Overjoyed at Occidental

You will not find the Southland’s most exciting basketball team under the banners of Pauley Pavilion or on the floor of the Sports Arena. Nor does it play in one of the many mid-major Division I gyms that dot the area.

Tucked away in the working-class community of Eagle Rock is Occidental College, a private liberal arts university of 1,700 students that puts its primary focus on offering a big-league education. The school also offers a blooming basketball program in an otherwise gloomy season for the higher-profile locals.

Occidental, which competes in Division III, is 18-2 this season and is 9-0 in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The Tigers are having their best season in many years but they are more dangerous than dominant.

Just ask Brian Newhall, their animated coach of 15 years.

“They’ve given me a few more gray hairs this season,” Newhall said with a laugh.

Their last two games display their flair for the dramatic. On Wednesday, the Tigers built a 23-point halftime lead against La Verne, then lost all but two points of it before pulling out an 93-89 victory. Four days earlier, they trailed Redlands by 31 points in the first half but mounted an incredible rally to win, 97-96. Six victories have come by four or fewer points.

“We’re up 20 in games, we’re down 20 in others,” point guard Song Cun said. “More importantly, we find a way to win.”

The Tigers are ranked 11th in Division III and are the second-ranked team in the West region. Three more victories would tie a school record set in the 1976-77 season and clinch their first SCIAC title in 19 years. A conference championship would guarantee an NCAA tournament bid, Occidental’s first postseason appearance since 1979.

Four-year starter Finn Rebassoo is the veteran leader of the group and the second-leading scorer in the conference at nearly 17 points a game. But Newhall has steadily raised the level of the program by collecting a mix of players from junior colleges, former walk-ons at Division I schools and undersized athletes better suited to the Division III level.

For instance, 6-foot-1 junior forward Jelani Kelly was a former walk-on at USC and 6-7 sophomore center Dallin Wilson spent a year at Gonzaga.

“We find the ‘tweeners that fall through the cracks,” Newhall said.

Those players execute an offense that makes fundamentals a top priority and keeps defenses scrambling.

It is why one of Occidental’s biggest victories came in a Nov. 30 exhibition against Cal State Fullerton. Against the Division I Titans on their court, the Tigers pulled off an 82-74 victory. Newhall said it was a “dream” win for all Division III players.