors’ 8-20 record during their most-recent campaign.

Dorsey, from Riverside, led Northridge in scoring nine times and in rebounding 14 times, including the last nine games in a row. A first-team All-American West Conference selection, he paced the Matadors with averages of 12.7 points and 7.1 rebounds, plus 31 steals.

“I’m excited for him. I think it’s great,” Cassidy said. “Just as long as he doesn’t miss any class time and he doesn’t receive any money, we’re fine. The experience can’t do anything but make him better.”

Dorsey has several relatives in Japan, including the parents of his mother, Ikuko. Dorsey’s father, the late Willie Dorsey, was an American entertainer.

“I’m really pumped and excited to play,” Dorsey said. “This is a great opportunity for my family over there to see me play basketball.”

Japan’s national team currently is on tour for a three-game series against Magic Johnson’s all-stars. Dorsey said he declined an offer to take part in the series because it interfered with midterm exams at Northridge.

The Japanese national team has a grueling schedule this summer, but none of the games--beginning in early June and lasting through late August--would conflict with Northridge’s academic calendar.