Northridge Signs Second City Slicker : Basketball: Matador men land another top player from L.A. City College program.

Cal State Northridge, going back to the well that produced a winner last year, on Thursday signed Derrick Higgins, a 6-foot-3 swingman from Los Angeles City College, to a letter of intent.

Higgins is the second L.A. City player to accept a basketball scholarship to Northridge in the past two years.

The other, Mike Dorsey, was Northridge’s most valuable player in 1994-95.

“Derrick Higgins is very comparable to Mike Dorsey in terms of athletic ability,” L.A. City Coach Mike Miller said. “He’s probably a better defender, and leaving here he is a better mid-range shooter.”

Higgins averaged 13 points, eight rebounds and four assists and shot 69% from the field to lead the state.

“Derrick is very intelligent, he’s unselfish and makes great shot selection,” Northridge Coach Pete Cassidy said. “Plus, he’s a winner. A flat-out winner. We’re very happy to have him.”

Higgins, a Locke High graduate, is a two-time first-team All-Southern California Athletic Conference selection. L.A. City won 60 of 68 games during his tenure, including a 33-2 record last season when the Cubs advanced to the State tournament semifinals.

Northridge won out over South Alabama in its bid for Higgins, who said he chose the Matadors because he wanted his family to be able to see him play.

Higgins was L.A. City’s top defensive player and his presence alongside Dorsey and point guard Trenton Cross will allow Northridge to turn up the tempo on both ends of the floor.

“I’ve been told we’re going to trap more and try to use our quickness,” Higgins said.

Higgins had 93 steals--40 more than any other player in the SCAC--last season. He also blocked 36 shots, which tied for second in the conference.

“Derrick is going to be one of the better defensive stoppers we’ve had,” Cassidy said.

“He’s only 6-3, but he plays so much bigger.”

Like Dorsey, Higgins can also be a key player on offense, Miller said.

“He’s a spectacular dunker and finisher,” Miller said. “That’s why he shot 69%. More than a few of those were dunks.”

Higgins is the third junior-college player Northridge has signed, joining Kevin Taylor, a 6-7 forward from Sacramento City, and Kevin Deal, a 6-foot guard from College of the Sequoias.