News Scrapbook 1984

Part Ill/Friday, April 6, 1984 J llo.e Angeles ~tmee earch Begins for Another Brovelli Former USO Basketball Coach Gets Wann USF Reception

. job too good to turn down, Brovelh says

By DA VE DISTEL, Times Staff Wnter SAN DIEGO-While Jim Brovelli was meeting the wess in San Francisco, the University of San Diego began 11.s search for a new basketball coach Thursday. _Father Patrick Cahill, USD's athletic director, de- tailed all the qualities he will be seeking, then laughed. "I suppose," he said, "1t sounds like we're looking for a cone of Jim Brovelli," Brovelli, USD's coach for the last 11 years, signed a five-year contract at the Umvennty of San Francisco after a lengthy struggle With conflicting emotions. "The bottom line was that I decided 1t was the right time and the nght opporturuty," Brovelli Bald Thursday. "Timmg and opportunity are so important when you're making maior career decisions " Brovelli's decision was between staying at USO, wtuch he this season took to the West Coast Athletic Confe~ence championship for the first time, and ret(lrmng to USF, his alma mater. "I had an excellent JOb with an excellent administra- 1 on at a great university," he &aid. "It was the most llitficult decision I've ever had to make in my Me." :At his alma mater, Brovelh Will be rebuilding. The Dons have not played basketball since scandals caused .the program to be suspended alter the 1981-82 season. Smee USF will not resume competition until 1985-86, Brovelli's immediate chores will be orgamzat onal. Cahill's immediate chore at USO will be a search for Brovelh's replacement. "This is honestly a wide open JOb," Cahill said. "We don't have anybody In particular in mind. We want the best man we can get for the )Ob. We've come too far forward to take a step back." USD, m 11.s fifth year of Division I basketball, captured

the cily's imagination for the fll'st time with its stretch run to the WCAC championship and its NCAA playoff appearance. Like Brovelli, Cahill has been on a teeter-totter since the season ended. "There were days when I thought It was 60-40 he was staying," Cahill said, "and days when I thought it was €0-40 he was going." Cahill said he will not rush the search for Brovelli's successor. It is a critical time, because letters of intent can be signed beginning next Wednesday. "We can't possibly get anyone hired by then," he said. "We've set April '1:'/ as the deadline for appbcations." One applicant will likely be John Cosentino, Brovelli's top assistant. Co ·entino would also be a candidate for a position with Brovelli at USF. "We want somebody who fits our philosophy, both academically and athletically," Cahill said. "We want a class person." Brovclli, of course, was the man who perfectly fit the USDprof1le. "l was torn on one hand to stay," Brovelli said, "but I was torn on the other hand by the opportunity to begin a new program." And he was greeted at USF by a jammed press conference. "It's the only thing in the city of San Francisco when 1t comes to intercollegiate sports," Brovelli said. "I think basketball was missed. The students were yelling and screaming. They're excited about it." It took Brovelli 11 years to step into the spotlight at USO. He starts in the spotlight at USF.

d It had nothing to

s hi plans for resurfectlng USF's basketball program.

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Jim Brov

ball, but 1t will take a long-term effort We don't want any shortcuts." He said among his first duties will be to meet with USF's historically overzealou booster groups and draw them "a picture of the NCAA guidelines." "The guidelines will be well drawn out,• he said All of us can use guidelines. As long as we know we have a common goal, there will be no problems. There won't be direct contact between alumni and athletes. I see the restrictions we're going to set on the program as a bless- ing. "Whatever has happened in the past, I am not con- cerned with. I am very much concerned with the future." USD's, he added, as well as USF's.

coach If e don't do that well, I hope the new coach wont get all the blame." Brovelh made his decision to accept USF's offer of a five-year contract Tuesday. He told USO officials Wednesday morning. . USF had organized a five-member search co~1ttee to find a bas etball coach to rebuild the program, which was dropped amid scandal after the 1981-82 season. After pre- liminary studies, each member of. the committee wa~ asked to select a list of five top candidates. When Brovelh was No. 1 on all the lists, USF athletic director Father Robert Sunderland decided to end the search. Brovelli who had a 160-130 record at USD, said that USF "can 'climb back to national prominence in basket-

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"I couldn't up th opportumty, said Junior forward Anthony Reuss. "Every lime we took a trip ~o the Bay Area, you could sen e ll was somethmg special to hu~.-~d a feeling he would go to San Francisco, but I was hoping he would stay," said junio~ swin_gman Mark Bos- tic "It has me wondering how I will ht in next year for a nc coach. Brovelh knew me '' "It' a great opportunity for him," said sophomore cen: ter Mano Coronado. ''I'm happy for him. When Brovelh ruited m I believed in what he was doing. Now part ~f that dream I gon But Brovelli did great by all us. Following him I gomg to make 1t harder for the next h m pa

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San Diego, Friday, April 6, 1984

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1HE$TRIBUNE

The P.M. File ...The P.M. File ...The P.M. File ...The P.M. File ...The P.M. File ...The P.M. File ... The P.M. File ...The P.M. File ... For the record, Abdul-Jabbar turns to the sky hook From Tribune WU<' Services Somehow, the sky hook seemed appropriate.

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BROVELIJ NO SAVIOR - He has been chosen among a long list of impressive candidates to resur- rect the scandal-torn basketball program at the Uni- versity of San Francisco. But Jim Brovelll insists he's not a savior and warned against overly optimistic ex- pectations. "I don't believe success can happen overnight," the former USO coach said after he signed a five-year contract yesterday to take over the Dons' program. "I don't believe in instant success. I think it takes a lot of hard work. If you have patience it'll come." Brovelli should know. During the past 11 years he has taken the Torero program from the ground level up, from Division II to Division I competition, from the doormat of the West Coast Athletic Conference to the league champs. A former USF player, Brovelli officially will take over in June. The Dons are scheduled to resume NCAA Division I play as a WCAC member in 1985-86.

A shot he patented and used thousands of times throughout his pro career, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar turned to it again last night to set the all-time NBA scoring record, breaking Wilt Cbamberlain's mark of 31,419 career points. The Los Angeles Lakers' center took a feed from Magic Johnson near the baseline, faked a pass, and turned to his left to hit a soft 10-footer over two Utah Jazz defenders with 8:53 left in the game played in front of a sellout crowd of 18,359 in Las Vegas. The Lakers went on to win 129-115. Abdul-Jabbar's 22 points gave him 31,421 for a ca- reer that has spanned 15 seasons, first with the Milwaukee Bucks, then with the Lakers. But in the end be says he would like to be remembered more as being a key part of a series of successful teams than as a great individual player. "That's what the game is all about," Abdul-Jabbar said. "You see exceptional players that couldn't take their teams anywhere. I've always enjoyed doing well asa team. "It was a big burden off my shoulders and a big burden off the team's shoulders. Our goal is to win a world championship. We can focus on that now." In other games: Milwaukee topped Philadelphia 113- 103; Golden State beat Denver 128-124; Cleveland downed Chicago 11"-99; and Houston defeated Port- land 129-114.

El Cajon, CA (San Diego Co.) Dally Callfornlan (0. 100,271)

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APR s

s:gorts Brovelli to coach at USF? SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The University of San Francisco, which dropped Its men's basketball pro- gram two years ago, wlll name University of San Diego Coach Jim Brovelll as Its new coach for the 1985-86 season, a newspaper has reported. The Rev. Robert Sunderland, USF's athletic dlrec• tor, scheduled a 10:30 a.m. news conference on Thurllday, nd the San Francisco Chronicle stated the announcement would be that Brovelll would be named to the coaching post. Brovelll, who was a hoop star before graduating from USF In 11164, coached the University of San Diego to the West Coast Athletic Conference title this year. He has coached at that school for 11 years. When USF resumes Its basketball program In 1985, It will be after a three-year self-Imposed absence from the game. The Rev. John LoSchlavo, the school's president, ordered the sport suspended In 1982 after three viola• lions of NCAA rules In five years , ore than 125 applications for the coaching job were received. The applicants included Paul West· head, former Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls coach, and several men currently in head coaching or assistant Jobs on the college level. With a limited budget and fairly strict academic tandards at San Diego, Brovelll was known for get- ting the most out of his players. He posted a record of 160-130 during his tenure there, including 18·10 la t year.

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r...----:- Aw~Hillenhrand headed for USO _El Cajon Valley basketball star Amy Hillenbrand will be a Torera. her highest-_scoring in terms of average. She popped m 16.7 points per contest.

The 6-foot-2 senior has accepted a basketball scholarship to the University of S~_Die~ The honor capped offa' fine high school career in which Hillenbrand made All-Grossmont League three times and All-San Diego CIF twice. Hillenbrand checked out offers from USD and the University of San Francisco before making her decisioq. "It's close to home," said the tall center of her choice. "The school has good character. The basketball program is a good program, a growing one. I went out to one of their practices and they work real hard _and all the girls seem to get along. I think I'll fit in well." The Toreras finished 14--14 this season Hillenbrand, who was Grossmo~t League player of the year as a junior scored_ 995 points in her career, averaging 14.2 pomts per game. T~is _past season was

She made first-team All-League and second-team All-CIF for two straight years. . "1 feel I had a good season " said H1ll~nbrand. "It was different ~ay of playmg for me. I h~d to take more charge, and I feel I did a fairly good job with that. Coach (Randy Robinson) se t a certain drive into me, he made me want to be good." _The Braves finished 10-12 this year after wmnmg the league in 1983 with a 22-5 r1:cord. El Cajon Valley was 44-26 with Hillenbrand on the court. . Hillenbrand is the third East County g1~ls basketball player to accept a scholar- ship to USD. Fonner Helix High and Grossmont College star Debbie Theroux recently completed her sophomore season t~ere. C~ristian center Maribeth Reuss signed with the Toreras in December. /

JIM BROVELLI 5-year deal

Palo Alto, CA (Santa Clara Co.) Peninsula Times-Tribune (Cir. 7xW.)

Amy Hillenbrand has accepted a basketball scbolanbip to the University of San Diego.

fll/f'n'• P. C. B

I r 1888 Perhag_s you can't go home again, but Brovelli will try SAN FRANCISCO - ather Robert Sunderland

the basketball team could travel east of the Rockies only if its expenses were covered. In other words - Sunderland's - to be exact: "We don't have a lot of excess cash, so I'm going to watch ii." ALL OF WHICH seems to suggest the Dons are going back to their roots, financially, emotionally and otherwise. Brovelll and Sunderland and especially school president Fr. John LoSchiavo are firm on this point. Going home again is usually a losing proposi- tion, though, and there is a body of observers who wonders if perhaps the Dons aren't swimming up- stream. "I just want us to be a competitive program people want to watch," Sunderland said. "I don't know if we'll be great, but I want us to be competitors. I've always said if whoever the coach was recruited five Russ Gu- minas, I know I'd watch them." "I don't know how patient people are going to be," Brovelh said. "If people are expecting us to start win- ning in one or two years, they're going to be very frustrated." That is, of course, what got USF into trouble in the first place. There may be no saving college basketball from its own inbred failings, but if it can be done in one place, USF, the right men have been hired to do it. If there is a way to go home again, the right people own the map. After all, you have to like a guy who already Is signing up volunteers.

Sunderland, the new athletic director, produced a list of other candidates, including Marquette's Rick Ma- jerus, New Mexico's Gary Colson, Jim Boyli of St. Jo- seph's (Pa.) and Pat Kennedy of Iona, and ocals like Bud Presley (now at Nevada-Las Vegas), Kevin Eagle- son (formerly of College of San Mateo), Rusty Critch- field or Cal and Pete Pontacq of Skyline. BROVELLI, THOUGH, had everything Sunderland and his search committee wanted: local ties, major college coaching experience, an enthusiasm to start a new' program under rather strict guidelines. Other than salary and length or contract (five years), Bro- velli was not given the wherewithal to make USF a national name for several sound reasons, all of which were fine with him. "Recruiting a national kid is a waste or money and a waste or lime," he said. "You think the Eastern schools aren't going to know about every great player in the East and have someone at the kid's house every day? We can't afford the time or the money to do that. There are plenty of good players in the area." The budget is not a very yielding one, either. Sun- derland, choosing prudence as the best vehicle to maintain control over a program that had grown larger than its legal life support systems, said that Brovelli would be limited to 1 ½ assistants, which is two assistants, one working for half a salary. He said the basketball program would be offered only 12 scholarships rather than the legal limit of 15. He said

The sports column Ray Ratto

called Jim Brovelli away from a small gathering of noteboolemg charged with the Herculean task of giving USF the kmd of image it enjoyed for the bulk or its