News Scrapbook 1986

Sa., o,ego, Ca 1 it Union (Circ D 217,324) (C1rc. S 339 78a)

JAN 171986

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Friday, January 17, 1986

D opens conference play tonight at Santa Clara -:)_o/ 5'') The main obstacle between USO and a second title is wards Nils Madden (6-8) and Mark Manor (6-6) are shoot- the fact that the top echelon of the WCAC, led by Pep- ing 59 percent from the floor.

the players." That gives Egan reason for optimism as USD opens its WCAC campaign with games against Santa Clara to- night and the University of San Francisco tomorrow night. The Toreros are 10-4 and riding a five-game winning streak. Although Egan feels his club "isn·t playing as well as it did earlier in the season," it might be the strongest and deepest team in USD history - even bet- ter than the team that won the WCAC title two seasons ago under Jim Brovelli. USD's record for Division I victories (18), set by the 1V83-84 championship team, is within the reach of Egan's econd Toreros team.

Thompson leads the Toreros in scoring (13.9 points per game), rebounding (7.5) and blocked shots (2.2). As a team, the Toreros ate shooting 53 percent trom scorer at 12.6 points. Madden is averaging 9.8 points and 5.0 rebounds, sixth man Mark Bostic 9.6 points, Manor 8.3 and point guard Paul Leonard 6.1 . Power forwards Jim e ton (6-9) and Steve Krallman (6-8) are the front-line backups. Although Santa Clara (5-9) holds a 10-5 series edge, the p I th e floor. Swingman Peter Murphy is th e team's No. 2

perdine and Loyola Marymount, is stronger this season

than it was two seasons ago.

Still, USO has a chance to get off to a faS t start. After games against the conference's weakest teams this weekend, the Toreros return home to face Portland and Gonzaga next week before hosting Pepperdine on Jan. 30 and Loyola Marymount on Feb. l. Under Egan, the Toreros are 18-4 in the USD Sports Center. "We've got a chance to make a pretty good run," said Egan. USD is being paced by its deep front line. Among them, 7-foot center Scott Thompson and starting for-

Toreros have won three of the last four meetings. ---- --- ---------- ~---~-----L

Los Angeles , CA \Lot Angeles Col Times \San Diego Ed.l \Cir. D S0,010) \Cir. S 55,573) JAN 171986

l7Jt's USF tonight f of1efpset Toreros By Tom Cushman to the necessary level." Tribune Executive Sports Editor Similar thoughts had occurred be· S ANTA CLARA - In retros- Jatedly to members of the cast, pre- pect, perhaps preparation for sumably at Egan's urging. "We an evening's competition at learned a valuable lesson tonight," Toso PaVllion should include a brief said senior guard Pete Murphy. study hall, with the Santa Clara "They might have been a little more media guide as required reading. hungry than we were." That reference volume defines the Hunger will have to do as ~n ex- local game as Blue Collar Basket- planation, for the Broncos did not ball, the athletes as Hardhats, and seem to be as talented, nor had they reveals that the school's career scor- been as successful. They began the ing record belongs to Kurt Rarnbis, scrimmage at 5-9 to USD's 10-4. which should be the ultimate in ad- They certainly yield when the tape vance warnings. New employed by measure is applied. Attemptmg to the Los Angeles Lakers, Rambis check the Toreros' Scott Thompson plays basketball like a demolition (7-0, 260), members of the S~nta gang razes buildings. Clara front lme would go mto Having absorbed a taste of the eclipse, but they were reasonably Rambis ethir here last night, USD is successful neverthe~ess. Thompson now 0-1 in the freshly minteaW~collected a career high 17 rebounds race. plus 17 points, but rarely managed to "I don't think we got after them as work free at the offensive end of the hard as they got after us," said coach floor. Hank Egan, after his Toreros had "Santa Clara did a helluva job tak- tumbled 55-53. "Everything raises in ing away our basic stuff," Egan mtensity once you get to conference would explain. "They were very play, and we didn't elevate our effort Please see TOREROS, B-\

Egan Predicts a WCAC Title for Toreros USD Opens Conference Play Tonight Against Santa Clara

nfift°?APPLEMAN, Timi' Staff Writer

urpr1 e "Before the season started " Eg n said. "I thought Pepperdi~e would wm th conference. Now th l w 'r starting league play, I'm p1ck1ng us to win:• USD (10-4) plays its West Coast Alhl tic Confer nee opener against S nta Clara (5-9) at 7,30 tonight al T oPavlhon. The Toreros have won five lra1ght and seven of eight to finish with th econd best nonconfer- ence record among WCAC teams P pperdme was 12-3 "We've adju led to one another and we're more cohe 1ve as a umt," b gan said "The number of people who've contributed has been a pica ant surµri e " Egan I nut the only one singing the pra1 es of the Torero ·. • I think mm has a great chance to wrn the lltle," said Santa Clara oach Carroll Williams. "They have SJZI', experience, shooting and discipline" ,ud Univer 1ty of San Francisco Coach Jim Brovelli, who used to coach at USO: "I think USO will be factor m the WCAC. They are very ,ohd and pretty darn good. Wh n they're in their rhythm, they're tough." Tonight's game against Santa Clara could hinge on the big man USD ha and the big man the Bronrosdon't have.

VINCE COMPAGNONE / Los Angeles Times Scott Thompson (left) is averaging 13.9 points per game for USO. Led by 7-foot center Nick Vanos, now playing with the Phoenix Suns. the Broncos were 20-9 and finished second i the conference last four. Weiss will be facing Scott Thompson, the 7-foot center who leads USD in scoring and rebound- ing with 13.9 and 7.5 per game averages.

San Diego, CA (San Diego Co.) Evening Tribune (Cir. 0. 127,454)

.San 'J1ego. Cali1. Union C1rr; D 217 324) ire S 339, 788)

with a 9-3 mark last season. They were eliminated in the quarterfinal round of the NIT. This season, 6-9 sophomore Dan Weiss (6.7 points and 4.3 rebounds) is one of three new starters on a young team that got off to a 2-8 start before winnmg three of its

JAN 18 1986

"In Scott Thompson, they have the best big man in the WCAC," Williams said. Best team? Best big man? Lots of bests bemg tossed around.

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JAN 18 1986

....------- • • • /ON THE ROAD - Julie Evans scored 18 points and the team hit 21 of 25 free throw attempts as the-lJSD "!~en's basketball team defeated Loyo- la Marymount 59-47 last night in a WCAC opener for both clubs in Los Angeles. ,;2_~ • • •

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San Diego, CA (San Diego Co.) Evening Tribune (Cir. D. 127,454) JA 181986

USD women win -;J? 'J ') The University of San Diego women's basketball learn got 18 points from freshman Julie Evans and hit 21 of its 25 free-throw at- tempts to defeat host Loyola Marym- ount. 59-47, in last night's West Coast Athletic Conference opener for both teams.

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*Toreros4,~ ;-------~~------------ continurd From 8-1 .;:Zf/!j good measure. that kind of evening.

Rambis country, a geographical foot- note the Toreros will want to file away for future reference. Tonight they commune with glam- our. Game two of a trip vital to their championship ambitions will be played at Memorial Gymnasium on Golden Gate Avenue, with former coach Jim Brovelli seated on the USF bench. From blue collars to blue bloo?5 •.. that should get the juices flowmg. "~ wasn't at USO when Coach Bro- velh was," Murphy was saying late last night,_ ''.but I know all about the USF tradition a~d their problems. T~e comeback will be a big thing all wmter. It should be fun playing up there."

doesn't make a Jot of mistakes " Wil- liams said. "We hung in there ~nd got a win somehow. Those are tough to come by in this league." Tough would be an apt description of the way his Broncos played. "We knew they'd be charged up," said Scott Thompson, as players from the two squads mingled on the pavilion floor in the aftermath. "I thought we were fired up, too. Our offense wasn't smooth, though. We couldn't seem to hit a rhythm." Located at the toe of San Francis- co Bay, San~ Clara leans against San Jose, a city celebrated in song but hardly reflective of tbe allure ra- diate~ by its sister metropolis some 40 miles up the peninsula. This is

leveled by the Broncos' Chris Lane an intentional foul that resulted in four-point swing (two free throws plus a field goal off the in-bounds possession). Three -minutes later, with Santa Clara having reclaimed the lead at 49-44, Lane converted a clean break- away into a garbled slam dunk; he got all rim instead of net. _Responding to that gift, USO had tmnrned the margin to 53-51 with 0:35 left in the contest. With Santa Clara in possession, the Toreros se- lected as the obvious man to foul one Chris Lane, who already had been so helpful. For the season, Lane was 0-6 from the free-throw line. He, of course, sank both. It was

Following a pressure field goal fr?m the baseline by Murphy, USD still had one final opportunity to tie With the defensive heat on Murphy: Pete swung the ball to the top of the key from where it went to Bostic who missed from short range. ' "I didn't want to force a shot " Murphy later would say. "We g~t- what we wanted, and Mark would hit ~rom there eight out of 10 times. It Just wasn't meant to be." Santa Clara coach Carroll Wil- liams, thought to be in a rebuilding winter, s~med almost as perplexed by the wm as the Toreros did by the loss. "San Diego is a real steady team ... aggressive, well organized,

"In the past we've been the kind of team where, when a player had to sit down, someone else picked up for him," said Egan. "That didn't happen tonight." Even without Murphy, the Toreros opened a five-point lead some 13 minutes into the first half. With him, one wonders if USD might not have taken control. Instead, Santa Clara scrambled back to within a point (26-25) at half- time and then led for much of the final 20 minutes. With the Broncos ahe~d ~3-40 and 7:28 remaining, the rnaJor irony of the evening would have its germination. Attempting to convert a steal into a layup, USD's Mark Bostic was

well-prepared. They made us fight for ground all night long." In a conference where the coach- ing quality obviously is high and the talent middle-of-the-road, the game set up perfectly for the Broncos. This wasn't exactly a convention of jack- rabbits; Louisville would think these guy were wearing anchors. With the pace at a crawl and a picket fence around Thompson, per- imeter shooting became a key ele- ment for USD So, what happens? Murphy, who can drain it from the wings and the corners, collects three fouls in the first five minutes, that's what. Followmg the third whistle, Pete also dug deep into his vocabu- lary and was hit with a technical for