Inconsistency, Poor Execution Hurt Men’s Team

Point guard guard Kenroy Jarrett probably provided the best epitaph for Cal State Fullerton’s basketball season when he called it “very inconsistent.”

There were high points, such as a 78-68 victory over Pepperdine at home and two victories over Long Beach State. But there also were lows, particularly a 90-80 loss to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo at home in the final week of the regular season.

A victory in that game would have assured the Titans a winning season and a berth in the Big West Conference tournament. Instead, the Titans needed an upset by UC Irvine against the Mustangs to reach the conference playoffs. Fullerton was eliminated in the first round of the Big West tournament last week and finished with its sixth consecutive losing season (13-14).

“Our problem was that we weren’t mentally ready every game,” Jarrett said. “We were ready physically to play basketball, but we didn’t execute what we were told to do all the time. . . .

“In the Pepperdine game, we executed great. But in some of our other games we didn’t, even though the coaches had given us a good game plan. In that Cal Poly game, we all thought we were ready, and we wanted to do well. But there was so much at stake, I think we all played like we were afraid we were going to make a mistake.”

The Titans were 10-3 at home, 3-10 on the road during the regular season. They bettered the previous season’s 12-16 record and swept their two games against Long Beach State and UC Irvine for the second season in a row.

The Titans lose forward Mark Richardson and swingman Jason Cunningham, but everyone else is back. Ike Harmon returns after earning All-Big West Conference first-team honors as a junior. Jarrett, guard Mark Murphy and center Matt Caldwell also return. Two reserves, freshmen Josh Fischer and Brandon Campbell, also showed promise.

“It’s a good returning nucleus,” Coach Bob Hawking said.

Hawking hopes recruit Patrick Ceresa, a 6-8 power forward from Vacallo, Switzerland, will provide immediate help.

“I think we all learned a lot,” said Jarrett, who played the last five games despite a broken bone in his hand. “I know I learned a lot about what it takes to be a leader on the court. The hardest part is knowing that we could have done better than we did.”

NCAA UNCERTAINTY

The NCAA’s 2-year-old investigation into men’s basketball continues to hang over the program, but it appears to be nearing a resolution.

Fullerton officials twice appeared before the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions, but the final NCAA report has been delayed by other NCAA matters, according to a spokesman for the infractions committee. However, the report should be out in the next few weeks, the spokesman said.

Cases that reach the infractions committee level normally result in some penalty. The Fullerton case centers on alleged rule violations in the summer and fall of 1993 and summer of 1994, when Brad Holland was head coach.

PITCHING SHUFFLE

The Titan baseball team opens Big West play Friday against New Mexico State, and the starting rotation will be shuffled going into the weekend.

Left-hander Jon Smith (3-0) will move into the weekend rotation after returning to top form. He had been slowed early in the season by a groin injury.

Smith’s 1.29 earned-run average leads the team. He will join Adam Johnson (3-0) and Matt Sorensen (3-0) in the weekend rotation. Johnson will pitch Friday, Smith Saturday and Sorensen on Sunday.

Titan pitching coach Dave Serrano said Jordan DeJong (2-0) will become the midweek starter, but probably will pitch no more than five innings in those games so he can be available in relief on the weekend.

“We need to get more help in the bullpen or we’re going to burn out Kirk Saarloos,” Serrano said. Saarloos, the closer, has appeared in 13 of 19 games and pitched 29 2/3 innings.

Notes

Basketball player Erin Whiteside and soccer player Sean Rockwell were honored last week at the Big West Conference basketball tournaments as Fullerton’s top scholar-athletes for the year. . . . The Titan women’s gymnastics team won a five-team meet over the weekend at UC Santa Barbara. Megan Berry won the all-around with a 38.425 score. . . . University President Milton Gordon has been appointed chairman of an NCAA panel to study the aluminum bat issue and other college baseball issues.