Big Sky Cannot Honor Hartman for MVP Season

Jason Hartman will not be chosen most valuable player in the Big Sky Conference, but it won’t be because he isn’t the most valuable player.

Hartman, a Portland State senior who was The Times’ Ventura County Player of the Year at Thousand Oaks High in 1994, leads the Big Sky in scoring with a 23-point average and is among leaders in rebounds, free throws and three-point baskets.

But a conference rule stipulates that the MVP must come from the championship team and Portland State (16-8, 9-5) was eliminated from contention by losing to Cal State Northridge on Saturday.

“It’s a stupid rule and the best player in the conference won’t be most valuable player because the best player is Hartman,” Northridge Coach Bobby Braswell said. “I thought he was the best last season and I think he’s the best player again.”

The 6-foot-7, 230-pound Hartman has scored 20 or more points in 15 games this season and 27 or more in seven of his last eight.

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Rico Harris might not be the NBA prospect some scouts claimed before the season, but the 6-9, 250-pound junior forward has played a valuable role for Northridge.

Harris, who averages 24 minutes a game, is third on the team with an 11.7 scoring average and leads the Matadors with 6.6 rebounds per game.

“Rico has made a good adjustment to Division I basketball,” Braswell said. “He’s a strong presence under the basket and he’s got a nice shooting touch. I expect him to continue to improve.”

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Northridge senior guard Derrick Higgins has 68 steals, six short of the school record he set in 1996-97.

Higgins has 154 steals in his career, which includes five games last season before he was injured.

Current Matador assistant Andre Chevalier holds the career record of 184, set in 108 games from 1990-94.

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Edniesha Curry, Northridge’s All-American sophomore guard, is the first to admit she can’t win single-handedly.

But she is trying her best to play single-handedly after breaking the ring finger in her right hand last week. Curry’s six free throws down the stretch helped seal a victory over Portland State.

But it was forward Lynda Amari, a junior from Ventura College, who had the greatest impact for Northridge, scoring 28 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Amari also scored 25 points in a victory over Eastern Washington and was selected Big Sky player of the week.

Northridge must defeat Weber State and Cal State Sacramento this week to win the Big Sky championship and host the conference tournament.

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Samantha Rigley, formerly of Alemany High, should surpass the 1,000-point mark in her Pepperdine career Thursday when the Waves open West Coast tournament play against San Francisco at Santa Clara.

Rigley, The Times’ 1993-94 Valley player of the year, has 998 career points for Pepperdine (19-7), which claimed a share of its first WCC regular-season title since joining the conference in 1985-86.

Rigley already owns school career marks for three-point baskets (142) and three-point attempts (399).

Staff writer Steve Henson and correspondent Dave Desmond contributed to this notebook.