Morgan Gets Big Test Before Season Starts

He waited 16 years for this job. But before he had even walked the sideline in his first exhibition game, Long Beach State men’s basketball Coach Wayne Morgan found himself smack in the middle of a controversy that pretty much ended his 49er honeymoon.

Talented junior forward Marcus Johnson was suspended indefinitely last week for an unprovoked attack on Corey Saffold, a junior swingman, during practice, school officials said. This isn’t exactly what a rookie coach needs.

Saffold’s father, Otis, was furious about the incident and ensuing actions by Long Beach. He said he has not ruled out encouraging Corey, 21, to pursue legal action against Johnson and/or the school. Losing Johnson deprives Morgan of his best post player on the eve of his first season.

The moral: Be careful what you wish for . . . you might get it.

“Obviously, this is a very difficult and sensitive situation,” said Morgan, formerly an assistant at Dartmouth, Syracuse and Xavier. “We are being careful to make the right decisions.”

Morgan has a big mess to handle, that’s for sure.

The issue now is, where does he go from here?

Morgan has established conditions Johnson must meet before his return will be discussed, though Morgan won’t say what those conditions are. Johnson can remain enrolled in classes but cannot practice with the team. Morgan said he has forbidden Johnson and Saffold from speaking publicly about the incident.

But even if Johnson satisfies the mandated criteria, Morgan and his Long Beach athletic administration superiors have other concerns to address.

This is Johnson’s second suspension in less than a year. He also was suspended indefinitely last season after slamming then-Coach Seth Greenberg against a wall in the 49ers’ locker room after a game at the Pyramid. Johnson returned after sitting out two Big West Conference games.

During a game at Nevada Las Vegas, he waved his arms and encouraged the crowd to cheer more passionately against the 49ers. And he gave a reporter sitting at press row a high-five during a home game while preparing to put a ball in play.

In August, 1995, Johnson was arrested in Long Beach and held in custody for two days on charges of assault with a deadly weapon. The Long Beach city prosecutor, citing insufficient evidence, declined to press charges.

For these reasons, Otis Saffold is concerned.

“My wife is a nervous wreck,” he said. “We’re both worried. The protection of our son is what we want. He’s humiliated and he’s being made out to be the villain for getting beat up.”

Long Beach officials understand Saffold’s frustration, but adamantly deny Corey is being painted as a troublemaker.

Athletic Director Bill Shumard admits mistakes have been made in handling the situation. He said a trainer or coach should have taken Saffold to the hospital emergency room. Instead, guard James Cotton and his brother, Schea, a 49er recruit, served as Saffold’s escorts.

But what angered Otis Saffold most was that Long Beach did not specify the reason for Johnson’s suspension, indicating only a “breach of team protocol” in a news release. That prompted Saffold to contact school officials to discuss his displeasure and their future actions regarding Johnson.

“I just don’t understand why they wouldn’t say what really happened to my son instead of making up something like [‘breach of team protocol’],” he said. “That was just wrong.”

Unless other players are injured, Corey probably won’t play much this season. Saffold said he believes Morgan would not consider allowing Johnson to return if he had beaten up a key member of the team. Morgan and his bosses say Corey’s playing status has not--and will not--factor into their decisions. “I’m not going to push for [Johnson] to be off the team, but I just pray they will do the right thing,” Otis Saffold said. “They know what the right thing to do is.”

Though Morgan is noncommittal, Johnson, barring further incidents, probably will be back on the team before long, sources said. Without Johnson, the 49ers probably can’t win the Western Division of the Big West as most national publications and reporters covering the conference have predicted they will.

Allowing Johnson to play is, at minimum, a risky proposition for Morgan and Shumard. At worst, having Johnson around is asking for more problems.

If the 49er brass gives Johnson the green light, they better keep their fingers crossed.

*

Reason for optimism: The water polo team (7-14, 0-7 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) has obviously struggled this season. However, Coach Ken Lindgren sees some encouraging signs.

“We’re making progress,” said Lindgren, whose team is ranked 11th nationally despite its problems. “Especially recently, I think the guys are starting to understand some things.

“We threw a lot at them this year and worked them very hard because we thought that was best way to get them ready. I think we’re seeing some of what we hoped to.”

The 49ers have made big strides in the third quarters of games. On the wrong end of scoring in all quarters on the season recently, they now have a 53-49 edge on opponents in the third.

49er Notes

Travis Reed and Ian Milley orally committed to Long Beach and are expected to sign letters of intent this week, the week-long early signing period for men’s basketball. Reed is a 6-foot-7, 220-pound forward at Fontana A.B. Miller High. Milley (6-10, 235) is a forward/center at Mercerberg (Pa.) Academy. This brings the list of 49er recruits to five. The others: Schea Cotton (6-5, 210), forward, Bellflower St. John Bosco; David Egans (6-4, 170), point guard, Inglewood; Jeff Howard (6-10, 230), forward/center, Dallas (Texas) Hillcrest High.

The Big West women’s volleyball tournament is Nov. 23-25 at UC Santa Barbara, with the winner receiving the conference’s automatic NCAA tournament berth. If Long Beach remains in first place in the Western Division, it would open the tournament against either the Eastern Division’s fourth-place team or the Western Division’s fifth-place team. Middle blocker Nique Crump leads the conference with a .460 hitting percentage, and Long Beach as a team leads at .320. Jessica Alvardo, the starting outside hitter, dislocated a finger on her left hand Saturday against Pacific will be out at least one week. Setter Misty May, who suffered a partial tear in the posterior cruciate ligament in her left knee on Nov. 1, is day to day.

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Coming Attractions

Here’s a look at key games this week for Long Beach State:

* Women’s volleyball hosts UC Irvine at 7:30 p.m. tonight and Cal State Fullerton at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Long Beach leads both all-time series, 36-3.

* Water polo hosts UC San Diego at 7 p.m. tonight and Pepperdine at 7 p.m. Saturday. Both matches are at the Belmont Plaza Pool.