UC IRVINE NOTEBOOK / ROBYN NORWOOD : Von Lutzow Is Hoping His Best Shot Counts

Jeff Von Lutzow said before the basketball season began that he felt as if he had “wasted” two years of his career.

“My sophomore year and my junior year,” he said. “I wasn’t really into the games like I’m going to be this year.”

Von Lutzow, a 6-foot-9 forward with a smooth shooting touch, didn’t see the promise of his freshman season result in as much as he--and others--expected the next two years. His coaches--first Bill Mulligan, then Rod Baker--told him he could be better than he was playing. Von Lutzow finally decided for himself that he was part of his problem.

“People have always said about me, ‘He’s got potential. There are spurts when he’s a great player, when he’s mentally ready to play,’ ” Von Lutzow said. “I’m going to sit down with the coaches and get mentally prepared to battle every game this year.”

Von Lutzow was determined to make this year--his last--count for something.

Like 25 points and 14 rebounds in the opener against Boston University. Another 27 points and 13 rebounds against Missouri Kansas City, and 26 points and 12 rebounds against Mississippi Valley State.

Then came eight points and nine rebounds against Nevada Las Vegas.

Baker withheld his praise, even for Von Lutzow’s three consecutive double-doubles to start the season. After the Missouri Kansas City game, matter of fact, Von Lutzow took as much criticism in film sessions as anybody.

“We ripped him up and down,” Baker said. “It’s hard, because if you only looked at the stat sheet, it seems like he’s played very well.”

The Irvine coaching staff found faults.

“You have great expectations for good players,” Baker said. “And you’re much more picky with good players than bad players.”

Von Lutzow had 25 points against Boston University, but Baker said he was “not even close” to playing as well as he could have.

“Against BU, he could have had 50,” Baker said. “He has to continue to be active offensively and defensively.”

In the loss to UNLV--Irvine’s third loss in four games this season--Von Lutzow’s trademark shooting touch took a vacation. He made only three of 13 shots, after entering the game shooting 56%. Throw in four turnovers, and it was a very bad night.

“I think he got taken out of the game mentally,” Baker said.

A few early missed shots, and the trouble set in.

“He never recovered,” Baker said. “We kept reaching in, trying to pull him back. It shouldn’t happen to a guy who’s among the leaders in the conference in scoring and rebounding.”

It made it tougher that a mismatch with J.R. Rider forced Von Lutzow to try to guard Dexter Boney, a guard. And on the other end, he was being guarded by either Rider or Evric Gray, who are both big and quick.

It was one game. There are 22 left in Von Lutzow’s regular-season career. He’ll be trying to make the rest turn out better than the last.

Dee Boyer, once expected to be out three to six weeks with a nagging leg injury, is penciled in as the starting center for Monday’s game against Southern California College in the first round of the Disneyland Freedom Bowl Classic at the Bren Center. Boyer, who has a pre-stress fracture condition in his right shin, played eight minutes in the loss to UNLV, which came only about 1 1/2 weeks after the injury was diagnosed.

Georgetown’s visit to the Bren Center has yet to result in a sellout. About 2,200 tickets remain for Monday’s first-round games of the Disneyland Freedom Bowl Classic, which also includes Irvine, Southern California College and Hawaii Pacific. About 1,700 tickets remain for the final and consolation games next Wednesday. For information, call (714) 856-5000.

Yvonne Catala, a senior forward on the women’s basketball team, was off to a disappointing start before Irvine’s game against Texas A&M; last week in the Bren Center.

Catala scored 14 points, a season high, then added 21 in the Anteaters’ first victory Tuesday against Western Illinois. Coach Colleen Matsuhara expects Catala to have a scoring average in the teens, but she had a season-low two points in a loss to Arizona.

But Catala, who is from College Station, Tex., perked up in the Anteaters’ loss to Texas A&M;, a game that was broadcast back to her hometown by radio. During the broadcast, the radio announcers sent a hello to Catala’s parents.

“She finally broke out of her scoring slump against Texas A&M;,” Matsuhara said. “I think she was more mentally focused for A&M.; We had finished finals, and she might have had some internal motivation, playing a team from her hometown, a team that had recruited her in high school.”

Catala was hampered by foul trouble last season, fouling out of about a third of the team’s games. She has done better in that regard this season, but her scoring has dropped off.

“In our first couple of games, she had shots, but they weren’t falling,” Matsuhara said. “In our third game, our guards weren’t able to get the ball to her.”

Matsuhara has been disappointed that Catala hasn’t taken charge of the team more.

“She and Karie Yoshioka have not taken up the leadership roles they need to,” Matsuhara said. “If anyone has taken up some type of leadership role, it’s been Jinelle Williams. We certainly can’t lean on the eight freshmen for leadership. They have enough trouble trying to remember what time practice is.”

Williams, a sophomore, has been one of the highlights of the team’s slow start.

“I’ve been real pleased with the way Jinelle Williams has played,” Matsuhara said. “She’s played the most minutes, and she really pushes hard and encourages her teammates.”

Polo All-Americans: Steve Gill has been named a first-team All-American for the second year in a row. Gill, who earlier was voted co-player of the year in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, was second on the Irvine team in scoring with 66 goals.

Pablo Yrizar, who led Irvine with 69 goals, was named a second-team All-American, and Marc Hunt was chosen to the third team.

Irvine finished the season with a 20-10 record and was eliminated in the NCAA semifinals.