Northridge Makes Tournament Debut

There it was, shots on television of Colorado State guard Becky Hammon making shots from all over the court.

Jubilant Cal State Northridge players couldn’t resist firing back.

“You’re all over her, Eddie,” one shouted.

Edniesha Curry, the Matadors’ All-Big Sky Conference guard, smiled and nodded her head.

After all the shots Northridge took this season, even ones from an All-American candidate such as Hammon seem manageable.

The Matadors (21-7), seeded No. 15 in the West Regional, will play the No. 2-seeded Rams (31-2) on Friday at Fort Collins, Colo.

This is the first time Northridge has qualified for the NCAA tournament. Never before has the team had a winning record since joining Division I nine years ago. From 1990-97, Northridge was 31-155 and only last season began to turn it around, going 14-14.

Coach Michael Abraham built the team that won the Big Sky Conference regular-season and tournament titles. But Abraham was not around to enjoy the victories.

In November, he was arrested by the FBI and charged with trafficking crack cocaine. He is awaiting trial this summer and watched on television from his parents’ home in Portland, Ore., as Northridge defeated Portland State, 79-65, for the Big Sky tournament championship Saturday.

Frozena Jerro, a 28-year-old former Arizona State player and a Northridge assistant for one season, replaced Abraham and mended the Matadors’ psyches as well as led them on the court. Jerro’s enthusiastic nature was infectious, and the team responded well enough for administrators to remove the interim status from her title Sunday.

“These players gave me the biggest opportunity of my life,” Jerro said. “We are with each other and for each other.”