New Coach Options for Wide-Open Style

Chuck Lyon, a former College of the Canyons quarterback who was hired last week as coach, promised to employ a rapid-paced offense when Canyons resumes play next season after a 17-year hiatus.

“I’m a four wide-out, single back, spread offense kind of guy,” said Lyon, a former offensive coordinator at Pasadena and Long Beach colleges. “Our offense will be very similar to what Valley does, to what Palimar does.”

Pretty ironic, considering Lyon, who transferred from Canyons to Washington State in 1975, was an option quarterback during his playing days.

In 1974, Lyon scored the first touchdown in Canyons’ stadium, scoring on a broken play against Harbor. “I still remember the play,” Lyon said. “I ran for it in the southeast corner of the end zone. I was a scrambling, running kind of guy.”

BASKETBALL

Quiet time: It’s become a ritual. While his team warms up on the court under the watchful eyes of his assistants, Cal State Northridge Coach Bobby Braswell sits in the solitude of the locker room.

Braswell, a deeply religious man who does not use profanity, values the pre-game quiet for a number of reasons. It enables him to think through game strategy and allows him time for prayer.

“I go over different situations that might come up in the game and how I’ll respond,” he said. “It’s a quiet time for me to gather my thoughts.”

An exception came at Weber State on Saturday. Braswell watched his team shoot around for a few minutes before returning to the locker room. The Dee Events Center seats 12,000, but the visitor’s locker room is small.

“It’s too cramped in there,” Braswell said.