UPCOMING:
Fri., Dec. 10 - at Eastern Washington, Reese Court (6,000), 7:05 p.m.
Tues., Dec. 21 - at San Diego State, Cox Arena (12,414), 7:05 p.m.
THE QUICK SCENARIO: Fullerton is 2-2 and plays only one
more game before reinforcements arrive in the persons of letterman guard
Ralphy Holmes and Western Kentucky transfer forward Jamaal Brown, who
will not be eligible until the Dec. 21 game at San Diego State. The 2-2
start still is the best since the 1998-99 team opened up 5-1, but the
Titans are coming off a 79-57 loss at Denver. There are 18 players in
the program but only half of them were able to see action Saturday night
and that includes forward Danny Lambert, who was just cleared to play
after having knee surgeries and got in for four minutes. At a mile-high
altitude, the Titans could have used a deeper bench against the Pioneers,
who visit Titan Gym on Dec. 23.
“RADIO”: All games can be heard live on the
internet on computers with sound cards. Listeners may access the CSF Athletics
home page at www.titansports.org and follow the links. Mel Franks is the
announcer at Eastern Washington.
PROBABLE STARTERS:
No. Name Ht. Yr. ppg rpg Quick Notes
F 24 Hardy Asprilla * 6-5 Sr. 10.5 10.8 After two career highs in Connecticut,
leads the Big West in rebounding
F 2 Yaphett King * 6-4 Sr. 11.5 5.5 His 9 points in final 7 minutes held
off Colgate
C 42 Derek Quinet 6-9 So. 7.2 2.2 Went 5-for-5 from the floor vs. Hope
International
G 3 Bobby Brown * 6-1 So. 16.0 2.0 Had career-high 13 assists to go with
game-high 21 points vs. Hope
G 14 Jermaine Harper 6-3 Jr. 12.8 4.0 Made all-tourney team in Connecticut;
0-for-8 from the floor at Denver OFF THE BENCH:
G 23 Vershan Cottrell 6-2 Jr. 2.8 0.8 Transfer from Ohlone College who
led state of Washington in scoring as prep
F 21 Danny Lambert 6-6 Jr. 0.0 3.0 Transfer from Irvine Valley College
made long-awaited Titan debut in Denver
G 22 John Clemmons 6-0 Jr. 4.5 1.8 January transfer from El Camino College
who didn’t play last year
F 5 Justin Burns 6-6 So. 7.5 2.0 Transfer from Cypress Community College;
father “Spider” played at UNLV INJURED:
F 12 Drew Awad 6-3 Sr. 1.7 1.0 Transfer from Fresno CC; leukemia survivor
sidelined by foot injury
C 43 Lloyd Walls 6-9 Sr. -- -- Transfer from Wright State sidelined after
multiple concussions ELIGIBLE AFTER DEC. 18
F 15 Ralphy Holmes* 6-4 Sr. -- -- First-team All-Big West Conference in
2002-03, averaging 17.4 ppg & 6.2 rpg
F 4 Jamaal Brown 6-7 Jr. -- -- Transfer from Western Kentucky’s
NCAA Tourney team of 2002-03
*letters earned
ABOUT EASTERN WASHINGTON: The Eagles are 2-3 and have
a new coach (Mike Burns) and a new backcourt since the Titans beat their
Big Sky Conference championship and NCAA Tournament bound-team last Dec.
13 in Titan Gym, 77-70. Guard Marc Axton leads the team with a 19.8 ppg
scoring average but no one else is in double figures. Gone are guards
Josh Barnard and Alvin Snow. The latter averaged 14.7 ppg last year to
lead the 17-13 team and Barnard made 7 of 9 3-point field goals in a 23-point
effort vs. Fullerton. The teams have a common opponent in 2004-05, much
to their chagrin. EWU lost at Denver, 80-64, on Nov. 28, while the Titans
lost there on Saturday night, 79-57. EWU has beaten Cascade at home and
won at Cal Poly while losing at Wichita State and at Washington on Sunday.
In the latter game, the Eagles committed 30 turnovers against the No.
12-ranked Huskies.
DOUBLE FIGURES: Prior to the performance against Hope,
the last time the Titans had six players in double figures was Feb. 4,
1999, in an 88-78 home win over Utah State (Cunningham 23, Caldwell 12,
Jarrett 12, Murphy 12, Fischer 11, Harmon 10).
MINI-CONFERENCE: Cal State Fullerton, Denver and Eastern
Washington are playing what amounts to a 5-game “mini-conference”
schedule in December with Denver playing a same-season home-and-home series
with both the Titans and the Eagles. Denver plays at EWU on Dec. 18 and
at Fullerton on Dec. 23.
COLORADO LOW: Cal State Fullerton remains winless (0-7)
in the state of Colorado after Saturday’s loss at the University
of Denver. Fullerton went 0-2 on a trip in 1993, losing at Colorado and
at Colorado State on Dec. 21 and 23, respectively. The Titans also lost
at Colorado State in 1970-71, 1972-73, 1989-90 and 1993-94.
BAD NIGHT: After blistering the nets at a 65 percent
clip at home against NAIA opponent Hope International on Nov. 27, the
Titans found Denver’s Magness Arena even more frigid than you would
expect for a floor covering an ice rink. The team shot 35 percent and
that includes several breakaway layups. Jermaine Harper (0-for-8), Yaphett
King (6-17) and Bobby Brown (7-for-23) combined to shoot a shivering 27
percent (13-for-48) overall and 3-for-17 (17.6 percent) from behind the
3-point line.
HUSTLING HARDY ASPRILLA: His two-game total of 27 rebounds
in Connecticut puts him in a league with former Titan Pape Sow, the 2003-04
Big West rebounding leader now with the Toronto Raptors. In his three-year
Titan career, Sow totaled as many as 27 rebounds in consecutive games
only three times -- getting 14 and 17 for 31 in the 2002-03 season and
grabbing 18 and 13 (31) and 17 and 11 (28) in pairs of games in the 2003-04
campaign.
PLANE RIDE SEEMED SHORTER: Fullerton flew two hours from
Hartford to Cincinnati and then more than four hours additionally to Orange
County a week ago Sunday. It was the first flight after a road win for
Coach Burton in six opportunities (losses at NAU, ASU, Idaho, Utah State
and UoP last year) at Fullerton. In the previous six seasons, the Titans
won only five games to which they flew.
TITAN GYM GOES HOLLYWOOD: ABC's Top Ten Nielsen TV show
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition comes to Titan Gym on Wednesday night to
tape a tribute to Rodney Anderson, the former Titan basketball player,
whose home is being rebuilt this week by the show. The 6 p.m. taping will
feature the retirement of his jersey No. 4. Anderson was shot in a mistaken
identity gang shooting near his Los Angeles home on Mar. 2, 2002, and
is paralyzed and in a wheelchair. He will graduate in January with a degree
in human services and plans to pursue a masters. Free refreshments will
be served and the supporting cast of the show -- designers Preston Sharp
and Tracy Hutson, carpenter Paige Hemmis and project manager Ed Sanders
-- will be on hand for the ceremony. The event is open to the public as
well as students, faculty and staff. The doors will open at approximately
5:30 p.m.
HUGE RECRUITING CLASS: The Titans signed probably their
largest class of November recruits -- both in height and numbers -- ever.
These six newcomers -- all conveniently bunched in the alphabet -- will
join the program for next season
(comments by Asst. Coach Andy Newman):
Jerrel Lake, 6-7, Jr., F, Los Angeles, CA -- Westchester High School --
“very athletic... runs well and jumps out of the gym... plays very
hard and will rebound everything...
needs to gain strength... very good slashing to the basket.”
Brian Marks, 6-9, Sr., C, Las Vegas, NV -- Palo Verde High School --
“big bodied post player who really knows how to use his body inside...
back-to-the-basket player who can score inside and will rebound well...
has a tremendous upside.”
Chris Minardo, 6-9, Fr., F, Chino Hills, CA -- Citrus College --
“skilled power forward who has perimeter skills.. can really shoot
it out to the 3-point line and is very athletic...
rebounds well and attacks the rim very aggressively.. very good passer..
he is like a 6-foot-9 perimeter player.”
Manny Montano, 6-10, Soph., F, Vista, CA -- Palomar College --
“shot blocker with great timing and a great feel for the game defensively...
runs like a deer and can really score inside and out... shoots the ball
out to about 17 feet.. needs some weight and strength but has great potential...
rebounds very well.”
Gerard Moret, 6-4, Sr., G, Los Angeles, CA -- Westchester High School
--
“very tough competitor... comes from a great program and really
knows how to win...will be a great defender and he will bring toughness
to the perimeter... capable shooter but much better at penetration.”
Gary Nunez, 6-8, Soph., F, Bronx, NY -- Ventura College --
“big, strong and very skilled post player who can really score with
his back to the basket... he is a superb passer and his toughness inside
will be much welcomed.”
