Floor General Lee Returns With Stanford

Stanford junior point guard Arthur Lee is part of a sizable Valley contingent that will return to the area Saturday when the Cardinal play Georgia at noon in the opener of the John Wooden Classic at the Pond in Anaheim.

Lee, who is averaging 12 points and 4.3 assists for 12th-ranked Stanford, is a North Hollywood High product. Joining him on the Cardinal roster are Jason and Jarron Collins, freshmen from Harvard-Westlake, and Alex Gelbard, a sophomore from Harvard-Westlake.

Jarron Collins is averaging five points a game as a reserve. Jason Collins scored seven points in Stanford’s opener, but he has missed the past three games because of a knee problem.

Also involved in the program is Mike Wolf, a former assistant at Harvard-Westlake who is student manager for the Cardinal while attending graduate school.

Stanford (4-0) was picked by two national publications to finish in second in the Pacific 10 Conference. The Cardinal has looked the part so far but faces its first big challenge in No. 21 Georgia (5-1).

Lee is shooting 89.5% from the free-throw line, second among Stanford players who have taken 15 or more shots. He scored a season-high 15 points and had a career-best eight assists in Stanford’s 99-86 victory over Butler in the championship game of the Big Island Invitational at Hilo, Hawaii, on Sunday. He was selected to the all-tournament team.

GOLF

On course: Bob Burns, who played two years on the PGA Tour after leaving Cal State Northridge, shot a second consecutive 70 on Thursday and is tied for 16th place after two rounds of the $500,000 PGA Tour Qualifying tournament at Grenelefe Golf and Tennis resort in Haines City, Fla.

Pepperdine graduate Michael Walton, who started at one-under-par, slipped to a tie for 106th after a second-round 75 put him at two-over-par.

John Johnson of Ventura had a 74 in the second round and is at three over.

Charlie Wi of Westlake improved seven strokes with a second-round 72, but is 15 strokes behind leader Guy Hill at eight over.

Jason Gore of Valencia continued to struggle, shooting 75 after an opening 78. He is 17 strokes back.

There were 74 players in the field of 168 still on the course when the second round was halted because of rain.

David Berganio of Pacoima and Chris Zambri of Camarillo were among those who did not finish. Both are at one under.

The top 35 finishers in the six-round tournament will earn exemptions onto the 1998 PGA Tour. The rest earn Nike Tour cards.

Moving on: Jody Duclos of Moorpark advanced to the quarterfinals of the California Women’s Amateur Championship with a 3 and 2 match-play victory over Judy Miller of Salinas on Thursday at the Golf Club at Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley.

Linda Chen-Olsen of Granada Hills lost to defending champion Dorothy Delasin, a 17-year-old from Daly City.

Duclos will play Caryn Wilson of Rancho Mirage today at 8:14 a.m.

Karen Bogen of Chatsworth and Reiko Watanabe of Simi Valley lost second-round matches in the Helen Lengfeld flight, which is for those who did not qualify for the championship flight.

FYI

No meeting: The CSUN Task Force on Intercollegiate Athletics will not meet on Monday. Its next meeting is Dec. 15 at 7 p.m.