News Scrapbook 1982-1984

Thursday, December 15, 1983 attempts to rebound against little-known Spring Arbor Bostic has been a starter from day one with the 6-0 enrollment of 750, is H but lost both games last weekend Prunty, who last year averaged seven points per game 10 the Aquinas Classic. The Cougars fell 511-44 to Ohio USD's leading scorer (19.6) and rebounder {8.2) is senior forward Mike Whitmarsh. Rounding out the USO lineup are forward Anthony Reuss and center Mario Coronado. while coming off the bench but this winter has produced Northern and 79-78 in overtime to Kalamazoo.

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only sb: points in five games. Prunty, a two-time WCAC holar-athlete, is the only four-year player at USD. rhe Toreros' backcourt will have its hands full with Spring Arbor, since the Cougars play without a pure cen- t r, using a three-guard offense that features Deon Bl ckwell with his scoring average of 22.5. The other guards are 6-2 juniors Greg Fairbanks and James Sim- mons. Todd Edmonds averages 16 points per game, Mau- r1 e G ett 10 on the front line. priog Arbor, a tiny school in Michigan with a student

Bostic, USD win 83-54 over Spring Arbor By Rick Hazeltine, Special to The Union For a while last night the Sports Center at the Univeris- ty of San Diego could have been a high school gym in Michigan. The first half featured the hot shooting of for- mer rivals Deon Blackwell of Spring Arbor (Mich.) Col- lege and the Toreros' Mark Bostic, who grew up in nearby Ann Arbor. Bostic and USD, evening its record at 3-3, came out on top with an easy 83-54 victory over the Cougars (8-5) before a crowd of 225. The first half, however, gave USO bead coach Jim Brovelli something to worry about. "They took it to us in the first half; they were real battlers," Brovelli said. "Frankly, I was worried. We were very flat." The Toreros bad not played in almost two weeks be- cause of final exams. Fortunately for USO, the layoff had little effect on Bostic, who scored 17 of his 21 points in the first half and helped the Toreros take a 38-27 lead at intermission. On the night, Bostic was IO-of-13 from the floor and added five assists. The Toreros, enjoying a big height advantage, shot 60 percent form the floor as a team. Blackwell led all scorers with 22 points, 12 in the first half. Chances are Blackwell would not have recognized his old rival from bis position on the court. After playing forward and center throughout bis high school and junior college career, Bostic is converting to off-guard. "I always felt I would be playing guard if I went to a big college," Bostic said. "It's (converting} going pretty good right now; it was tough at first. Tonight, I felt real comfortable at the off-guard spot." The Toreros host UC-Irvine tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. in the Sports Center.

Defense, height win for USD By Rick Davis Tribune Sportswriter Hank Burbridge must have sus- pected trouble when he b~gbt his undersized Spring Arbor (Mich.) Col- lege basketball team out on ~e floor last night. Their hosts, the U~vers1ty of San Diego, sent out a frontline that averaged 6-foot-8. . . It as David vs. Goliath m Alcala Park and what Spring Arbor really needed was a big rock. The host Toreros, sleepwalking ~ough the first half went to the whip after that and cam~ away with an 83-54 victory to even their season record at three wins and three losses. "Their size just wore us down," Burbridge assessed afterward. "The mismatch (Spring Arbor's tallest starter was 6--4 Todd Edmonds) took its toll in the end. Looking at it real- istically before the game, I was hop- mg to keep the difference to 15 points. But it got out of hand, didn't it?" Indeed it did, but only after USD coach Jim Brovelli delivered a half- time oration on the rewards of play- ing sound defense. A 3S-27 cushion at that point became 54-31 just 4.:46 into the second half and the end result suddenly was taking shape. "I only talked about one thing. De- fense" said Brovelli. "We were just fiat, ~oming off 12 days without a game and finishing final exams. Had the other team been shooting decent- ly, the halftime score would have been pretty close." The Toreros though were the ones zeroing in, shooting 63 percent on field goals the first half, to 36 percent for the visitors. USD guard Mark Bostic, a 6-foot-4 transfer from Cen- tral Arizona Community College, bad 17 points at intennission and finished with 21 - his season high. "I'm learning how to play guard because I was a forward and center in community college," said Bostic. ''Tonight was a good night for my confidence and I need that.

DAI LY CALIFORNIAN C \6e&3 \)t.

'forcros roll pring Arbor; (:ru ad( n- roll d by Dcn,·er

Torero Chris Carr scores over Cougar Jim Simmons.

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•Torer is------- Continued From Page D-1 "What this team needs is a leader. And it really should be one of the guards that dictates things. We're still look- ing for that leader." Mike Whitmarsh, the team's All-West Coast Athletic Conference selection. would qualify, except he's a for- ward. The team scoring leader with a 15.3 point average last season, be hit for 14 last night. "It would be tough for Mike to be the team leader because he's so quiet," said his coach. "He leads by exam- ple, but that's it." Whitmarsh also recognizes the problem. "I'm trying to be more of a leader this season by encouraging my team- mates," he said. "But I am quiet, so I need to talk a lot more." Afl for the latest win - considering it was over an ~AIA opponent with an 8-5 record against lesser competi- tion - 1t was greeted with tempered optimism. "I'd bate to see us play a half Saturday night like we did tlfe first half tonight," submitted Brovelli. "UC-Irvine (Cnnquerers of San Diego State already this season and US,O's NCAA Division I opponent here tomorrow night at 7:3ft) will be a bit tougher." Considering the layoff and three straight losses before that, maybe Spring Arbor was what the Toreros needed. "We're improving. I can see that," concluded Brovelli. ''We've got size and quickness. We're deeper on the bench and have a couple more athletes this season. But we need to play fundamental defense and seal off things. "We didn't start out that way tonight. But we did wake up later on."

"I still need wort on defense and ball-handling and spotting the open man when I'm coming down the floor. My outside shooting is incon- sistent, too. Some days, it's really off. It looks like I'm throwing bricks." Perhaps, but on this occasion, Bos- tic was driving nails with a velvet hammer. His 10-for-13 shooting showed the way as the winners fin- ished at 60.3 percent. Many of the baskets came on fast breaks and at- tempts from close range. "We have the quickness to make the break and get the easy basket," added Brovelli. "You just have to make sure the guy running with the ball does the right thing to take ad- vantage.

DAIL V CALIFORNIAN DEC l S i983 Whitmarsh speaks with actions

the young kids coming in it really makes it real. College goes fast ... Because this is 1t for Whitmarsh, he wants his final year to be special. 'In the off-season I tried to play every day," he said . "My number one priority was to improve my game One aspect I tried to improve this year was my rebounding. Last year I had about five or six rebounds a game. I couldn't do that this year I had to do better. I didn't work out by myself much at all. I played with some of the Clippers a lot. Playing against people who are better than you helps you become a better ballplayer. "I don't lhmk I have a major strength or weakness. I don't want to go out and score 20 to 25 points a game. I have just as much satisfaction in making a good assist as I do making a basket. " Whitmarsh is a strong candidate for repeating his hrst-team all-West Coast Athletic Conference (WCAC) honors last year. It was the first time a USO player was named to the WCAC top team. After receiving that honor Whitmarsh reflected on whether he should have played somewhere else. " I think about that quite often," he admitted "But rm glad I decided to stay in San Diego I'm with a go_od program and rm glad I could be a part of helping this program get gomg. Now, maybe we're at a point where we could start winning some games. "I fit nght mto this program, without a doubt. All the coaches I played for (Pete Colonelli at Monte Vi. ta, Jack Shawcroft and Rick Wilkerson) stressed defense and being patient on offense." Although the collegiate career is some 20 games away from concluding, Whitmarsh does have some Ideas about next year. •Playing in Europe 1s a possibility," Whitmarsh remarked "But I'm going to have to make some good money to go there. ' II I do move on to play some more, I have to improve on my outside shot. It's not that bad, but I never really shoot it here. I either pass the ball for something better or I drive to the basket."

By Mike M thison of Tl"te Daily C11/lfornIan Mike WhitmaI'llh adrmts it "Basically, I'm a quiet basketball player," he said Quiet in words, but not in actions Whitmarsh ored 14 points, grabbed nine rebounds handed out eight assists and totaled three steals Thursday mght a the Unlvers1ty if San Diego whipped visiting pring Arbor of Michigan 83-54 in the SporL'< Center "I talk more this year than I did last year," said Whitmarsh. "But I still need to talk a little more " He s the E F Hutton on the hardwood In his case actions speak louder than words The USO senior is the team's leading scorer, rebounder and a ist man through the Toreros' first ix games of 1983-84 Whitmarsh has scored 112 points (18.6 averag ), collected 50 rebounds (8 3), dished out 37 a i ts (6 1) and stol n nin ball as the team has gone 3-3. "He IS d finitely the key ingredient for USD's ucces ," said Northern Arizona University coach Jay Amote after the Toreros dropped a 70-63 decision two weeks ago in which Whitmarsh scored 18 points before fouling out. "H provides solid overall play both offensively and de!Pns1vely We were real happy to see Mike foul out in the econd half." A nice compliment to the 6-foot-7 Wh1tmaI'llh. He i a 1980 grdduate of Monte Vista High Whitmarsh w . voted th Gro smont League's player of th year a nior Not too many recruiter were knO<'king on his door he lurth red his skills at Gros mont College for two. asons . "ln high chool l pl yed both teMis and basketball, so I didn't really roncentrate on ba ketball," Whitmarsh · 1d "When I got out of high school I w ju t playing ba k tball so I had more time to concentrate on it In my fr hman year at Gros!:mont I didn't thmk I would go on to play It all came tog th r that year And her now it ( his collegiate car r > Is Imost ov r "It's h rd to behev th1 1 my la t year With all

SAN DI EGO UN ION DEC 1 7 1983

USD hosts Anteaters in hunt for major win

Now the Toreros play an Irvine team that defeated San Diego State 79-76 two weeks ago at the Sports Arena. The Anteat- ers, with all five starters averaging in dou- ble figures, are led by the forward line of 6- foot-10 Bob Thornton (15.3 points, 71 per- cent field goal shooting, 6.0 rebounds), 6-8 Ben McDonald (14.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists) and 6-9½ Tod Murphy (13.8 points, 5.5 rebounds). USD will open with 6-7 forwards Mike Whitmarsh (18.7 points and 8.3 rebounds a game) and Anthony Reuss, the center tan- dem of 6-9 Mario Coronado and 6-11 fresh- man Scott Thompson, and guards Mark Bostic and Chris Carr.

Still searching for that special first vic- tory over a recognized major-college bas- ketball team, the University of San Diego takes another shot tonight when the Toreros host UC-Irvine at 7:30 in the USD Sports Center. The Toreros are 3-3, but their victories have come against Army, St. Thomas Col- lege and Spring Arbor (83-54 Thursday night). The Toreros almost scored the "break- through" victory three weeks ago over Long Beach State, only to miss 18 of 31 free-throw attempts and lose to the 49ers in overtime. USD also lost at Texas Tech and Northern Arizona.

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Jimmy Dorantet/for The Cellfomlan Mike Whitmarsh is USD's star this season. The former Monte Vista High and Grossmont College star leads the Toreros in scoring, rebounding and assists.