UCLA, USC Women Anticipating a Big Bounce Back in Basketball

A receding nightmare and a bright, new dream.

Those are the themes this week, with the UCLA and USC women’s basketball teams in practice, preparing for mid-November openers.

The nightmares have left UCLA’s team--the ones triggered by the way its 1997-98 season ended--and USC’s team dreams that the miracle return of one player can catapult it to a dramatic improvement.

For the first time since 1988, the preseason Pacific 10 Conference coaches’ poll tabbed a school other than Stanford as the favorite for the conference title. UCLA, ranked second in the nation by one basketball journal, had 94 points; Stanford was second with 84 points and USC sixth with 44.

UCLA lost only two players from the 20-9 team that seemed on its way to the Final Four last season, only to be done in by a slow-fingered timekeeper at Tuscaloosa, Ala., in the NCAA tournament’s second round. By a point, UCLA lost to Alabama on a disputed last-tick shot.

“I think it’s something the players still talk about every day,” said Coach Kathy Olivier.

“But I think it’s become something of a positive, something to build on. The players want to do something great this year.”

UCLA has all its high-production players back, Maylana Martin (18.8 points, 7.1 rebounds), Janae Hubbard (11.0, 6.1), Marie Philman (10.1 points) and Erica Gomez (7.5 points, 5.8 assists). All are juniors.

At USC, the miracle player is Erica Mashia, a 1996 Pac-10 all-freshman guard who suffered a Bo Jackson-like hip injury more than two years ago. After a fruitless year of rehabilitation, doctors told her her career was over.

But she continued rehab, and she’s back, planning to start in USC’s backcourt with Kris Clark.

“It’s by the grace of God,” Trojan Coach Chris Gobrecht said.

“A year ago, she was out of basketball. We’re terribly excited about it.”

If you count Mashia, who started in 1996, USC has five returning starters: Clark, Adrain Williams, Tiffany Washington, Tashara Carter and Mashia.

The Trojans were 12-15 last season, 7-11 in the conference.

UCLA has a Nov. 17 Pauley Pavilion opener against Connecticut. The Bruins play at national champion Tennessee Dec. 21 and meet Duke and Pepperdine at Pauley Dec. 28 and 30. The Pac-10 opener: At Arizona, Jan. 2.

USC opens Nov. 19 at home against Boise State. It’s Pac-10 opener is at Arizona State, Jan. 2.