McCain Absence Should be Brief

Look for Marco McCain to be back with Cal State Northridge’s basketball team.

McCain, a senior guard, was suspended this week by Coach Bobby Braswell for academic reasons and was not scheduled to travel with the team for tonight’s Big Sky Conference game at Northern Arizona.

But the matter likely will result in only a brief absence by McCain, among the Matadors’ best perimeter shooters, and another stance taken by Braswell, who has not hesitated to discipline players.

Two years ago, Braswell suspended Greg Minor and Rico Harris for academic reasons during the season’s stretch run. Minor returned, Harris did not. Still, Northridge advanced to the Big Sky tournament but lost to Montana State in the first round.

This season, Braswell banned forward Jeff Parris from practice until Parris complied with team grooming standards. Parris made the cut and remains a Matador.

Look for McCain to do the same.

Braswell declined to discuss specifics regarding McCain, but expressed optimism about his return.

“He has plenty of time to comply,” Braswell said.

Meanwhile, the Matadors (9-6, 2-0 in Big Sky play) will be without one of their best three-point shooters against the Lumberjacks (7-6, 1-1) in a rematch of last season’s Big Sky tournament final.

McCain ranks fourth on the team in scoring, averaging seven points, and is shooting 39.6% (19 of 48) from three-point range. Last season, he had a career-high 19 points at Idaho State.

“The system will be the same, regardless,” guard Markus Carr said. “But it’s something we’ll have to work out.”

Northern Arizona, defending Big Sky champion, hardly resembles the team that outlasted Northridge in overtime, 85-81, in the Big Sky tournament final last March. That prevented Northridge from advancing to its first NCAA tournament.

This season, Northridge is picked to win the Big Sky title.

Cory Schwab, a returning starter, leads the Lumberjacks in scoring at 17.8 points per game and in three-point shooting, making 52 of 105.

*

Carl Holmes took one on the chin for Northridge. Literally.

The senior guard suffered a mild concussion when he collided with a Cal State Sacramento player Saturday at Sacramento.

Holmes is OK, though he admitted being a little woozy this week at practice.

“Now I know how boxers feel,” Holmes said, rubbing his jaw. “That’s what they go for, the chin.”

Holmes took himself out of the game and soon was being questioned by trainer Steve Grech.

“He asked me my name, what game are we playing,” Holmes said. “I just felt kind of slow and my vision was blurred. And I just had a bad headache. A bad headache.”