TJ Robinson Double Threat Scoring and Rebounding, Photo Courtesy of LBSU Sports Information
12:12pm | 2012 should be a lively year at least until the Mayan melt down occurs in mid December. Dust Plus has been in the party mode since the crystal ball dropped on Dick Clark and this week should be more of the same. After all, you have undefeated (in conference) ladies and men’s basketball, the beginning of men’s volleyball, and fund and friend raisers for baseball.
We start with a review of the Monday night men’s party at the home of those quiche-eating, chardonnay-sipping marsupials of UC Irvine. You could feel the positive vibe when first entering the not-unfriendly confines of the Bren Center, especially since the annoying CIAs were not there. (CIAs are UCI’s Certifiably Insane Anteaters student group).
LB was down a point at halftime, 32-31 but their road resume doesn’t let them sweat that little deficit. In the second half they outscored UCI by 15, shot almost 57% (five dunks help a lot) and just made the passing lanes a nightmare for the Eaters. The Eaters scored 27 points off 21 threes mostly when the Beach used a sort of lazy zone. It may have been a quiet 19 but Casper Ware had an efficient game: 8-12 from the floor with 0 turnovers. As a team the Beach earned 20 points off 18 Eater turnovers when those pass deflections led to high percentage layups and dunk-ups.
The two record setters for LB were Seniors T.J. Robinson (14 points and 13 rebounds, his 44th career double-double) and Larry Anderson, (13 points, four assists, and his 500th career rebound). That’s pretty good company, Ed Ratleff and Lucious Harris are the only players in LBSU history to score 1,000 points, grab 500 rebounds and hand out 300 assists during their 49er careers.
The only part of the plan coming in that really never materialized was growing the bench. The big six, (including Freshman Mike Caffey–10 points, all in the first half) and James Ennis (7 points, a couple of deflections but three turnovers) performed as usual. The other four Niners who got in the box score had a mere 17 minutes and three points.
The foul line was indeed foul; LBSU made 8-of-18 free throws (44.4 percent) and Eugene Phelps was 2-7. Next up is a home date Thursday against Cal Poly at 7 p.m. and at the Pyramid the Beach boys have won 14 straight.
The Ladies of Wynn and Wynn (picked pre-season last in the BWC, are tied for first at 2-0 and host CSUN Saturday at 4 p.m. Some of the walking wounded will return but not big Ella Clark or Sendy Valles done for the year.
NOTES ON THE NAPKIN TIME — From the Cyber Kingdom—“Urban Meyer just banned twitter for Ohio State. Now you’ll have to track his players the good ole fashioned way – police reports.” “I don’t think we’re bad,” said UCI Coach Molly Goodenbour, whose team shot 36.2% from the field and committed 21 turnovers losing to the LB ladies. “I think we have players who are as competent as any of the teams we’re playing. We just haven’t been able to find a way to have those kids make the most out of the tools and skills that they have. We’re trying to work on it.” More impressive audio achievements from Rob Brender who provides play-by-play for the third consecutive season, while Kevin McConnell adds color commentary for home games. I sweat Rob getting an out of town offer as much as I do Coach Monson.
The 21st annual Welcome baseball back weekend comes up at the end of this month, January 26th if you do you scorecard in pencil, The first event is the highly anticipated lead off speech by Washington Nationals talent Danny Espinosa in the Thursday night chat and chow at the Grand followed by the Golf tourney on Friday the 27th at Rec Park and then actual baseball on Saturday the 28th. The games of course are at stately Blair field 11 a.m. for the Old Timers and 2 p.m. for a fighting for a starter day sot battle at 2 p.m. with all the current Dirtbags scrambling for a spot on the opening day roster. Call 562-985-4662 to sing up for the dinner, the golf or everything!
Our fellow baseball honk Allan Steele in Riverside reports that former Palm Desert High standout Ryan Garvey has left USC and will begin classes at Riverside Community College next month. Garvey, the son of Dodgers star Steve Garvey, spent one semester at USC, but said he wants to spend more time developing his baseball skills and improving his draft status. “I passed all my classes, I’m eligible. It was great, but I was studying from 9:30 to 6 every day and I was more worried about school than baseball, and my thing was to go there to play baseball,” Ryan told the Desert Sun. So you know his priorities.
As noted earlier this week has men’s hoops playing Cal Poly on Thursday and at Cal State Northridge Saturday in the antique Matadome. CSUN sends their ladies entry to the Pyramid for a Saturday, 4 p.m. game. Hey, if you are going to stay undefeated in conference this is a must win game.
Last hoop chat. Every time LBSU player Michael Caffey went by the UCI student section one booster kept yelling, “Hey Michael look at me. “ Problem was that all three refs Monday night were named Michael, Mssrs. Eggers, Irving and Greenstein and they have excellent hearing.
Men’s Volleyball had or is having a couple of Exhibitions against Canadian teams before they head north this weekend for the UCSB/Asics Invitational. The competition will include Loyola-Chicago, BYU and or UC Irvine.
The 49er Athletic Club will host a post-game reception with the Women’s Basketball staff and team following the completion of Saturday’s home game against CS Northridge. Set aside for those who can get into the Ukleja Family Hall of Honor, the light refreshments are limited to Director’s Circle members and season ticket holder.
From the sentiment expressed by coaches after the UCI game I expect that “the indefinite suspension of senior forward Edis Dervisevic for failure to meet academic expectations” will be resolved in ten days or so. My idea is that all of that TV time and airport stops have messed the mind of the big New Yorker. You have got to remember that Coach Monson wants a 100% grad rate and besides the biggest games are yet to come (UCSB). Dervisevic, who has played in 12 of LBSU’s 14 games, averaged 3.4 points and 2.8 rebounds per game in just about 16 minutes per game.
Troy Tulowitzki will claim the top award at the 28th annual Hot Stove Banquet in San Jose. The former Fremont High School star who hit .302 and rocked 30 home runs for the Rockies last season has been named the Major League Player of the Year by the Hot Stove committee and will be recognized at the banquet to be held on Jan. 24 at the San Jose Elks Club. Tulowitzki had his best year in the big leagues in 2010, when he hit .315 with 27 homers, 32 doubles and 95 runs-batted-in, but he topped that in many ways in 2011. He had career highs in doubles (36) and RBIs (105) and was the starting shortstop for the National League All-Star team, and he won Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards for the second straight year. In five full seasons in the Major Leagues, he has belted 122 home runs, driven home 443 runs and compiled a solid .293 career batting average. See, I told you we would be back to baseball soon! — DR. DAN