St. Clair Should Give Basketball Team a Shot in the Arm

The Cal State Fullerton men’s basketball team began practice Tuesday, and no one was more eager than junior guard Chris St. Clair.

For the first five games last season, St. Clair tried to come back from off-season knee surgery, but the pain and his lack of mobility became problems. Finally, he decided to seek a redshirt year and hope for full recovery.

“I think it turned out to be a good decision,” he said.

St. Clair says he feels like his old self, which should be a boost for a program that has won only 13 of 53 games through two seasons.

St. Clair is a player who can help Fullerton regain some respectability: a natural shooter who seems to be at his best in clutch situations. He’s a hustler who is savvy and has good ball-handling skills.

“When it comes down to it, what counts is being able to shoot and take care of the ball, and I think those are two things I do well,” St. Clair said.

As a sophomore two years ago, St. Clair was the team’s second-leading scorer even though he started only four of 23 games. “I expect him to have a huge impact this season,” Coach Bob Hawking said. “We really missed having him with us last year.”

One of St. Clair’s strengths is his ability to play point guard or off-guard, and Hawking plans to use him at both. St. Clair probably will share time with sophomore Kenroy Jarrett at the point and junior Chris Dade, a two-year starter, at the other guard position.

John Williams returns at power forward, giving Fullerton at least one capable inside threat. He averaged 14.2 points last season and led the team in rebounding.

How well Hawking does in finding a replacement for Chuck Overton, last season’s top scorer, at the other forward will be important.

Craig Whitehead, a community college transfer from Illinois, and Wyki Tyson, who was a redshirt last year after his transfer from Eastern Kentucky, are among the new faces at forward. The Titans also have added walk-on Jason Cunningham, who played at Los Alamitos High and Fullerton College.

The center position could be a big question again, especially on offense, unless Mark Richardson or Dirk Rassloff have improved significantly.

“The best thing is that we have more depth inside than we did last season,” Hawking said.

Hawking says he’s uncertain how much help he can expect immediately from freshmen Matt Caldwell, a 6-9 center from Peoria, Ariz., Josh Leighton, a 6-5 forward from Sacramento High, and Dane Plock, a 6-1 guard from Estancia.

“With freshmen, the learning curve is always so big,” Hawking said. “We know we’re going to have to be patient with them.”

The Titans’ top recruit, Ike Harmon of Santa Ana Valley High, failed to qualify academically and will be sidelined this season under Proposition 48 guidelines.

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The Titan baseball team, with 14 pitchers on the roster for fall practice, will have two more joining the staff in January before the start of the regular season.

Coach George Horton said Josh LaRocca of Golden West College and Joey Chavez of Southwestern plan to transfer to Fullerton after they qualify academically at the end of the fall semester.

Rebuilding the pitching staff is the No. 1 priority for the Titans, who appear solid at the other positions.

Horton and new pitching coach Dave Serrano were encouraged by the performances of several pitchers in the first week of fall practice. Returning starter Scott Hild and Tennessee transfer John Alkire have been solid. Senior Matt Wise also is off to a good start. “Wise just needs to get consistent,” Horton said. “The talent is there.”

Horton says Serrano has had early success working with senior Dustin Spencer by making a change in his motion.

“Dave has him throwing more three-quarter style, rather than coming straight over,” Horton said. “It definitely seems to have helped his breaking ball. He was mostly a fastball and changeup pitcher last year, but this may give him another pitch.”

Horton says there is good competition at several other positions.

Freshman catcher Craig Patterson has been impressive defensively, and community college transfers Ryan Fullerton and Pete Fukuhara, both outfielders, have shown promise on offense. Mike Lamb, who will either catch or play third base, also was a standout offensively in the first week of workouts.

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The women’s soccer team outscored three opponents by a combined 16-0 score and has given up only two goals in its last six games.

Sophomore Dolores Browning has 14 goals and five assists for 33 points, which leads the Big West Conference in scoring. Two transfers also have made a difference. Barbie Gil, who transferred from UCLA, leads the team in assists with 10. Amber Escobedo, a Maryland transfer, is second in goals with seven. Escobedo played at Mater Dei.

Titan Notes

The women’s volleyball team won its fourth consecutive match Monday against William & Mary and can equal its longest winning streak of the season Thursday with a victory at Idaho. Idaho, however, leads the Big West Conference Eastern Division with a 5-1 record and is 15-2 for the season. . . . The men’s soccer team is unranked this week by Soccer America, but is 11th in Soccer News. Striker Sheldon Thomas was named Mountain Pacific Sports Assn. player of the week after scoring twice in Sunday’s 4-2 victory over UC Santa Barbara. Thomas has 11 goals and four assists for 26 points. . . . Former Notre Dame coach Digger Phelps will be the guest speaker at the Titan Basketball Tipoff dinner Nov. 14 at the Doubletree Hotel in Orange.

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Coming Attractions

Here’s a look at key games this week for Cal State Fullerton:

* Men’s soccer, at Cal State Northridge Thursday at 7 p.m., and at UCLA Sunday at 4 p.m. Fullerton is 8-3-1 after Sunday’s 4-2 victory over UC Santa Barbara.