Streaking Waves May Go From Dominant to Darn Good : Colleges: Pepperdine has a 33-game conference winning streak, but most of the league coaches believe their stranglehold may be loosening.

West Coast Conference basketball coaches expect a more competitive race than last season, when Pepperdine won the WCC title by a five-game margin.

But the consensus is that the Waves, who have a 33-game conference winning streak, remain the team to beat going into the first full week of league play.

“I look at Pepperdine as the favorite until they get beat,” University of San Francisco Coach Jim Brovelli said. “They have to be the league favorite from what they’ve done already, particularly on the road. They have been so consistent.”

Before the season, some league observers questioned if Pepperdine had the talent to win a third consecutive WCC title after graduating their top players from last season, guard Doug Christie and forward Geoff Lear.

Most publications made Gonzaga the preseason favorite. But injuries and illnesses to key players have cast doubts on whether Gonzaga can live up to the early predictions.

Pepperdine, meanwhile, has gotten off to a strong start. The Waves (9-3) have the best nonconference record among WCC teams, and junior forward Dana Jones and junior guard Damin Lopez have assumed the leadership roles vacated by Christie and Lear.

Still, it’s unlikely Pepperdine is as dominant a team as last season, when it was 17-0 against WCC competition--14 victories coming in the regular season and three in the conference tournament. The Waves’ conference winning streak, which began in 1991, is the nation’s longest.

“I don’t know if Gonzaga and ourselves should be considered favorites,” Pepperdine Coach Tom Asbury said. “I think it’s pretty wide open. Someone asked me if I thought a 10-4 record would win (the conference title), and I said, ‘Probably so.’ But I think it’s tough to predict.”

With Gonzaga dropping a notch in the eyes of some coaches, San Francisco has emerged as the No. 1 challenger to Pepperdine. The Dons have already equaled the most nonconference victories (10) in any of their eight seasons under Brovelli.

“Most people felt going in that (the favorites were) Pepperdine and Gonzaga,” Portland Coach Larry Steele said. “Gonzaga is going to be very solid, but from my perspective the two teams that have made a step up are Pepperdine and San Francisco. Those two teams have shown they are going to be more of a force than predicted.”

Santa Clara’s first-year coach, Dick Davey, shared Steele’s opinion.

“I think Pepperdine is playing better than anyone else, along with USF,” Davey said. “I think they’re the two strongest teams in the conference.”

So, where does that leave the rest of the WCC teams?

St. Mary’s Coach Ernie Kent said Pepperdine, San Francisco and Gonzaga should be considered the favorites, but not by much.

“The rest of us are behind those three schools, but we’re all good basketball teams capable of beating those three teams,” Kent said.

San Diego’s Hank Egan, the dean of WCC coaches with 22 years’ experience, said the improved balance of the conference should make for an interesting race.

“The rest of us are not as far away from Pepperdine as we were last year,” Egan said.

First-year Loyola Marymount Coach John Olive expects hard-fought games similar to the ones he saw in the Big East Conference during seven seasons as Villanova’s top assistant.

“The conference has great coaches and great traditions,” Olive said of the WCC. “When conference (play) starts, you’re going to see a new level of intensity.

“I expect games that are going to be won and lost in the last minute. I don’t expect anyone running away and hiding.”

Loyola and Pepperdine open conference play tonight at home against Portland and Gonzaga, respectively. The local teams switch opponents Saturday night.

Here is a team-by-team look at the WCC. Records are in parentheses:

LOYOLA (5-7)

At this point, Lion fans have to be wondering which team will take the court: The one that took Michigan State and DePaul down to the wire before losing, or the one that lost double-digit second-half leads in defeats against Fairfield and Cal State Northridge.

“We’ve been up and down,” Olive said. “We’ve played some very good teams tough. But, on the other side of the card, we’ve had some bad road losses.”

Olive said his team’s 19.4 turnover average and inconsistent rebounding are two areas in need of improvement. The Lions also need someone other than Zan Mason to carry the scoring load. Mason, who leads the team with a 17.5 scoring average, has averaged 26.5 points in the past two games. Point guard Bill Mazurie (12.7) is the only other Loyola player with a double-digit scoring average.

One player who could hold the key to the Lions’ fortunes is center Brian McCloskey. The 6-foot-8 senior has played some of best games against strong competition (12 points and 15 rebounds vs. Nevada Las Vegas; 22 points vs. Michigan State), but has failed to maintain a high level of consistency.

PEPPERDINE (9-3)

The Waves are the top defensive team in the conference, giving up an average of 67.4 points a game. They also lead in five of the eight individual statistical categories.

The 6-6 Jones ranks fourth in scoring at 15.2 points, and leads the WCC in rebounding (9.0), blocked shots (1.33) and field-goal percentage (76 of 123, 61.8%). Lopez, who switched from point guard to shooting guard this season, is averaging 14.7 points and leads the conference with 40 three-point shots. Point guard Bryan Parker, a junior, leads the conference with 8.6 assists a game and tied a WCC record with 17 assists Saturday against Oral Roberts.

“We’re working hard to be the kind of team we’ve been,” Asbury said. “I’m not sure that’s possible, but the players have pulled together real well.”

Asbury ‘s main concern is the team’s lack of inside strength.

“We’re not very big,” he said.

GONZAGA (8-4)

All-conference center Jeff Brown, a 6-9 junior, was not expected to practice this week because of an illness that Coach Dan Fitzgerald said could be mononucleosis.

“He’s been sick for three and a half weeks,” Fitzgerald said. “He hasn’t responded very well (to treatment).”

Brown leads the Bulldogs in scoring with a 15.9 average, but his rebounding is down from last season. “He’s our guy,” Fitzgerald said. “Without him at full strength, we’re not nearly as good.”

Brown’s illness comes on the heels of a career-threatening injury to point guard Jamie Dudley. The senior from Palisades High suffered a leg bruise Dec. 28 against Sam Houston State, and underwent surgery the next day for compartment syndrome, a painful cramp caused by compression of a group of muscles during exercise.

“They couldn’t get the pressure down (in his leg),” Fitzpatrick said. “The doctors considered amputation. We got a tremendous scare.”

Geoff Goss, who started last season, has taken over at point guard.

PORTLAND (6-6)

The Pilots suffered a blow in the third game when senior guard Peter McKelvey broke his left foot. There’s a chance McKelvey, the conference’s second-leading scorer last season, could return, but Steele said his top player will probably be redshirted.

Without McKelvey, Portland has relied on forwards Matt Houle and Grant Tracy and center Brenton Moore, a 6-7 senior from Inglewood High. Houle averages 14.3 points, Tracy 13.6 and Moore 8.6 and a team-leading 6.2 rebounds.

“Without (McKelvey), we lose all kinds of things,” Steele said. “Most significantly is the scoring.”

The Pilots are shooting a conference-low 42.2% from the field and have lost 12 consecutive road games.

SAN FRANCISCO (10-4, 0-1)

The Dons’ strong start has been fueled by junior Orlando Smart, generally regarded as the best point guard in the conference. Smart averages 12.9 points, 7.5 assists and 2.5 steals. He ranks third on the conference’s all-time assist list and sixth in steals, and his career averages of 8.1 assists and 2.5 steals are the best in WCC history.

“There’s no question he’s our most consistent player,” Brovelli said of Smart. “He hasn’t had the ups and downs he had as a freshman and sophomore.”

Long-range shooting specialist Tomas Thompson appears to be rounding into form after a slow start. The 6-5 guard scored 28 points off the bench to help the Dons erase a 19-point deficit Saturday against Maine, and he leads the team in scoring with a 13.6 average. Thompson set an NCAA record last season by making all eight of his three-point attempts in a 100-85 victory over Loyola in the first round of the WCC tournament.

SANTA CLARA (6-7, 1-1)

Davey, the new coach, has the Broncos shooting from the outside. Entering Thursday night’s game against San Francisco, Santa Clara had taken 237 three-point shots, more than 18 a game. That’s a 50% increase in attempts over last season.

Forward Pete Eisenreich ranks third in the conference with averages of 15.2 points and 6.9 rebounds. Guard DeWayne Lewis, the Broncos’ only returning starter, averages 13.5 points and leads the WCC in free-throw shooting at 86.5% (45 of 52).

SAN DIEGO (6-6, 2-0)

The Toreros are one of only two WCC teams with four players scoring in double figures. Forward Gylan Dottin leads the balanced offense with a 12.7 average, followed by Joe Temple at 12.1, Brooks Barnhard at 11.3 and Doug Harris at 10.3.

“We’re a more balanced and better outside-shooting team,” Egan said.

ST. MARY’S (4-7, 0-1)

The Gaels have been hurt by injuries. Junior swingman Troy McCoy tore a knee ligament in the season opener, and guard Brian Driscoll has a torn rotator cuff. Both players are out for the season. St. Mary’s is averaging only 58 points a game and has no player with a double-digit scoring average.

Point guard Darrell Daniels, a former standout at Bishop Montgomery High, leads the team with averages of eight points and 4.2 assists. His backcourt mate is Morningside graduate Martell Bland.

Notes

San Francisco forward Tyrone Paul, a transfer from El Camino College and former Morningside High standout, is red-shirting this season because of academic reasons. He has two years of eligibility remaining. . . . San Diego guard Doug Harris, a 6-foot sophomore transfer from Fresno State, was named WCC player of the week. Harris scored 20 points in the Toreros’ conference-opening 59-57 victory at Santa Clara on Saturday. . . . Loyola’s Zan Mason is the sixth player to lead the WCC in scoring. He overtook Gonzaga center Jeff Brown last week after setting and resetting personal bests with 24 points against Cal State Northridge and 29 against Oral Roberts. . . . St. Mary’s center Jumoke Horton, a 6-9, 285-pound freshman, has made 73.2% of his shots but is averaging only 6.1 points a game.