Carlsons Landed at SCC Because of Hoop Dreams : Track: Brothers from Katella have NCAA Division I talent in high jump, but their love of basketball keeps them at the NAIA school.

It’s no surprise that Kevin and Brian Carlson are excelling in college track and field. After all, they are the only Orange County high jumpers to clear 7 feet in high school.

But despite NCAA Division I talent, the Carlsons are competing in NAIA obscurity for a Southern California College track program that lacks the necessary tools for their trade.

Because SCC has no high jump pit and no coach with expertise in the event, the brothers are basically on their own. They work out as often as possible at their alma mater, Katella High, under the direction of their high school jump coach, but other priorities sometimes intervene.

“Sometimes, it’s tough to motivate yourself to go out and actually do the work,” Kevin said. “But it has been fun competing this year and we’ve seen a lot of good competition.”

They should see their best yet on Saturday at the NAIA national championships at Azusa Pacific. The high jump final begins at 3 p.m.

The Carlsons, who each cleared 7-0 1/2 this season, have the second-best reported marks in the NAIA. Quinten Esser of Doane (Neb.) has cleared 7-1, and there are 12 others who have a mark of 6-10 or better.

“It’s going to be tight,” SCC Coach Bryan Wilkins said.

Tough competition will be nothing new to the Carlsons, who seem to excel when the pressure is on.

In 1990, when Kevin became Orange County’s first prep athlete to break the 7-foot barrier, he did it as a junior at the State meet. The next year at the State meet, he cleared 7-1 but finished second when an opponent went 7-2.

Brian’s 7-0 effort at Katella won him the 1993 Southern Section Division II title.

So how did jumpers this talented wind up at SCC and not UCLA?

Even Wilkins wondered at first. “I was a little bit surprised early on that they were even considering SCC,” Wilkins said.

The short answer: They both love to play basketball.

They were standouts on the Katella basketball team and enrolled at Fullerton College after graduating, but then their paths diverged.

Kevin, two years older than his brother, turned down a track scholarship to Boise State and went to Fullerton. He became a basketball and track standout, last year winning the State community college title with a mark of 7-0 1/4.

Brian, hoping to be a Division I basketball player, decided to redshirt his freshman year at Fullerton and then transferred to Cal State Fullerton at the semester. He practiced and traveled with the team, but when he learned he didn’t figure in the Titans’ plans, he looked to play elsewhere.

At the same time, SCC men’s basketball Coach Bill Reynolds was recruiting Kevin. Brian, whom Reynolds had recruited at Katella, called the coach and the brothers soon became a package deal.

The Carlsons were strong additions to the SCC basketball team: Kevin was the leading scorer and was named first-team All-Golden State Athletic Conference; Brian, hampered by injuries early, started a few games and was a key reserve by season’s end.

Kevin, 6 feet 5, 145 pounds, is the more gifted jumper, but he has been playing catch-up this season. He jumped 7 feet only once, April 28 at Azusa Pacific, when he and Brian each went 7-0 1/2.

Brian, 6-5 and 180 pounds, depends more on technique and has gone over 7 feet three times this season. He won the GSAC title.

“I don’t know what it is,” said Brian, 20. “I’ve been jumping really consistently . . . and I’ve been having a great time.”

Although Kevin, 22, hasn’t been as successful this season, he says his relationship with his brother hasn’t suffered.

“I don’t know if we want to beat each other,” Kevin said. “But if one of us wins about every time, I think we’d be happy.”

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Track notes

Besides Kevin and Brian Carlson, five other Southern California College athletes will compete in the national meet, which is today through Saturday at Azusa Pacific. Nikee Pool, a sophomore from Kansas, is in the women’s 800-meter field. Pool will run in the trials at 5:45 p.m. today. The 800 semifinals are Friday at 4:05 p.m., the final is Saturday at 6:40 p.m. Tim Hardin, a junior from San Dimas, is in the marathon, which is scheduled for 6 a.m. Saturday. Heather Salisbury, a junior from Orange Lutheran, is in the 5,000, Darlene Pruitt, a sophomore from Dana Hills and Irvine Valley College, is in the 3,000 and Jason Schaefer, a junior from Michigan, is in the 1,500. . . . The Azusa Pacific men’s team will try to win its second consecutive title and its 11th in 13 years. The Cougars will get their toughest challenge from Lubbock Christian of Texas, which won the cross-country championships and the NAIA indoor championships this season. . . . Central State, the defending women’s champion, will be challenged by Southern University of New Orleans, this year’s indoor champion.