Coping With Expectations Turned Sour
Their business suits make a handsome fit. Their smiles are relaxed and confident.
The four returning seniors on the Cal State Northridge men’s basketball team exude optimism standing side by side in a photo on the back of the Matador media guide.
Who knew the smiles would so quickly turn to anguish?
Who knew the confidence was so fragile?
Trenton Cross finished last season on top of the Big Sky Conference, gaining most valuable player honors in the conference tournament and scoring 21 points in the final.
This season he is averaging 6.1 points, shooting 32.5% and is committing a turnover every eight minutes he’s on the floor.
Kevin Taylor averaged 10 points and a team-high six rebounds last season, giving Northridge a hard-working, blue-collar presence game in, game out.
This season, he’s mostly out, averaging 3.2 points and 3.2 rebounds in 14 minutes a game, and is making only 40% of his shots, although nearly all are inside five feet.
Derrick Higgins was a preseason All-Big Sky pick after averaging 11.6 points and setting a school record with 74 steals.
This season, he sustained a stress fracture in his right foot after five games, had surgery Friday and has applied for a medical redshirt. He sits helplessly on the bench, exhorting teammates who have stumbled to a 7-10 record, 3-4 in Big Sky play.
Only Lucky Grundy, a walk-on point guard whose 6.0 points and 3.8 assists in 20 minutes a game are comparable to last season’s numbers, can be happy with his senior season.
“It’s frustrating for them, these kids are hurting,” Coach Bobby Braswell said. “They deeply desire to contribute in a positive way.
“This happens a lot in the second year when building a program. When you bring in so many new guys, players from the old system see their role changing.”
Braswell did what he could with the roster inherited last season from Pete Cassidy, finishing 14-15. This season he brought in nine new players. Often, all of the starters are first-year Matadors.
Guards Mike O’Quinn, Greg Minor and Carl Holmes--three of the team’s four leading scorers--crowd out Cross. Post players Jabari Simmons, Jeff Parris and Brian Heinle whittle away Taylor’s time.
Grundy’s role is greater because he is the only true point guard. Higgins, who had a 10.2 scoring average before the injury, undoubtedly would be playing most of the time.
But as the final college games for Cross, Taylor and Grundy fritter away quietly, they can turn back to that media guide photo for consolation. More important than victories on the court, they are headed toward becoming winners in adulthood.
All will graduate this spring, Cross and Taylor with degrees in sociology and Grundy in Pan-African studies. Those suits that fit so well for the photo will get more wear than their Matador uniforms.
“When you take over a program, you want young men with strong character,” Braswell said. “The thing I appreciate the most about Trent, Lucky and Kevin is that they have consistently put the team first. And beyond basketball, I believe they will become successful people.”
For now, though, the only thing on their minds is turning around the fortunes of Northridge--even if their opportunities come only a few minutes at a time.
TRENTON CROSS
Because last season’s team had little depth, Braswell allowed Cross to play through erratic periods without benching him. The patience was rewarded when the 6-foot guard from Reseda High blossomed down the stretch, scoring more than 20 points in seven of the last 11 games.
Now it’s a different story. Cross makes an errant pass or forces a shot and he peeks at the scorer’s table, knowing a substitute is waiting to replace him.
“We have a lot more talent and there’s a lot more competition for playing time,” Cross said. “I haven’t gotten in a groove yet and I haven’t deserved more time. I just try to make the best of the minutes I get and help the team win.”
Cross refuses to complain, even though new hasn’t necessarily meant better. Minor, the sophomore transfer who has taken much of Cross’s playing time, is shooting only 38.5%, although 106 of his 174 shots are from three-point range.
And the team’s record doesn’t reflect the influx of talent.
“We are still in a growth process, learning to play with each other,” Braswell said. “We haven’t gelled as quickly as I would have liked.
“But the returning guys know the talent level has picked up. Before this year, they were the best players in the program. Now the ante is raised.”
KEVIN TAYLOR
It’s like a hex. Taylor grabs an offensive rebound against taller, stronger players, then takes an open layup--and misses.
He has made only 15 shots, a far cry from the three 18-point efforts and three double-doubles of last season. The frustration is etched on his face as he exits to the bench after another short, unproductive stretch on the court.
A chronic knee problem that might require surgery at season’s end is a factor, but Taylor makes no excuses.
“With so many new guys, at first I didn’t know what was expected of me,” he said. “I’m more comfortable with it now. I expect my performance to get better now that I’ve accepted my role.”
Perhaps the most mature, articulate Northridge player, Taylor works through tough times by seeking the counsel of his parents, former coaches and Braswell.
“Mentally, I took it bad, missing chippies and layups I would have dunked last year,” Taylor said. “My parents and coach gave me my confidence back. I was pretty low for a while.”
Taylor and Cross, partners in reduced time, boost one another.
“We see each other as brothers going through the same situation,” Taylor said. “He knows he can make those plays and so do I.”
Braswell’s hopes continue to flicker as well.
“I remember the young man who scored 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds,” Braswell said. “I know that young man is still there somewhere. I hope before the year is out, he comes back.”
DERRICK HIGGINS
Losing Higgins was a severe blow. Although Holmes, a freshman, stepped in as a reliable scorer and is the team’s most pleasant surprise, the defensive ability and leadership Higgins provided are sorely missed.
In the 11 games without Higgins, the go-to scorer of nearly every opponent has flourished.
‘We can’t hide the fact he brought so much to this team,” Braswell said. “We can’t do things we could do last year defensively without Derrick. He played a vital role in our man-to-man pressure defense.”
Higgins travels with the team, and chances are excellent the NCAA will grant him a medical redshirt because he played in only five games.
LUCKY GRUNDY
Braswell did not give Grundy a scholarship even though the 6-foot guard started 17 games last season.
Rather than reacting with bitterness, the indomitable Grundy is pleased the team’s last scholarship was used to bring in Simmons, a much-needed power forward.
“Braswell never tried to jerk me around,” Grundy said. “I told him, coach, I understand as long as you want me back. I’m blessed to be here. I’m doing something a lot of people dream about.”
And something a lot of people wouldn’t dream a marginally skilled walk-on who played only one season of high school basketball could accomplish. Grundy, against all odds, is again an integral part of the team.
“This kid has a heart as big as the gym,” Braswell said. “It’s obvious to the other players he deserves the time he’s getting. He is a spark plug.”
The infusion of talent that bewildered Cross and Taylor did not dent Grundy’s confidence.
“I was in the position of fighting just to make the team my first three years, so it wasn’t foreign to me,” he said.
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Ultimately, however, it’s Braswell’s job to get the most out of every player.
“They look like men with their big bodies, but they are kids whose confidence can be shaken,” Braswell said. “I’ve tried to work it so they can show what they can do, but I don’t know what else to do without adversely affecting the team.”
Taylor, for one, considers the experience a reality check. When it’s time to trade his uniform for that business suit permanently, he will embark on adulthood stronger, tougher and wiser.
“I can handle this, I can persevere,” he said. “I’m putting the team first and every day I go out and do the best I can.
“That’s the way life is, I’ve learned that already.”
