Waves Not WCC Lock They Were

SAN DIEGO — A conference race seemingly conceded to defending champion Pepperdine before the season is looking like more of a contest as the West Coast Conference begins its 40th basketball season Saturday.

Santa Clara Coach Carroll Williams was on hand 40 years ago--as a player--for the inaugural 1952 game in the California Basketball Assn. that eventually became the West Coast Conference. Santa Clara, St. Mary’s and USF remain as the three charter members, but the power shifted to Southern California in the 1980s.

Pepperdine remains the standard so far in the ‘90s, but as of Saturday it’s an eight-horse race.

A few weeks ago, while scouting USD, one conference coach approached a reporter and whispered, “What do you think--Pepperdine in a cakewalk?”

That was before the Waves lost to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

Recent developments indicate that Pepperdine, still the heavy favorite with all five starters back from its 13-1 team, might not run away. At 7-5, Pepperdine has looked vulnerable at times. The Waves appeared intimidated in Pauley Pavilion, losing to UCLA by 40 points, and last week were upset by visiting Cal Poly SLO, a Division II school.

As a result, some coaches aren’t so willing to put Pepperdine on a pedestal. After Saturday, when the Waves play host to crosstown rival Loyola Marymount, they play five of their next seven games on the road.

The WCC expected to be improved from last season, when the eight teams managed a 51-56 record against nonconference opponents, and going into conference play they have upgraded to 58-41.

A recent victory by USF (8-5) over DePaul--on the same night the University of San Diego (8-5) took Arizona State into overtime in Tempe--gave evidence that there may not be many easy nights in the WCC. St. Mary’s (8-6), Portland (6-5) and Gonzaga (10-3) are on the upswing, making the conference’s dreaded Northwest trip, to Portland and Spokane, that much tougher.

In fact, the only WCC team with a losing record is Santa Clara (4-9), which Saturday visits San Diego.

Entering conference play, Santa Clara has been the biggest disappointment, literally and figuratively, probably followed by Loyola (7-5).

USD falls somewhere between the favorites and the fallen. The Toreros’ tenacious defense might be able to frustrate the conference’s higher-scoring teams--their defensive average of 67.4 points is third-best in the WCC--but their lack of power makes them susceptible to teams with a good inside game, notably Pepperdine and Santa Clara.

Coaches are warily noting that, with the exception of one poorly played game, the Toreros have hung tough and adapted to all styles. They have the fewest turnovers in the conference and a smart, veteran nucleus led by seniors Kelvin Woods, Wayman Strickland and Michael Brown plus Gylan Dottin, who has been a standout at forward after redshirting last season.

On the other hand, without a consistent inside game, the Toreros put away few people. They’ve lost two in a row, both road games they had chances to win. “Every game’s gonna be close,” Coach Hank Egan has maintained.

Nobody is taking the Waves lightly: Three of their five losses have come in overtime, and they took fourth-ranked Kansas into overtime last weekend before losing, 79-73. The Waves have the WCC’s best all-around player in 6-foot-6 guard Doug Christie and among the best front-court talent in center/forward Geoff Lear and forward Dana Jones.

Christie, the final player cut from last summer’s Pan American team, has returned from two subsequent surgeries on his right knee. Projected by some pro scouts as a first-round draft selection, Christie ranks among WCC leaders in scoring (17.8), assists (5.3) and steals (2.5).

Fellow senior Lear, a two-time all-conference choice, is among leaders in scoring (14.7), rebounding (6.2), blocked shots (1.8) and shooting (57.3%). Jones, a sophomore, is following up on his freshman-of-the-year laurels by averaging 12.2 points and seven rebounds a game, shooting 56.6%.

Loyola, a veteran team featuring the scoring of guard Terrell Lowery, was expected to be the team that might unseat Pepperdine. At least stylistically, the Lions have struggled. Hoping to lead the nation in scoring again after falling to second last season, they have dropped to a relatively meager 93.8 points per game. They haven’t averaged less than 104 points since the 1986-87 season.

Lowery has been the only consistent scorer, averaging 26.5 points, and he has shot only 42%. The Lions rank near the bottom of the WCC in three-point accuracy (33%), one of their staples in recent years, and when the front court players don’t score, defenses are ganging up on Lowery. They’ve been a notoriously slow-starting team, averaging 34 points in the first half, 60 in the second. Teams still fear an offensive explosion if the Lions hit their stride.

“We’re an unknown quantity,” Lion Coach Jay Hillock said. “We’ve got to come up with some answers quick.”

If Loyola doesn’t respond, USF could be the team that gives Pepperdine a run. With four starters back, the Dons might have the WCC’s most athletic starting five. However, their only notable addition has been former Nevada Las Vegas guard Travis Bice. The Dons aren’t deep and have a small lineup, with burly 6-foot-6 Darryl Johnson at center flanked by 6-5 forwards.

Recently they have beaten California on the road and DePaul at home, while losing by 30 points at Texas Christian. In the DePaul game, all five starters scored in double figures, while the defense held the Blue Demons to four points in the last 10:45 of the first half.

Team officials say defense and a better team attitude have marked USF’s improvement. Bice, however, seems to have introduced a new weapon--the three-pointer. The Dons were the WCC’s weakest three-point team last season. Now they rank second in percentage (39.3) and first in three-point baskets per game (6.46). Scoring leader Tim Owens (16.5 points per game) made six three-pointers all last season; he already has made 30.

Johnson leads the WCC in rebounding (10 per game) and is 10th in scoring (14.5). Sophomore point guard Orlando Smart, who set an NCAA freshman record for assists, leads the WCC in assists (8.7) and steals (3.5) while scoring 12.9 points per game.

A team spokesman calls the Dons “tiny,” but opponents see them as a big headache.

It’s tough to get a read on USF’s cross-bay rival, St. Mary’s, whose record includes recent home victories over Cal State Davis, Sacramento State and Cal State Northridge (by two points). However, the Gaels also beat Weber State on the road. Under first-year Coach Ernie Kent, forward John Levitt has emerged as the WCC’s three-point shooting leader at 48.2%, and the Gaels lead the WCC in defense, allowing only 64.8 points a game.

Gonzaga, off until Jan. 16, goes into conference play with the league’s best record and an eight-game winning streak, built against a lightweight schedule. The Bulldogs will get an early test, playing host to Pepperdine and Loyola next week.

The Bulldogs appear to have the best front-court newcomer in Jeff Brown, a 6-9 sophomore transfer from the University of Washington, who is averaging 16.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and shooting 59.7%. Meanwhile, all-conference guard Jarrod Davis is averaging 18.2 points and was named the WCC’s player of the month for December.

Gonzaga leads leads the WCC in shooting, three-point percentage and field-goal defense.

Portland, outmanned in recent years, has a four-game win streak for the first time in Coach Larry Steele’s five seasons, and is trying to establish itself as Loyola North, scoring 87.5 points per game and shooting threes with abandon. Junior college transfer Peter McKelvey has been the fastest gun in the WCC, attempting 110 three-pointers in his first 10 games while averaging 18.2 points. Forward Grant Tracy is second in the conference in scoring at 20.5 point per game.

Portland will play host to the conference tournament in March, and WCC officials are privately rooting for the Pilots to do well enough to maintain fan interest in the area.

Santa Clara, featuring all-conference forward Rhea Taylor and the WCC’s dominant big man, 7-1, 285-pound Ron Reis, has been the WCC’s only flop so far. The Broncos may have played the WCC’s toughest schedule to date, and the 6-7 Taylor, who averaged 19 points as a junior, has not played well since suffering a concussion in the Great Alaska Shootout. He’s scoring 11.6 a game. The Broncos broke a five-game losing streak last week that included a home loss to crosstown rival San Jose State.

Reis is averaging 12.8 points and 9.5 rebounds--hardly imposing figures for a guy with NBA aspirations--and his low-post defense has been one of the team’s many problems. USD has had particular success with Reis, holding him to a total of nine points in two games last season. The Broncos have been the worst shooting team in the WCC. Forward Pete Eisenrich, a 6-9 transfer from Boise, was expected to give Santa Clara the most rugged front line in the WCC, but he has been as inconsistent as the team and Coach Carroll Williams has been starting 6-3 DeWayne Lewis.

“It’s been baffling,” an athletic department spokesman said. “Carroll is still waiting . . . to see an identity emerge. He views this as the start of a new season.”

So do his seven counterparts.