Fullerton Can Catch Up to Expectations

After decades of being an afterthought in the Big West Conference, Cal State Fullerton was supposed to become the Titan of its league this season.

But despite being the preseason choice of conference coaches to overthrow Pacific, the two-time defending champion, the Titans finished the regular season in the bottom half of the Big West standings with a 5-9 record, 15-12 overall.

“We tried not to think about that stuff when we were picked to win it all and everything,” guard Bobby Brown said. “But somehow all that stuff still got to us and we just didn’t play together early on.”

The good news for the Titans: They have a chance to redeem themselves during the Big West tournament, which begins today at the Anaheim Convention Center.

The not-so-good-news: Fullerton, which opens against Cal State Northridge (11-16, 4-10 in conference) at 8:30 p.m., needs four victories in four days to win the tournament and secure the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

Pacific and UC Irvine, which are seeded first and second, don’t play until Friday, each needing just two victories.

But Fullerton shouldn’t be counted out. Led by Brown, an All-Big West first team selection, the Titans have won five of their last seven games, including an impressive 81-63 victory over UC Davis last week in which they shot 56.4% and dominated in rebounding, 40-20.

“When we play together, we win. It’s that simple with us,” said Brown, a 6-foot-2 junior who leads the Titans with averages of 17.5 points and 4.6 assists. “We feel that we have the right momentum heading into the tournament. We’re sharing the ball and playing good team defense.”

Brown, a former Westchester High standout, is the main reason why the Titans were preseason favorites. Last season, he averaged 16.8 points and 4.6 rebounds to help the Titans to a 21-11 record, the second most-successful season in school history and their first winning campaign since 1992-93.

With Jamaal Brown and streak-shooting Jermaine Harper also returning, plus the addition of transfer Frank Robinson, many Big West observers thought Fullerton was ready to move up yet another notch.

But Coach Bob Burton had his doubts.

“From the beginning, I felt that this was the most overrated team that I’ve been involved with,” said Burton, who is 47-41 in four seasons at Fullerton. “The expectations were too high. ... I knew that we didn’t have enough depth and that we needed some players to develop.”

It didn’t take long before the Titans were exposed.

After winning its first three games, Fullerton began a pattern of inconsistent play that started with a 25-point loss at Kansas State and gained momentum when it blew a 19-point second-half lead and lost in overtime to San Francisco.

“Our main problem was that we started the season off bad defensively, especially me,” said Robinson, a former Sylmar High standout who sat out last season after spending one year at East Carolina. “We weren’t all on the same page and we weren’t putting pressure on teams for entire games.”

Said Bobby Brown: “We didn’t have all that hype last year and we played with a chip on our shoulder. It’s been different this year.”

The turnaround for the Titans came after they shot 38.5% in an overtime loss at UC Riverside. Although they also lost their next game at home against Pacific on Feb. 9, the Titans shared the ball and shot better.

Since then, Fullerton has continued to improve as Harper, Robinson and swingmen Justin Burns and Vershan Cottrell have grown more comfortable in their roles.

“We have our momentum going and we’re playing well,” said Jamaal Brown, a 6-7 forward who averages 16.5 points and 8.4 rebounds. “We’re playing defense and everyone is helping out rebounding. That’s important for us.”

Besides, if there is one thing the Big West has proven to be, it’s unpredictable. In just the past month, Long Beach, the No. 3 seed, won at No. 2 UC Irvine but lost at home to No. 5 UC Santa Barbara, which after winning that game lost to No. 6 Fullerton two weeks ago.

“We’re a dangerous team,” Burton said. “For most of the year, if Bobby Brown and Jamaal Brown both didn’t play well, we had problems. Now, we’re getting other guys stepping up.”

Added Robinson: “We realize that the most important thing is how you finish. That’s something we’ve talked about all season.

“People don’t remember how you start.”

*

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

The field

A capsule look at the Pacific 10 Conference men’s basketball teams heading into this week’s tournament at Staples Center:

*--* NO. 1 UCLA STARTERS P Player Ht Wt Stat F L.C. Mbah a Moute 6-7 215 8.4 rpg C Ryan Hollins 7-0 225 4.2 rpg G Jordan Farmar 6-2 180 14.0 ppg G Arron Afflalo 6-5 210 17.1 ppg G Cedric Bozeman 6-6 207 51.6 FG% TOP RESERVES G Darren Collison 6-0 155 27 stls F/C Alfred Aboya 6-8 242 63.9 FG% G/F Michael Roll 6-5 205 39.7 3-pt

*--*

* About the Bruins: Champions of the Pac-10 regular season, they have won four consecutive games and finally put most of their injuries behind them. With the exception of Josh Shipp (hip surgery) and Lorenzo Mata (broken leg), neither of whom have played in nearly two months, UCLA is at full strength.

*--* NO. 2 WASHINGTON STARTERS F Bobby Jones 6-7 215 10.6 ppg F Jon Brockman 6-7 245 6.9 rpg F Mike Jensen 6-8 250 5.8 ppg G Brandon Roy 6-6 210 19.7 ppg G Justin Dentmon 5-11 185 3.9 apg TOP RESERVES F Jamaal Williams 13.3 ppg G Ryan Appleby 6-1 170 42.1% 3-pt G Joel Smith 6-4 205 4.1 ppg

*--*

* About the Huskies: Although they finished a game behind UCLA in the conference standings, they swept the Bruins during the regular season and have won eight straight. Led by Roy, the Pac-10 player of the year, Washington averaged a conference-high 82.7 points.

*--* NO. 3 CALIFORNIA STARTERS F Leon Powe 6-8 240 20 ppg C DeVon Hardin 6-11 235 6.9 rpg G Ayinde Ubaka 6-4 200 14.6 ppg G Omar Wilkes 6-4 185 44.4% 3-pt G Richard Midgley 6-3 195 9.2 ppg TOP RESERVES G Theo Robertson 6-5 240 5.7 ppg F/C Rod Benson 6-10 220 5.0 ppg G Nikola Knezevic 6-2 190 1 ppg

*--*

* About the Golden Bears: Powe led the conference with averages of 20.0 points and 9.9 rebounds. He and Ubaka were all-conference selections. Cal’s hopes of winning its first conference regular-season title in 46 years ended last week on its home court when it lost to UCLA in overtime.

*--* NO. 4 ARIZONA STARTERS F Marcus Williams 6-7 205 12.4 ppg F Ivan Radenovic 6-10 244 6.3 rpg C Kirk Walters 6-10 241 48 blks G Mustafa Shakur 6-3 190 4.6 apg G Chris Rodgers 6-4 204 9.4 ppg TOP RESERVES G J.P. Prince 6-6 180 23 stls F Fendi Onobun 6-6 239 71.0% FG F Bret Brielmaier 6-6 235 1.2 ppg

*--*

* About the Wildcats: The preseason choice to win the conference disappointed during the regular season and comes into the tournament short-handed. Leading scorer Hassan Adams, a senior guard out of Westchester High, was suspended for the tournament after his recent arrest in Tucson on suspicion of drunk driving.

*--* NO. 5 STANFORD STARTERS F Matt Haryasz 6-11 230 16.6 ppg C Peter Prowitt 6-10 250 63.6% FG G Mitch Johnson 6-1 185 3.4 apg G Chris Hernandez 6-2 190 48.2% 3-pt G Dan Grunfeld 6-6 220 12.5 ppg TOP RESERVES F Taj Finger 6-8 190 3.3 rpg G Tim Morris 6-4 215 5 ppg F Lawrence Hill 6-8 205 21 blks

*--*

* About the Cardinal: Seniors Haryasz and Hernandez made the all-conference team. However, UCLA demonstrated how to shut the Stanford duo down Saturday in the regular-season finale for both teams. They had one point between them in the first half. The Cardinal shot a conference-best 76.6% from the free-throw line.

*--* NO. 6 USC STARTERS P Player Ht Wt Stat F Nick Young 6-6 195 17.2 ppg C Abdoulaye N’diaye 6-11 230 47 blks G Lodrick Stewart 6-4 210 12.7 ppg G Ryan Francis 5-11 170 3.7 apg G Gabe Pruitt 6-4 170 16.7 ppg TOP RESERVES G Dwayne Shackleford 5-10 185 3.7 ppg G Sead Odzic 6-3 180 3.3 ppg F RouSean Cromwell 6-10 215 55.3% FG

*--*

* About the Trojans: Pruitt, an All-Pac-10 selection, returned last week after missing five games because of a broken bone in his left knee. Losers of six of their last eight games, the Trojans are hoping to extend their season beyond this week -- by winning the tournament to gain the conference’s automatic NCAA bid, or by showing well enough to gain an invitation to the NIT.

*--* NO. 7 OREGON STARTERS F Malik Hairston 6-6 200 14.4 ppg F Jordan Kent 6-5 205 4.3 rpg C Ray Schafer 7-0 235 66.2% FG G Aaron Brooks 6-0 165 4.5 apg G Chamberlain Oguchi 6-5 195 8.4 ppg TOP RESERVES G Bryce Taylor 6-5 205 9.3 ppg F Ivan Johnson 6-8 255 7.4 ppg F Maarty Leunen 6-9 215 5.6 ppg

*--*

* About the Ducks: Although they had a sub-.500 record overall and in conference, eight of the losses were by three points or less. Oregon allowed an average of 64.6 points -- fewer than any Duck team since the 1984-85 squad allowed 61.9.

*--* NO. 8 ARIZONA ST. STARTERS F Jeff Pendergraph 6-10 210 6.2 rpg F Sylvester Seay 6-9 205 4.8 ppg F Serge Angounou 6-8 230 7.2 ppg G Antwi Atuahene 6-4 209 4.2 apg G Kevin Kruger 6-2 186 14.7 ppg TOP RESERVES G Bryson Krueger 6-7 190 12.1 ppg G Tyrone Jackson 6-2 193 4.2 ppg F Craig Austin 6-10 233 2.8 ppg

*--*

* About the Sun Devils: Most of the scoring has come from Kruger and Krueger -- one a starter, the other usually a reserve. Arizona State shot a conference-best 37.3% from three-point range.

*--* NO. 9 OREGON ST. STARTERS F Sasa Cuic 6-10 253 13.9 ppg F Marcel Jones 6-8 215 6.7 rpg C Kyle Jeffers 6-9 258 5.9 ppg G Jason Fontenet 5-10 168 5.5 ppg G Chris Stephens 6-2 195 11.7 ppg TOP RESERVES G/F Jack McGillis 6-6 210 1.6 ppg G Wesley Washington 6-3 175 4.3 ppg G Lamar Hurd 6-4 195 5.7 ppg

*--*

* About the Beavers: Oregon State will probably be missing two key players. Hurd, who has missed nearly all of the last 13 games because of a groin injury, is not expected to play. He got into last Saturday’s game against Oregon only for the opening tipoff so that the home crowd could bid the senior farewell. Also out is senior forward Nick DeWitz, who dislocated his left shoulder Feb. 25 against USC.

*--* NO. 10 WASHINGTON ST. STARTERS F Ivory Clark 6-5 212 51.8% FG C Robbie Cowgill 6-10 207 5.0 rpg G Derrick Low 6-1 186 8.5 ppg G Kyle Weaver 6-5 185 4.1 apg G Josh Akognon 5-10 198 10.4 ppg TOP RESERVES C Aron Baynes 6-10 247 4.9 ppg G Randy Green 6-3 190 4.0 ppg C Caleb Forrest 6-8 202 4.0 ppg

*--*

* About the Cougars: Even if they fail to advance beyond tonight’s opening-round game, this will be a memorable event because it will bring to a close the career of Coach Dick Bennett after three seasons in Pullman, Wash., and 27 at the college level. Known as a defensive specialist, Bennett upheld his reputation with his final team -- the Cougars allow a conference-low average of 57.4 points.