COLLEGE BASKETBALL 1995-96 : Anteaters Must Try to Avoid a Slump : Irvine: Team can’t wait until the postseason conference tournament to start playing.

In 1994, UC Irvine lost 10 of its first 12 Big West games and finished last in the league, but rolled into Las Vegas for the conference tournament and rolled off three victories before falling a couple of three-point shots shy of snatching the conference’s automatic NCAA berth.

Last season, the Anteaters went almost a month without a victory after Christmas, lost their first six conference games, but reached the tournament semifinals.

This season, however, the tournament format has changed and only the top six teams will compete in Reno for the NCAA berth. And Irvine can ill afford to hibernate in January, a month during which they have won six times in 35 games under Coach Rod Baker.

“To be honest, I haven’t given a lot of thought to the cause of our problems in January and February,” Baker said, “but we have to realize that it doesn’t matter what date a game falls on. There’s no room for mistakes in the regular season.”

Clearly, Irvine has the talent to succeed in the Big West. One national magazine rated only two Big West players among the top 25 at their position in the country. Both were Anteaters: first-team all-conference point guard Raimonds Miglinieks (14th) and last season’s freshman of the year, forward Kevin Simmons (23rd).

Joining Miglinieks, who was third in the nation in assists (8.4 per game), and Simmons, who led the team in scoring (14.9) and rebounding (7.7), are returning starters Brian Keefe and Michael Tate.

Keefe, a shooting guard who was an all-freshman team selection last season, scored 32 points in Irvine’s last exhibition game. Tate, a 6-4 senior forward, was second on the team in rebounding (6.9).

“We have scorers, we have rebounders, guys who can shoot threes, guys who can play defense, we have everything we need, we just have to play hard every night,” Miglinieks said. “We had a few problems inside the team last year and I think that problem with the chemistry caused us not to be always ready to play. But I think we’re more of a team now.”

Baker is taking a bit of chance, moving Simmons from power forward, where he was dominant last season, out to the perimeter, although Simmons will see time at both positions.

Baker believes Simmons deserves the chance to expand his game, but the Anteaters risk losing some inside scoring and rebounding.

“We’re going to stretch him out and use some of his other skills,” Baker said. “Hopefully, rebounding won’t be a problem. Moving Kevin outside means we’ve added another post player into the game.”

Simmons is sure the move will improve the Anteaters.

“I’m excited,” he said. “I worked real hard this summer on my jump shot. Sure, it’s a whole different thing, but don’t worry about rebounding or me and Raimonds working the give and go. No one has stopped it yet, so we’re going to keep running it and running it.”

The Anteaters lost their third-, fourth- and fifth-leading scorers from last season, but only one starter. Senior forward Shaun Battle, who can be a force inside when he’s healthy and fit, has edged out Tate for the starting power forward spot. Dan Augulis (6-10) will start at center, but he figures to take a back seat to junior transfer Paul Foster when Foster recovers from a series of ankle injuries. Foster, 6-8, averaged 17 points and 11 rebounds last season at Moorpark College.

Junior Tchaka Shipp, a 6-7 transfer from Seton Hall who is making a strong recovery from a near-fatal car accident in July of 1994 that left him in a coma for nine days, should become eligible for Irvine’s Dec. 9 game against Eastern Washington. If his right hand continues to heal, he figures to be an integral part of the team by the second half of the season.

Freshman guard Clay McKnight, the son of Mater Dei Coach Gary McKnight, set an Orange County high school record with 131 three-point field goals last season and should provide offensive punch off the bench.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

UC Irvine Facts and Figures

ROSTER

*--*

No Player Pos Hgt Wgt Yr 3 Brian Keefe G-F 6-4 185 So. 4 Lamarr Parker G 6-1 189 Fr. 11 Raimonds Miglinieks G 6-3 200 Sr. 15 Juan Toscanini G 6-0 160 Fr. 20 Danny Fernandez G 6-4 190 Sr. 21 Ken Simpson G 6-3 175 Jr. 22 Clay McKnight G 6-1 180 Fr. 25 Boris Reznik C 6-9 215 Fr. 30 Kevin Simmons F-C 6-8 235 So. 32 Tchaka Shipp F 6-7 225 Jr. 34 Dan Augulis C 6-10 220 Jr. 40 Shaun Battle F 6-6 240 Sr. 50 Paul Foster C 6-8 220 Jr. 55 Michael Tate F 6-4 235 Sr.

No Comment 3 5.7 points a game 4 26 points a game as New York prep 11 Third in nation in assists (8.4) 15 Non-scholarship player 20 Non-scholarship player 21 Los Angeles prep 22 131 three-pointers at Mater Dei HS 25 Brooklyn (N.Y.) prep 30 14.9 points and 7.7 rebounds a game 32 Played previously at Seton Hall 34 Played 10 games 40 Shot 53% from field 50 Shot 65.7% from field in JC ranks 55 7.6 points and 6.9 rebounds a game

*--*

SCHEDULE

*--*

Date Opponent Time Nov. 24 Siena (Lapchick Tournament) 11 a.m. Nov. 25 Lapchick Tournament TBA Dec. 2 at Oregon State 2:05 Dec. 9 Eastern Washington Noon Dec. 16 at USC 3:00 Dec. 21 at U. of San Diego 7:00 Dec. 29 Washington State 7:00 Jan. 2 Pacific 7:00 Jan. 4 San Jose State 7:00 Jan. 10 at UC Santa Barbara 7:30 Jan. 13 at CS Fullerton 7:00 Jan. 18 New Mexico State 7:00 Jan. 20 Nevada Las Vegas 7:00 Jan. 25 at Nevada 7:30 Jan. 27 at Utah State 7:00 Feb. 1 UC Santa Barbara 7:00 Feb. 3 Long Beach State 7:00 Feb. 6 Southern Utah 7:00 Feb. 10 Cal State Fullerton 7:00 Feb. 12 at Long Beach State 7:30 Feb. 17 at New Mexico State 6:30 Feb. 19 at Nevada Las Vegas 8:05 Feb. 24 Nevada 7:00 Feb. 26 Utah State 7:00 Feb. 29 at San Jose State 7:30 Mar. 3 at Pacific 7:30 Mar 8-10 Big West Tournament TBA at Reno

*--*

All times Pacific and p.m. unless noted.

Coach: Rod Baker, 5th season at Irvine, 36-79 (109-130 overall)

1994-95 Team Records: 6-12 in Big West (8th), 13-16 overall.