USD Men's Basketball 1988-1989

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1988-89 OUTLOOK

1988-1989 UNIVERSITY OF SAN DIEGO BASKETBALL OUTLOOK

The 1988-89 version of the University of San Diego basketball team, under the direction of fifth-year coach Hank Egan, will again feature primarily underclassmen. There are seven freshmen and five sophomores among the sixteen players listed on the roster. "This year we're just a young team and we'll have to fight our way through. We're going to have to spend a lot of time with fundamentals and learn to develop good work habits. We'll just keep our offensive and defensive strategies simple in the beginning and just worry about get– ting good. We've upgraded our schedule a little bit, and I think that will help us get better. We've got the makings of a pretty good ballclub sometime down the road," states head coach Hank Egan. Lost from last year's 11-17 team are senior forward Marty Munn, the team's leading scorer at 14.5 points per game; senior center Jim Pelton, who started at center in 21 games and averaged 6.7 points per game; junior Mike Haupt, who was the team's leading rebounder at 6.1 rebounds per game before he was lost for the season and his career with an injury to his right knee; and forward John Sayers, the 1987-88 West Coast Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year, who decided to transfer to Cal.

Senior Danny Means, last year's team MVP, is back for his fourth and final season . After averaging 12.1 points per game last year from the point position, Danny will move back to the shooting guard slot this year. "We return Danny to the off-guard position where he is most effective. A very mature individual, he should have his best year both as a player and leader," states Coach Egan. The leading candidate for the starting point guard position this season is Danny's younger brother Kelvin . A 6'0" sophomore, Kelvin started at point in the team's final seven games in '88 and averaged 6.4 points per game during that span. Senior Efrem Leonard finished third in scoring at 10.7 points per game and is back to add instant offense off the bench . Newcomers Gylan Dottin (6'5", Santa Ana, CA) and Wayman Stickland (6'2", San Francisco, CA) will both give Kelvin some competition for playing time at the point. Besides Danny Means, junior Craig Cottrell is the only other link from USD's 24-6 club from 1986-87. Cottrell , a 6'5" leaper, should see plenty of action this season at either forward or guard. Craig showed what he is capable of doing when he totaled 32 points and 15 rebounds in USD's back-to-back road games at Loyola and Pepperdine last season. Sophomores Keith Colvin (6'8", Chico, CA) and Randy Thompson (6'6", Chino, CA) will also compete for a starting forward spot with Cottrell. Looking to help USD with the rebounding chores will be newcomers Kelvin Woods (6'5", Pomona, CA), Alan Lewis (6'8", Fullerton, CA) and Carlos Carrillo (6'6", Southgate, CA). This trio of freshmen should get their share of minutes.

The starting center should be Dondi Bell, a 6'9" sophomore from San Diego, CA. Bell came on strong at the end of last season and scored 28 points in the team's final two regular-season con– tests. He also ranked 4th in shot block average (1.1) in the WCAC and shot 64.7% from the floor. Keith Colvin, besides playing at forward, will share time with Dondi at the post. John Jerome, a 6'8" transfer from Arizona State University, will redshirt the 1988-89 season and will have one year of eligibility for the Toreros - '89-90 season. Coach Egan and his staff will get their first glance at the young Toreros in action on November 7th when they host Athletes in Action. In preparation for the WCAC race, the Toreros will be tested early on by the likes of Lehigh (at the New Mexico Tournament), UC Santa Barbara, Cal State Fullerton, Montana, Utah and Western Kentucky during their non-

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conference slate.