Another Foot Fault for Titans’ Harmon

Any chance for struggling Cal State Fullerton to overcome a quick start by front-running UC Irvine Saturday night likely ended 24 hours earlier in a doctor’s office.

That’s when the Titans’ scoring and rebounding leader, Ike Harmon, got the word about his aching left foot--the same foot that caused him to miss more than a month of practice when the season began.

The news, again, was not good. Harmon was out indefinitely because of a new stress fracture in the same foot.

“I tried to come back too soon,” Harmon said prior to Irvine’s 62-54 Big West Conference win over its county rival. “It’s real frustrating for me, but I just have to stay positive, have hope and get back as soon as I can.”

Harmon, a 6-foot-7 senior who is averaging 14 points and 5.3 rebounds, first suffered a stress fracture in his left foot last summer. Each day he thought he would get better, so he kept going.

But most game nights Harmon played in pain, so much so that he sought medical attention earlier in the week. Tests determined that he has another stress fracture in the same area.

Harmon was a tower of strength around the basket at Santa Ana Valley High and was the winner of the 1996 Orange County High School all-star game dunk contest. He has been among the best at Fullerton, too. “Any time you miss your leading scorer, a four-year player who is touted as a possible pro player, that will hurt you,” Irvine Coach Pat Douglass said.

Saturday night, all Harmon could do was sit behind the Fullerton bench at Titan Gym and watch his teammates give it a gallant try.

Harmon ranks fifth in career scoring and rebounding for Fullerton and the Titans could have used him Saturday, particularly with Irvine scoring leader Jerry Green on the bench in early foul trouble. But without Harmon’s 49.6% accuracy from the floor, the Titans made just seven of their first 20 shots.

Adam Parada’s six-foot jumper that gave Irvine a 13-3 lead drew little reaction from Harmon, as he chatted with spectators. When Irvine built a 23-7 lead, a grimace crept over his face. But when a three-point jumper by Fullerton freshman guard Ryan Dillon cut Irvine’s lead to 39-33 with 14 minutes to go in the game, a smiling Harmon raised a closed fist in the air.

Six minutes later, Irvine’s Stanislaus Zuzak buried an NBA-range three-pointer for a 50-38 Irvine lead.

“My career has been an emotional roller coaster,” Harmon said earlier in the night.

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Big West Standings

Through Saturday’s games

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Conference Overall Team W L Pct. W L Pct. UC Irvine 5 0 1.000 13 2 .867 Utah State 5 0 1.000 16 2 .889 Long Beach State 4 2 .667 10 8 .556 Pacific 3 2 .600 11 5 .688 UC Santa Barbara 2 3 .400 5 10 .333 Boise State 2 4 .333 10 9 .526 CS Fullerton 1 4 .200 2 13 .133 Idaho 1 4 .200 4 12 .250 Cal Poly SLO 0 4 .000 6 9 .400

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Saturday’s results

UC Irvine 62, Cal State Fullerton 54

Idaho 68, UC Santa Barbara 67

Long Beach State 89, Cal Poly SLO 75

Utah State 82, Boise State 64