Alcala 1969

Coach Phil Woolpert was optimistic about what to expect from a young talented club which had only one senior on the starting line-up. The Toreros started on the wrong foot; losing the first three games and winning only two of the first eight. Establishing this mark, the Cal Western Tourna­ ment had come along, and the Toreros were faced with the problem of having to defend the champion­ ship. Surprising audiences and playing like true de­ fending champions, the Toreros swept the Cal West­ ern tournament with wins over Pomona College, 75- 51; Cal Western, 57-49; and in the final round, U.C. of San Diego, 80-62. By successfully defending their crown, USD es­ tablished a record as being the only team to ever win three Cal Western tournament titles. The Tor­ eros won in 1964and 1967. Gus Magee, USD's strong center, was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, while Jeff Fil- zenger, a junior forward, was placed on the all-tour­ ney team. From the very beginning of the season, except for the Cal Western tournament, odds just didn't seem to be on the Toreros side. The absence of guard, Neal Schram, the speedster from the San Francisco area, was now being felt. Schram, who had torn ligaments in his ankle, finally returned to the line-up after an eight week recovery. Flowever, get­ ting back in shape was proving to be too late, for the season was now coming down the stretch.

Jeff Filzenger, leadi ng scorer for USD shoots a 20 foter.

Sophomore forward Benton White, shows he can shoot from the outside.