News Scrapbook 1982-1984

Sports

D-1

Wednesday, February 29, 1984

Comics USD knocking on NCAA playoff door

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Coming together When J m Brove n (left) guided the USD basketball pro- gr m nto Divis on I f ve years ago, he said It would take f ve years for h steam to be a contender The Toreroa ere right on schedule With a 15·9 overall record and a 6-3 mark n the West Coast Athletic Conference, USO has a chance to make the NCAA basketball playoffs T/lree of the keys for the team are, from left above: 6-11 freshman center Scott Thompson, 6--7 senior forward Mike Whit- Mar hand JC tran!lfer guard Chris Carr.

Coast not in the conference. I really believed it would help the university directly and indirectly, and it has. And the administration has support- ed me all the way. This has given us an identity and exposure as a univer- sity, not just a basketball team." Jim Brovelli is no dreamer, but even he has to concede that what he has put together is something spe- cial, for this bunch is not totally dry behind the ears.

this. "It's really personally satisfying to ee this program come as far as it has in so short a time," Brovelli said "To make it to the NCAA tournament would be even more so. But I can't worry about those things. All I'm concerned about is Portland. We con- trol our own destiny. "We've come a long way. I pushed the administration into getting into the WCAC. At the time, we were the only Catholic school on the West

the NCAA tournament before even- tually succumbing to eventual cham- pion North Carolina State. And under Brovelli, USO gradually has made its pr ence felt in the league. In 1980, its initial season in the WCAC, USO finished 2-14 and tied with Loyola-Marymount for last place. The next year, the Toreros were 3-11, but once again tied for last In 1982, they were 4-10 and moved up to sixth place, and last r hey were 5-7 and fifth. Now

room in the front seal "It's great for seniors hke (backup guard) John Prunty," Brovelli said yesterday "We've lost so many close games during hts time here. Time and again he's heard me say, 'It's tough losing these one-point games, but our turn will come ' Well, our turn ha come." And in a good league. Last year, for instance, WCAC champion Pep- perdme, a team USD once lost to by three pom went two overt1m m

namenl, which may have the biggest fleet on campus since the First Ecu- m nic 1 Council. Even If th y don't win all three, they still have a chance. Thi , one might lmaglne is rather heady tuff for a university that eemingly has been taking its athlet- ic lump m tht city smce Cabnllo first dribbled a ba kelball on Point Loma. But n Di go State, perhaps a bit too comfortable after all these y ars may have to make a bit more

Please see USD, D-12 •USD--- --- Cootmued From Page D-1 He has one player - 6-foot-7 senior forward Mike Whit· marsh - who could be of professional timber. His center is a 6-11 freshman named Scott Thompson. Anthony Reuss is a 6-7 junior forward who only now seems to believe that he's fully capable of playing at this level. His guards - Chris Carr and Mark Bostic - are JC transfers, and Bostic made the transition from forward. Al Moscatel, his top reserve, is a sophomore transfer from Mesa College by way of Mercer Island High in Washington. And then there's Prunty, the only senior other than Whitmarsh (an- other JC transfer) who plays at all. Eight of the 15 student/athletes have grade point averages of 3.0 or bet• ter. What gives? "We expected to be winning after five years, but in all honesty, I don't know if we expected to be challenging for the conference title at this time," said John Cosentino, Brovelli's assistant for the past six seasons. "This is a team that responds well to coaching, but it's done a lot of things on its own. There's great chemistry here. It's a cliche, I know, but these players really have a legitimate concern for each other. And the players brought it on themselves." Chemistry. Everyone in the vicinity of Alcala Park seems to discuss il Even those outside the lab classes. "Since we started conference play, the chemistry has been there," Brovelli said. "Every kid bas played his role perfectly in conference play. What great poise this team has. We're down by four to Pepperdine late in the game and win ... we're down by 13 to Loyola and win. We win because the team plays as one. It's something to see. They'll make the perfect pass ... be patient enough for the right shot ... I'm just sitting there watching it. It's a terrific team to watch. I'm afraid to call timeouts." Whitmarsh, who averages 18.8 points, 7.4 rebounds and six assists a game, is the catalyst - "A guy we can go to, at the end," said Prunty. "At the start of the season, I ~bought third place w.ould be a realistic goal, but we've been playing so well as a team for the past four weeks," Whitmarsh said. "When my bcotber (Rusty) was playing here, I used to watch USD lose so many close games. Last year, we'd go against a good team and just hope to stay close. This year, we go against them with the attitude that we're going to win. It's such a great atmosphere. People I don't even know come up to me on campus and say, 'good game.' Too bad I'm a senior." Prunty called the progress he has seen over four years "amazing." In reality, considering USD's high academic standards, what has happened must be considered a phe- nomenon of sorts. "In my eyes, I've seen the strength of this program," Brovelli said. "I knew we could do it at this level. U you work hard and have good people, you will be a success ... in time." That's USD. Better basketball, through chemistry.

THE TRIBUNE

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SAN DI EGO UNION f£~ 2 9 1984

----------~------- USD has three games standing in way of title By Bill Center taH Wrlttr

season, USD and St. Mary's are tied for first with 6-3 WCAC marks. Gonzaga is a game back at 5-4 while defending champ Pepperdine, Santa Clara and Loyola-Mar• ymount are 5·5. USO is on the road for two of its last three games; St. Mary's is away for all three, including the finale at USO on .\1arch 8. Gonzaga, meanwhile, hosts both USO and St Mary's this weekend. Were USD to defeat 1-8 Portland (a 74-51 wmner over USD last season in Oregon and a participant mseven overtime games this season) and Gonzaga (the only WCAC to beat the Toreros at USD this season) cou- pled with a Gonzaga defeat of St Mary's tomorrow night, the Toreros would win the WCAC title. "But this has always been a tough road trip for us," said BrovelH. Here 1s how the six teams in the WCAC title chase finish their season: USO. at Portland tomorrow, at Gonzaga aturday, home to SL Mary's March 8. St. Mary's at Gonzaga tomorrow, at Portland Saturday, at USO March 8. Gonzaga: home to St. Mary's tomorrow, home to USO Saturday, at Portland March 8 Santa Clara: at Loyola-Marymount to- morrow, at Pepperdine Saturday. Pepperdine home to Santa Clara Satur- day, at Loyola-Marymount March 8. Loyola-Marymount. home to St. Clara to- morrow; home to Pepperdine March 8. The league has not determined what it would do in the event of a three-way tie.

Umvers1ty of San D1ego basketball coach Jim Brovelh was . ingmg a broken record yesterday "\I, e've got our mo t 1mportant game of the year Thur day,'' said Brovelli, who added, It's been the same thing for three straight weeks now The Pepperdme game wa our most important ever, then the Santa Clara game wa , now it's Portland " And after that Gonzaga, then St. Mary's and . maybe, iust maybe, the NCAA playoffs. That would be the "Miracle of Alcala Park." USO which never before has had a winner at the Divis10n I level is today atop the West Coa I Athletic Conference for the first time The Torero also control their own destiny If they wm their la t three games, USO win the WCAC title - no one 1 could c tch th m m a light race that till h.1s six contending teams. Should they slip somewhere along the hn , almo. t nything could happen. The take are high Only the WCAC wnner appear h aded for the NCAA playoffs, although the second-place team could get n ·attonal Invitation Tourna- ment b rth A two-way tie for the title would r ult m .1 one-game playoff March 10 t the L'mve tty of San Franc1 co or Santa Clara, with the winner going to the CAA tourn y Going into th final two weeks of th