THE COLLEGES / IRENE GARCIA : CSUN Women Could Uncover a Nugget in Former 49er Coach

At last Cal State Northridge is on the verge of getting a new women’s basketball coach. A selection committee is expected to make a decision by the end of the week.

Glenn McDonald, 42, should be the Matadors’ new coach. He was one of two finalists late last week and appears to be the most qualified and best suited for the job.

McDonald knows the game and he has head-coaching experience, something the team’s former coach, Kim Chandler, lacked.

His coaching career includes stints as an assistant with the Long Beach State men’s team and a six-year run as the women’s assistant.

In 1991, when longtime coach Joan Bonvicini left for Arizona, McDonald was appointed her successor. For the past four years, he has been the women’s coach at Long Beach.

While an assistant there, he was Bonvicini’s top guy. That was during the program’s glory days, when some of the country’s best prep players ended up at Long Beach.

In 12 years as the 49er coach, Bonvicini led her teams to 10 conference championships and two NCAA Final Four appearances.

If you wanted to be involved with women’s collegiate basketball in Southern California, the Beach was the place to be.

And that’s where McDonald was. He was also there as a player. From 1971 through ‘74, he was a standout for the 49ers. McDonald competed for two of college basketball’s most-successful coaches: Jerry Tarkanian and Lute Olson.

He also was good enough to play in the NBA. A former No. 1 draft pick by Boston , McDonald played on the Celtics’ championship team in 1976, averaging 8.6 points and 15 minutes as a swingman.

Northridge should hire McDonald to be its women’s basketball coach because he has talent, experience and he loves the game.

In four seasons as the 49er coach, he was 54-58 and, although another year remains on his contract, McDonald was relieved of his coaching duties and assigned to an administrative position in the athletic department.

What a waste. Perhaps the folks at Long Beach had unrealistically high standards for McDonald. Maybe they wanted another Joan Bonvicini. He’s no Bonvicini, though.

McDonald made academics a priority; records show Bonvicini did not. That should be considered a good quality in a coach, not a negative one.

“Glenn cares about his players and their education,” said a newspaper reporter who covered McDonald for three years and Bonvicini before that. “He’s a well-liked guy and an honest human being. He was like a dad to some of the players.”

In any case, McDonald is eager to get back to coaching. He says he belongs in the gym, not in an office. He wants to run offenses and defenses, not intramural programs. Another one of his new duties as an administrator is acquiring temporary tenants for the Pyramid, the school’s fancy new arena.

But McDonald would rather be recruiting players than talent acts. Plain and simple, he wants a second chance. Obviously the administration at Northridge believes he deserves it.

McDonald made the final cut from about 60 applicants. That means the seven-member selection committee, chaired by Associated Athletic Director Judy Brame, realizes he’s a good catch.

McDonald is grateful. It has stimulated his life.

“I’m just excited that Northridge has enough confidence in me to bring me in for an interview,” he said. “This is a chance for me to pursue my coaching and it’s exciting.”

With credentials like his--as a player and coach--and strong Southern California connections, the folks in the Matador athletic department should be equally excited.

Perhaps the Northridge women would finally have a legitimate chance of winning. Considering the Matadors were 1-26 last season, the slightest improvement means progress.

Glenn McDonald, however, would most certainly bring the team a lot more than that.