Waves’ Crowded House Doesn’t Concern Romar

Worry not, Pepperdine basketball fans. Lorenzo Romar says everything will fall into place.

Romar, who in March concluded his first season as coach of the Waves, has raised some eyebrows because he has 14 scholarship players for next season when NCAA rules allow only 13.

The Waves exceeded the limit last week by signing two high school seniors, but Romar doesn’t see reason to panic.

“It’s premature right now to say what’s going to happen,” Romar said.

Several things could take place, although Romar would not specify.

Here are possible scenarios:

* One of the last two recruits fails to get the minimum score on the Scholastic Assessment Test and can’t get into Pepperdine, which doesn’t accept non-qualifiers.

Neither Kevin Bradley, a 6-foot-1 point guard from Crenshaw High, nor Jeremy Vague, a 6-10 forward-center from San Marcos High in San Diego County, has qualified yet.

* Someone transfers, perhaps to a lower-division school or a junior college so he can play immediately.

The likelihood of someone leaving makes the most sense.

Romar wouldn’t have gone after Bradley and Vague if they were probable non-qualifiers. But even if one or both don’t qualify, Romar has committed to them and is operating under the assumption that they will be with the team next season.

That means another player may have to leave.

Going on a calculated guess, that could be either Eric Griffin or Billy Jones, both forwards.

Neither played much last season and doesn’t figure to be in the mix next season because the Waves are deep at the position with All-West Coast Conference pick Bryan Hill, WCC honorable mention Marc McDowell, returning starter Tommie Prince and Kelvin Gibbs.

They also will have center omm’A Givens, a transfer from UCLA, and guard Jelani Gardner, a transfer from California. Givens, Gardner, Gibbs and guard Gerald Brown, a two-time All-WCC pick, sat out last season as redshirts.

Romar, though, said he won’t boot out anyone.

“I’m not going to run anyone off,” he said. “If someone is gone from this program, it’s not because I’ve said, ‘You’re not good enough.’ This is not the NBA. This is an academic institution.”

The predicament Romar is facing mirrors that at Cal State Northridge, where the Matadors recently committed themselves to 14 scholarships and Coach Bobby Braswell has to sort out the mess.

But that’s why they make the big bucks, isn’t it?

*

Earlier this season, Ventura College baseball Coach Don Adams projected Pirate pitchers would break the team’s single-season record of 22 complete games established in 1995.

“Not anymore,” Adams said. “We’re down to four pitchers with eight games to go.”

Ventura pitchers went the distance in six of the team’s first nine games but the staff has been depleted by injuries and departures.

“We don’t use the bullpen anymore,” Adams said. “When I come out to take a pitcher out, I just look around my infield.”

The Pirates (20-12, 9-9 in Western State Conference play) are at home today against Cuesta (29-7, 15-3), the Northern Division leader. The Cougars will start Mike Gray, who has a 3-0 record with a 3.47 earned-run average and 46 strikeouts in 36 1/3 innings.

Gray struck out 18 in a one-hit, 12-0 victory over Ventura on March 15.

“I told [Cuesta Coach] Larry [Lee], ‘You have four quality starters, I have four pitchers,’ ” Adams said.

“We are not even practicing [Wednesday]. What are we going to work on? It could get ugly.”

*

New Northridge football Coach Jim Fenwick did more during spring workouts than evaluate and prepare the Matadors for the months ahead.

He also turned cheerleader.

At the team’s intrasquad scrimmage Saturday night, Fenwick took a microphone on the field and instructed the crowd on how to react after crucial plays.

“After a first down, stand up, point in the direction and say, ‘That’s another Matador first down,’ ” Fenwick prodded. “After a touchdown, say, ‘That’s another Matador touchdown.’ ”

Not everyone responded. But then again, the players weren’t in midseason form, either.

*

Moorpark College made a good choice Monday by hiring Remy McCarthy as men’s basketball coach, replacing Del Parker, who resigned after last season.

McCarthy, a Moorpark player in the mid-1970s and an assistant with the Raiders the past two seasons, knows his stuff and is familiar with high school players in the region.

He put together solid teams as Oxnard College coach from 1988-1993, compiling an 86-68 record despite having to recruit in the backyard of national power Ventura.