Anteaters Losing 2 Starters

UC Irvine’s resurrected basketball program appears to be on the verge of crashing.

Sophomores Kevin Simmons and Brian Keefe, the team’s top two scorers who both earned All-Big West Conference second-team honors last season, are planning to transfer. And highly touted Tchaka Shipp, a 6-8 forward who played two seasons at Seton Hall, was recently dismissed from school for one quarter after an investigation of alleged cheating and said he will not return.

Simmons, a 6-8 forward who was the Big West freshman of the year two seasons ago, said Tuesday he would not be back at Irvine. Keefe, a 6-4 sophomore guard who led the team in scoring, said he “preferred not to say anything about it right now,” but Irvine Athletic Director Dan Guerrero confirmed that Keefe had been granted permission to talk to other schools.

The Anteaters never finished higher than eighth place in the Big West during Rod Baker’s first four years as coach, but they improved to second place with an 11-7 conference record last season. Their 15-12 overall mark was Baker’s first winning record at Irvine. Simmons led the team in rebounding (7.2 per game) and was second in scoring (15.2). Keefe, the team captain, averaged 16.6 points.

Simmons chose not to disclose the reasons for his decision, but playing time--one of the most common causes of player dissatisfaction--can’t be the issue with either player.

Simmons, who was granted his wish to be moved from a post position to the perimeter to increase his chances of playing in the NBA, has started every game in which he has played as an Anteater. Keefe started 16 of 26 as a freshman and all 27 last season.

Simmons, however, said he was unhappy with his progress as a player.

“I don’t think I had a good year, not at all,” he said. “But [the decision] was nothing about the team or the coaches. It was a lot of different reasons, personal things.

“I don’t know yet where I’m going to be at next year, but it definitely won’t be at Irvine.”

Simmons said there was a chance he and Keefe would try to find a school together. “We really haven’t spoken that much about it, but it could be a possibility.”

Baker, who didn’t return calls Tuesday, probably has heard rumors about Keefe and Simmons, but Simmons had not informed his coach or Guerrero of his decision as of Tuesday evening.

“I talked with Coach, but we didn’t really get into it and I didn’t speak to him too fully about it,” Simmons said. “He’s been out of town and I haven’t really had a chance to talk to him. But I think he’s got the idea.”

Baker, who last month was named Big West coach of the year and District 15 coach of the year by the National Assn. of Basketball Coaches, hasn’t had much time to bask in the glory. He has one more season on the contract extension he signed in 1994, but it could be a dismal one without his two best returning starters and Shipp, who was a prize recruit when he graduated after an all-New York City senior season at Brooklyn’s Lincoln High.

Just weeks after transferring from Seton Hall to Irvine, Shipp fell asleep at the wheel of a rented convertible and it flipped in an intersection near the Irvine campus. Simmons, a passenger in the car, walked away from the July 19, 1994 crash with minor cuts and bruises, but Shipp was in a coma nine days and left with severe memory problems. He endured months of rehabilitation after undergoing surgery for a bruised and swollen brain, torn ligaments and muscles above his left knee and a severed tendon and compound fracture of his right index finger.

He made a miraculous recovery and it was the finger injuries that caused him the most problems when he returned to practice. Shipp was hoping to play last season, but failed to meet academic progress requirements. He may have returned to school too soon after a major head trauma but had to remain a full-time student to be eligible for his mother’s insurance.

Shipp denied allegations he cheated.

“Myself and four other girls had the same answers on our mid-term,” Shipp said. “We went through all these meetings with the deans and everything, but none of the girls were dismissed, only me.

“Personally, I think it has something to do with basketball. I think they wanted their scholarship back, or maybe they didn’t want to be liable for me because of my accident.”

Guerrero said he could not comment on a student’s academic problems but confirmed Shipp would not be back.

“We’ve done everything possible for Tchaka since he came here and we had made the commitment to help him whether he could play or not,” Guerrero said. “This had nothing to do with the athletic department.”

Shipp, whose mother lives in Queens, said he plans to return home this week and enroll at C.W. Post on Long Island.

The player exodus brings up serious questions about Baker’s future. Known as a good recruiter with questionable game management and motivational skills, Baker seemed to have answered some of his critics this season, producing impressive road victories against St. John’s, Nevada, Utah State and Long Beach State.

Now, Baker--who recently informed assistants Maz Trakh and Mike McIlwain they had better seek employment elsewhere--apparently will be left with some big holes to fill and nobody to help him on the recruiting trail.

“At this point, we in this department are doing everything to support Rod during this time of transition,” Guerrero said. “Athletes often request permission to transfer and ultimately decide that the place they’re at is the best place for them. I’m not saying that necessarily will be the situation in this case, but it happens.

“[Simmons and Keefe] are individuals we brought in as freshmen, individuals who have played a very important part in our program, but changes occur. We’ll see what happens. I’m not going to definitely say these young men will no longer be a part of our program. Their intent at this point is to look at their options.

“But we have to move on, too.”