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LOCATION: Northridge, CA
CONFERENCE: Big Sky
LAST SEASON: 17-12 (.586)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 9-7 (t-3rd)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 1/4
NICKNAME: Matadors
COLORS: Red, Black & White
HOMECOURT: The Matadome (1,600)
COACH: Bobby Braswell (Northridge '84)
record at school 43-43 (3 years)
career record 43-43 (3 years)
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ASSISTANTS: Mike Johnson (Purdue '91)
Eric Brown (Northridge '98)
Andre Chevalier (Northridge '91)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 8-7-14-12-17
RPI (last 5 years) 278-270-194-242-154
1998-99 FINISH: Lost in conference quarterfinal.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
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Cal State Northridge coach Bobby Braswell has a nickname. "They call me 'The Sandbagger,' " Braswell said. "And it's not for golf scores." So what, then, to make of the following comment: "We're going to try to win the league championship, that's our goal," Braswell said. That's no way to sandbag, but Braswell and his Matadors could well be in position to back it up. Ask any Big Sky coach which team has the most talent in the league and the near-unanimous response is Cal State Northridge. The Matadors lost their court and emotional leader, Derrick Higgins, to graduation but return the core of the team that tied for third in the league last season.
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Blue Ribbon Analysis |
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BACKCOURT B BENCH/DEPTH B
FRONTCOURT A INTANGIBLES C
The Matadors have never had any problem putting the ball in the basket. They led the league in scoring (82.0 ppg) and were 10th in the nation in that category. But only last-place Cal State Sacramento gave up more points than Northridge (77.1 ppg). If coach Bobby Braswell can convince his players to play as hard on the defensive end of the court as they play on the offensive end, the Matadors can make a realistic run at the title. One intangible holding Northridge back could be its home arena. The 1,600-seat Matadome that is rarely half filled has yet to become a truly hostile environment. Northridge lost three league games at home last season and must do a better job of protecting its home court to challenge for the league crown. The Matadors will also have to find an emotional leader to replace Derrick Higgins, who was capable of carrying the team on his back at times. If the Matadors stay healthy, they'll once again be the team nobody wants to face come tournament time. |
"We were very young last year and played one of the tougher preseason schedules around," Braswell said of a year in which CSUN won a school-best (at the Division I level) 17 games. "Taking everything into consideration, I was very pleased." The Matadors lost, 91-90, to Montana State in a quarterfinal of the Big Sky Tournament but had to play without junior power forward Jeff Parris, who had a bad back, and second-leading scorer Rico Harris, who was removed from the team for disciplinary reasons. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Parris (9.1 ppg, 3.5 rpg) is a force to be reckoned with inside, using his bulky frame and strength to gain good inside position. "If he stays healthy, he may be the best power forward in the conference," Braswell said of the senior. "It's difficult to keep him from scoring and he's a great rebounder and a great defender. If we can keep him out of foul trouble, he should have a phenomenal year." Hewitt Rolle (3.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg) a 6-7, 230-pound senior, gives the Matadors a capable backup to Parris and perhaps is the team's best defender in the post. Andre Larry (9.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg), a 6-9 senior who transferred from Oregon, will hold down the other forward slot. "I think he will be one of the best players in the conference," Braswell said of Larry. "He was rusty early, but toward the end of the season he was our MVP. I really think he can challenge for the league MVP." A couple of newcomers Lincoln College (Ill.) transfer Whitney White (6-5, 195) and freshman Lionel Benjamin (6-3, 205) will battle for time behind Larry. White averaged 14.0 points and 6.0 rebounds, while Benjamin averaged 17.0 points and 6.0 rebounds at Naval Academy Prep. Junior center Brian Heinle, 6-9 and 225 pounds, is the team's leading returning scorer (12.6 ppg) and rebounder (5.7 rpg). "He's a skilled big guy who can stroke it from outside and score around the basket," Braswell said of Heinle, the team's second-leading three-point shooter last season. "If we can get him to do some of the other little things, by the end of his senior year he might have the opportunity to play professionally." Dan Read, a 6-10, 220-pound redshirt freshman, gives Northridge another big body in the post. The fourth returning starter is 6-1 sophomore point guard Markus Carr (6.2 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 127 assists). Carr missed his first season at Northridge with a knee injury but had a solid year last season. Braswell said 6-1 freshman Craig Calloway (18.0 ppg, 6.0 apg at Long Beach (Calif.) Jordan High) has a chance to see time behind Carr. "It will be good having those two go after each other," Braswell said. Six-foot-one junior Carl Holmes was bothered by a knee injury last season and had off-season surgery to clean out some torn cartilage. The Big Sky's top freshman two years ago averaged 6.1 points while playing behind Higgins at the off guard last season and will get the starting job this year. Cerritos (Calif.) College transfer Marco McCain (14.5 ppg) will back up Holmes. "This is probably one of the deepest teams we've had," Braswell said. Braswell thinks the Matadors can play any team in the conference to a standstill offensively. How the Matadors fare at the other end will determine their success. "When we talk about teams like Weber State and Northern Arizona, we're talking about powerful offensive teams," Braswell said. "We have to find a way to stop them. We're going to have to press them a little and keep the ball out of certain people's hands. We're one of the teams in the league that can match Weber's athleticism, but we have to stop them."
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