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Cal State Fullerton Season Preview:
Coaches' Luncheon Notes--(Oct. 8, 1999)

We made some quick notes based on what we heard and read yesterday at the LA Athletic Club from each of the coaches we saw. Here are some observations on Cal State Fullerton for the coming season 1999-2000, the roster, some schedule notes and other assorted stuff:

As we noted in the first article on the Coaches Luncheon at the LAAC, Bob Hawking is a very funny man. He's droll, dry, witty and he's got a pretty sharp tongue. Not mean, or mean-spirited, but a biting sort of wit. And it had Steve Lavin sweating. And laughing. But he was sweating more than laughing (the subject of Lavin's perspiration came up more than once, and Lavin was the one who mentioned it more than anyone in his own self-deprecating way). Hawking was only slightly less curt about his team this season than was San Diego State's new head coach Steve Fisher, but unlike Fisher, its either an all-good news or all-bad news problem, because there are only three returning starters, even if the press release materials which were handed out said that there are "six of the top eight" players returning. Last year, the Titans finished 13-14, which was only marginally better than the year before (12-16) and which equalled the 13-14 season from three years ago.

This is Hawking's 8th year at Fullerton. We didn't take down any other witty quotes from him at the luncheon on Thursday besides the ones we've already posted, but this appears at the Fullerton website: "The focus is now firmly on the program's goals -- "A Big West Conference championship, a trip to the Big Dance and a chance at an NCAA championship," said Hawking. "Sometimes it is a slower process than some people would like, but with hard work and continuous recruiting, we can put together the team that reaches these goals." The best comment though was contained in the season preview materials in the handout at the luncheon: "We have a solid nucleus to work with," said Hawking. "We've built some continuity by not being so dependent on junior college recruiting. We have great flexibility and will be able to move people around to better attack opponents' weaknesses." Of course the irony in this last statement is that Fullerton is on probation and cannot recruit JC players, at least for another couple of years, so they'll have to be dependent on recruiting high school guys, which in our view is not all that bad, although it's away from the current trend with a lot of schools.

Here's the roster for this season:

Mark Murphy (6'-0" Sr. G) Phoenix, AZ/Glendale CC
Rodney Anderson (6'-2" Fr. G) Los Angeles/LA Washington HS
Ike Harmon (6'-7" Sr. F) Santa Ana/Santa Ana Valley HS
Dan Thompson (6'-5" Fr. G/F) Adelaide, Australia/Unley HS
Ahmad Shurdim (6'-4" R.Fr. F) Anaheim/Magnolia HS
Kenroy Jarrett (6'-0" Sr. G) Twentynine Palms/Twentynine Palms HS
Danny Dinh (6'-0" Fr. G) Irvine/Pacifica HS
Josh Pierson (6'-0" Fr. G) Laguna Hills/Laguna Hillls HS
Jon Stoa (6'-4" Fr. G) Whittier/Whittier Christian HS
James Hackett (6'-0" Jr. G) Azusa/Delta CC
Brandon Campbell (6'-4" So. G/F)St. Louis, MO/Cardinal Ritter HS
Josh Fischer (6'-9" So. F) La Habra/La Habra HS
Mitch Deve' (7'-2" R.Fr. C) Albuquerque, NM/LaCueva HS
Matt Caldwell (6'-8" Jr.C) Peoria, AZ/Centennial HS

This is a young team, and if there are eight returning players, the brochure barely notes that Mitch Deve', is "possibly still a year away from extensive duty" and in fact is redshirting. This team though will be led by Ike Harmon as it was last year. He's a two year starter who averaged 15.7 ppg and 6.7 rebounds per game. He's not a superstar yet, and is still just continuing to develop his game, but should be a solid contributor all season long. Hawking really loves Jarrett, a guy who didn't miss a game last year, and who had a broken hand, but removed the cast himself and played anyway, leading the team with 4.0 assist per game and averaging 9.7 points. "He's our toughest competitor, just a great young man to work with," Hawking said of Jarrett. Mark Murphy is also a solid player, who filled in at point a few times, and also shot 66 of 180 from behind the arc, and averaged 11.5 ppg, the second best average on the team. Caldwell started 10 games at center, averaging 9.8 pppg and 5.0 rpg, and will be expected to step up that production; Fischer finished the season well, but didn't score all that much last year, averaging only 3.8 ppg and 2.6 rpg. Campbell is an athletic guy, a long jump champ in the Big West, and he can also clear 7'-1" in the high jump, but it hasn't seemed to translate yet to the court where he averaged 3.1 ppg and 1.7 rpg in three starts last season. It seems that Hawking is still going to struggle to find the right combination and with a team like this, they will have to play up tempo, run, run, and then run some more.

Some new guys who should help with that will be Anderson from Washington HS; Anderson is a very quick point guard with good hands, excellent vision, but he'll have to earn the spot behind Jarrett. Dan Thompson is a mystery-man from Australia, but is reputed to be an excellent athlete who played for "some national youth teams" according to the official Cal State materials we received. There are a whole slew of walk-on freshmen in the backcourt, including Danny Dinh, Josh Pierson, and Jon Stoa, all of whom earned All-CIF honors, so we'll see just how much some of these guys can contribute this season. Stoa is an excellent outside shooter, as is Pierson, and Danny Dinh has great defensive ability and a good handle.

This season's schedule is not particularly tough out of the conference, and it's probably just about where the Titans want to be considering the newness of most of the guys who will be playing: Fullerton opens with Simon Fraser, then hosts San Diego in the first of two pre-conference games they'll have with the Toreros. On Nov. 27, they take on Montana State at Montana St., and then travel to St. Mary's. They return December 4, when they will host LMU, and the following Tuesday, Dec. 7 they are at Pepperdine. On the 11th they host San Jose State. The Titans then take a break until December 21 when they'll host Patten College, followed by another game a week later, December 30, when they play Eastern Kentucky. Their last four pre-conference games are pretty tough and they are all on the road: San Diego State (Jan 5), San Deigo (Jan 8), then they play Big West Eastern Conference foes Utah State (Jan 13), and Nevada (Jan 15). Big West Western Division play opens on Jan. 15 with Boise State at home.

Things just never seem easy for Fullerton, and we don't know why this year should be an exception. But one day it will click for Hawking and the Titans, and this could be that year. Again, only time will tell.