Connection Helps Peron Get to Irvine

Word of mouth can be a useful recruiting tool, especially when the right words come from the right mouth.

UC Irvine men’s soccer coach George Kuntz went to speak at a soccer workshop in Chicago last winter and came home with a player from Arizona--without ever setting foot in the Southwest.

The sight-almost-unseen recruit, Jesse Peron, has made the most of his opportunity. During one four-game stretch, the reserve midfielder scored four goals and assisted on two others.

For once, Kuntz, who works the clinic circuit relentlessly, got more than he gave. He is rebuilding the Anteater program, which was senior-heavy in 1998 and lost 17 players, and taking Peron was an easy call.

When Kuntz ran into Wolfgang Weber, a longtime club and high school coach in Tucson, at a workshop, things came together. It wasn’t the first back-room deal ever to go down in Chicago, but it was certainly one of the cleanest.

“We go back more than 20 years,” Kuntz said. “He said, ‘I got a kid you should look at.’ I said, ‘OK.’ ”

That recommendation was enough for Kuntz. Weber, after all, had sent many players on to college soccer programs, including Dai Nguyen, who was a third-team NCAA Division III All-American at Cal Lutheran in 1992.

The Cal Lutheran coach back then? Kuntz.

Weber was looking for a school to place Peron, who played for Weber at Tucson Salpointe High School and on his club team.

“When I was contemplating where to send Jesse, George came to mind right away,” Weber said. “There are so many college programs where I consider the coaching suspect. I wanted him to go to a school where he would continue to grow as a player.”

Eventually, the two even clued in Peron, who was thinking about a community college. Kuntz saw him play only once, in a San Diego tournament, and offered him scholarship money.

Peron has been worth it. He had two goals and two assists in a 7-0 victory over Concordia, an NAIA team, on Sept. 22. He proved himself against Division I competition as well, scoring the only goal in a 1-0 victory over UC Santa Barbara four days later.

His early goal against the University of San Diego gave Irvine a 1-0 lead, which it held until the 84th minute. The Anteaters lost in overtime, 2-1.

“It’s tough being a freshman again,” Peron said. “You have to establish yourself all over again. But we have a lot of young guys on this team and we can all grow together. In a year or so, we’re going to be a really good team. It’s just all a matter of working together.”

As a junior at Salpointe, Peron played striker and led the team in scoring. A year ago, the team needed to bolster the midfield, so Peron willingly moved back.

“One of the big reasons I recruited him was his versatility,” Kuntz said. “Wolfgang told me Jesse could play up front, in the middle, left, right, anywhere, really.”

Peron has been a midfielder for the Anteaters and is one of six true freshmen. There are also three redshirt freshmen. Still, the Anteaters have held their own this season, and even beat perennial power San Diego State, 4-0, in the third game of the season.

As a young team, they have also been knocked around. Irvine started the season 1-5 but is 5-7-1 after beating Sacramento State, 1-0, Sunday.

“We are a different team than we were a few weeks ago” said Kuntz. “It’s really a lot of fun working with these guys. They all pull together.”

So much so that Peron has no problems coming off the bench, despite his recent scoring spree.

“I think I’m getting more confident every game,” Peron said. “That happens when you score some goals.

“Coach Weber told me I would like it here. What’s not to like about Irvine so far?”

LAUGHING MATTER

The NCAA can put you on probation, but it can’t ban your sense of humor.

Cal State Fullerton basketball Coach Bob Hawking, whose team was hit with a four-year probation, was in good spirits during a luncheon at the Los Angeles Athletic Club Thursday. He even zeroed in on UCLA Coach Steve Lavin.

“Steve has the greatest job,” Hawking said. “He has a six-year rollover contract, gets to live in the Marina and is incorporated, so he can hide all that money. Outside right now, Jim Hill and Fred Roggin are waiting to talk with him. Me? I’m on the waiting list to talk with the sports editor of the Daily Titan.

“I do have a perk in my contract. After 10 years, I get a used 1989 Yugo. I’m almost there.”

RETURN TO COACHING

Tina Krah has joined Denise Curry’s women’s basketball staff at Cal State Fullerton as an assistant coach.

The hiring marks a return to coaching for Krah, a former head coach at San Jose State. She was at San Jose from 1986 through 1992, and has 12 years’ experience as an assistant at California and Michigan State.

Krah worked in private business in Tennessee two of the past three years. She worked one year at Vanderbilt in an administrative job.

Krah replaces Tamlyn Tills, who resigned to become head coach at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa.

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Staff writer Lon Eubanks contributed to this story.