Busch Has Been Transfer of Power for Northridge

In this season of startling developments for Cal State Northridge, Joey Busch is perhaps the most pleasant surprise for the Matadors.

Busch, a 6-foot-7 junior forward and transfer from Chaffey College, quickly has become a mover and shaker for the Matadors, providing much-needed rebounding at power forward and solving a dilemma created by the graduation of Hewitt Rolle.

It’s a role Busch has quickly taken to.

Through four games, Busch is averaging 10 points and 7.3 rebounds playing about 17 minutes a game. Busch burst onto the scene in the Matadors’ opener with team-high totals of 21 points and 12 rebounds in a victory over Howard.

“I definitely wanted to be ready,” Busch said. “I worked out harder over the summer than I ever had just so I could be ready.”

Northridge (3-1) plays Kent State (2-1) today in a first-round game of the Marquette tournament at Milwaukee. Busch, an All-Foothill Conference selection at Chaffey, is basking with his new teammates in the unprecedented attention stirred by last week’s 78-74 upset of UCLA at Pauley Pavilion.

“It’s been nice here,” Busch said. “When I took my visit, I liked the guys a lot and I liked the coaches. Pretty much everywhere we go now on campus, people come up and say, ‘Good job,’ ‘Nice job.’ It’s been exciting.”

Busch had four points and one rebound against the Bruins. In a 70-69 loss at Nevada Las Vegas, he had eight points and eight rebounds in 11 minutes.

Northridge Coach Bobby Braswell liked what he saw when he first spotted Busch, who averaged 14.2 points and 8.9 rebounds last season at Chaffey. He likes what he’s seeing now even more.

“Joey’s come a long way a lot quicker than we thought,” Braswell said. “I told some people they would probably see what Joey Busch is really like at about midseason. But Joey has shocked everybody and is playing really well right now.”

Busch, a 1997 graduate of Upland High, was the first player to sign with Northridge during the early signing period last fall and the 17th to sign in four seasons under Braswell.

Last season, Rolle started every game, averaging 8.8 points and 6.8 rebounds.

Busch and Rolle are both 6-7 and 230 pounds. But Busch’s agility gives Northridge an added dimension, Braswell said.

“We were losing Hewitt Rolle, so we knew we needed to replace him,” Braswell said. “We needed a guy who could rebound and I think [Joey] can score a little bit better than Hewitt. That’s why we recruited him. He plays around the basket and he gets fouled a lot.”

Busch blends well with center Brian Heinle, a 6-9 senior who averages a team-high 19.5 points, and small forward Jeff Parris, whose aggressive play often puts him in foul trouble.

“I knew coming in I was going to play on a really good team,” Busch said. “They told me I’d get significant minutes if I just worked hard. I knew this would be a chance to help get a lot of recognition for this team.”