News Scrapbook 1981-1982

rsh: He's HadClose Lo k at the Best

-3 Guard Ha Defended Again t Most of the Top Players in WCAG By GLAE THIEN, Ti mes Staff Writer USO has allowed the fewest points In the league thls season.

eight seasons at Alcala Park. "Without him, we do tend to get out of rhythm." USD, which won only three games In league play last season, is currently 2-5 in the WCAC and 9- 10 overall. The best showing in school history occurred when USO £inished at 22-7 the season before moving up to the highest level of college basketball. "It's a big step, but playing the better teams makes it all worth- while," Whitmarsh said. "In 01vi- slon II, we probably could have blown out half of the schools, yet that's not where it's at. We feel bet- ter against stronger competition." inkling the Toreros would rise to D1vis10n I, Whitmarsh based his decision to at- tend USO more on the chance to slay in pleasant climate and per- form in front of his parents and friends. Please 1ee WHITMARSH, Pa1e While he had an

"You can lways play good de- fen e," Whitmarsh said. "On of- ferui , the ball might not always drop, or other things will happen, but defense depends on hard work, and there's no excuse for not doing well" Whitmarsh also leads the offense, being the only player to average more than 10 points a game (11.0). The attack Isn't special, but the way the Toreros adhere to a disciplined and patterned style of play usually is. Even when point production twice falt red this season and Brovelh ln crted four substitutes into a game at the same lime, Whit- marsh remained on the court. The 6-3 guard Is the only USO player with experience dating back to the Division 11 days. "Rusty Is the last guy that I would take out because he gives us stability," aid Brovelli, a veteran of

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SAN DIEGO UNION _____ JE8 l O l98Z. ----~ Pepperdine's Wilson Sinks USD 63-61 By BILL CENTER Stoff Writer, The Son Diego UIIIOn In ba ketball, close is worth noth - ing. Last night, for the second straight game, the University of San Diego came within seconds of defcatmg one of the West Coast Athletic Confer• ence·s rankmg powers. For the sec- ond straight game, it did not Last Saturday, nationally ranked University of San Francisco escaped an upset 10 two overtimes 75-69. Last night, at the USO Sports Center, un- defeated WCAC leader Pepperdine downed the Toreros 63-61 on reserve guard Mark Wilson's 15-foot off-bal- ance Jumper with two seconds to play. . ''We were fortunate," said Pepper- dme Coach Jim Harrick. "If USO's strategy works at the end, we lose. And it was a good plan. We're lucky. There are gomg to be g1tmes like this. USO did a great job . . they deserved to win." And it appeared that USO was on its way to victory with 7:02 to play when guard Rusty Whitmarsh fly- ing home on a long feed by John Prunty - scored a three-point play to put USO ahead 59-52. Prunty hit two free throws 32 sec- onds later to keep the Toreros on top by seven'. and after Boot Bond cut it back to 61-56 with a long jumper, USO went mto its halfcourt weave. The USO weave is not a stall. "We're looking for the basket, or to kick the ball out for more motion ... we're not trymg to kill off the entire clock," said USO Coach Jim Brovelli. The weave, while not often used in this 9-13 season. had been a weapon that had not failed USD - until last night. The Toreros immediately drove in for a basket. But Jim Bateman trav- eled before getting the layin off his hands. The next time down floor the Toreros drew a foul. But Gerald Jones missed the front end of the l- and-1. The next two times they turned the ball over. (Continued on C-5, Col. 1)

WHITMARSH: Defense Mlk tockalp r of ' artan and Bob Bartholom w of Kearny the previous year. Th t cont nued to grow heading Into this sea on u John teman of Bonita Vi ta nd Anthony R of Ch tlan opted for USO.

shooting percentage dipped to 49%. not, bad for most guards but down from his 57% last season. "First, Rusty was primarily a defen- s1Ve player here, but he has developed into a solid, consistent performer,'' Brovelli said. "He's such an Intelligent player that he waits for the right shots, and consequently, has had a high shoot• mg percentage for four years. I'm sure that he'll be nght back up there before the eason ends." The Toreros seemed to snap out of the slump together when they connected on 62% or their attempts from the field in their latest game, a 78-68 verdict over Santa Clara. Whitmarsh set hte on reaching the 60% level before the ea.son started, but mostly wanted to help USO act as a spoiler m the league race. Any predic- tions about the WCAC generally called for the Toreros to flnl h tn seventh or eighth place m the ght team confer- ence. "I have a ~tror.g f Ing that things are going to get a lot better here," d Whit- marsh. "Ten years from now, It will be mce to loo back and y t.rat l w there when it started

"I'v h ard the rap that you have to go ou ide the area for talent," said Brovelll, "but we've h d great ucces with San Di go play rs." Academic standards are considered hi h at USO. Among the first things Whitmarsh learned was that players ke the r books on road trips and actual- ly u e th m. He has majored in business dmlnlstration nd over four years has ott n to now most everyone m his classes • 0th r udents are qulte acquainted with the basketball team. When the Torer attract a capacity crowd of around 2,500, as they did for this year's game with USF, more than half the stu- dent body Is represented. Much by plan, Whitmarsh had limited playing lime d ng his freshman season a he adjusted to college competition. He appeared at forward the n fill a void created by injuries before set- thng into his cu rent position and aver- aging 11 pomts a game a ye ago. This season has been something of a puzzle since he, like the rest of the team, opened the WCAC campaign in a shoot- Ing slump evidenced over 1ve games. Never could Whitmarsh remember such an ext nded spell of off outings. His

season to,..,,,.......,,...------------------'

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·Pepp~irdine Nips USD At Wire (Continued from C-1) Meant!m~. Wilson .was taking charge of on two points," ~id Brovelli. "One, Pepper- Pepperdme s sputtermg offense. He scored dme was not m a defensive position to the Waves' (10-0, 17-6) last seven points, force a five seconds and two he did not tying the game at 61-61 on a short jumper have the ball five seco~ds ~hen it was inside the lane with 2:50 to go. called." Then came the most pivotal play of the Brovelli was convinced that had USD re- game. With 2½ minutes to go, Prunty was tained possession there, the Toreros would called for a five-second violation at mid- have won. court - only 10 seconds after USD had in- "You could see by Pepperdine's strategy bounded the ball _after a lime out. The al- at the end that they did not want to give us ternatm~ posse?s1on rule gave the ball to back the ball," he said. "We were shooting Pepperd1?e, which wo~ked the clock down great (63 percent in the second half). to Wilson s game-winmng shot. "It is frustrating. Sooner or later it's '.'That's not a call tha~ you see at that going to be our turn. Things will balance pomt of a game, not that 1t was a call at all out. We deserve to win a couple of these ."

SAN DIEGO UNION FEd 12 1982 ----- ub Sparks Santa Clara Past USD 65-48 By BILL CENTER SICff Wrlltr, TIie San D,tgo Union SA 'T. CLARA - When first the J.Jn1ver ty of San Diego played the strategy worked to perfection. It was Bateman's jumper with 9:54 left the first half that pulled USO to in a point at 12-11. Time out, Santa Clara. could become a force in years to come, an 18-year-old whose 230. pounds are nearly lost on his frame. Vanos, a four-point-per-game scorer until last night, hit a career high 16 and pulled down seven re- bounds in 25 minutes. through the first half He answered Bateman's jumper by scoring a layin over the beleagured Torero at the other end to ignite a run of eight straight Bronco points.

University of Santa Clara, the Toreros took the Bronco apart with an unconventional idea: Think small. In that game, USO turned 6-foot-5 reserve forward Jim Bateman into its tarttng center. Bateman re- sponded with 16 pomts in the second half to lead the Torero · to a 10-point v1 ory In last night's rematch, the Tor ros went to the well once too often nd 1t cost them a 65-48 deci- ion 'USD again opened with Bateman t center and for 10 minutes the

point, Bronco Coach Carroll Wil- liams looked up his bench and sum- moned 7-foot freshman Nick Vanos. "The next time I looked up, it was 30-14,'' said USD Coach Jim Brovelli later "They spurted on us right there and . .. and that was that. "We're not an explosive team. We can't allow ourselves to get that far behind." Santa Clara doubled the score in the first half 34-17 and then swapped baskets en route to its West Coast Athletic Conference victory. And the key was a player who•

USD forward Gerald Jones tempo- rarily slowed Santa Clara with a three-point play off a slam. But the Broncos ran off another 1 O straight points, the last four coming on two Vanos baskets from elbow range. "We couldn't stop them from scor- ing," said Brovelli, whose Toreros fell to 2-6 in WCAC play and 9-11 overall and must travel to 18th ranked San Francisco tomorrow night. (Continued on C-7, Col. 1)

"We couldn't handle him," said Brovelli. "That was the turning point of the game, when Vanos .came off the bench. He has a very soft touch. If we fronted him, they'd lob the ball over the top. If we played behind him, he'd get the ball, turn, and use his soft touch. "He has the potential to become a great player in this conference." Vanos was instrumental as Santa Clara broke the game open midway

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Broncos Ride Herd On Toreros (Continued from C-1} Jones and Bateman led USO with 13 even terms in the second half, but we didn't points and seven rebounds apiece. The make a run at them." other three players in USD's starting lineup Throughout the game, Santa Clara took scored four points between them. Jones advantage of shots inside the Toreros' zone might have had more had he not drawn defenses. Only seven of Santa Clara's 54 three fouls in one minute to foul out with II hots were taken beyond the range of a free minutes to play throw For the game, the Broncos shot 52 Center-forward Michael Norman (6-7) percent from the floor to USD's 29 percent. backed Vanos with a dozen points while The first half was an abs?lute ~isa~ter guard Harold Keeling had 10 points, all for USO The Toreros hit Just 1x field coming in the first half. goals, were outrebounded 17-9 and got Santa Clara, which last week defeated pomts from only three players - Jones USF in overtime, is 4-4 and 13-8. "Once that spurt happened, we broke down a little bit. I thought we played on (10), Bateman (4) and Don Capener (3).

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