UCI looking to build upon recent upswing

Barry Faulkner

After a stretch of 11 straight road losses, victories last week at

Santa Clara and San Jose State were enough to put smiles on the faces

of UC Irvine men’s basketball players and coaches.

But Anteater head man Pat Douglass, in his 24th season as a

collegiate head coach, knows full well that satisfaction in December

should be limited to finding that perfect gift, or savoring a

bountiful holiday meal.

“We have a new squad, so each win is big for us,” said Douglass,

whose Anteaters (4-2) attempt to add another tonight at 7:35 against

nonconference visitor New Mexico State at the Bren Events Center.

“I’m just looking for improvement from week to week and I thought

we made some strides [on the two-game Bay Area trip]. I think we’re

starting to recognize what we’re doing on offense and defense. These

kids are learning at a rapid pace and as long as we keep up this

learning curve, we’ll be fine.”

The Anteaters, whose current three-game winning streak matches the

longest of last season, will hope to maintain their upward climb

toward Big West Conference play. They open conference Dec. 28 at Cal

Poly San Luis Obispo, then visit UC Santa Barbara Dec. 30.

New Mexico State, meanwhile, is looking for some good vibrations

of its own. The Aggies (3-6), who left the Big West Conference for

the Sun Belt after the 1999-2000 season, have lost two straight and

are competing without their coach, the legendary Lou Henson.

Henson, whose 775 Division I coaching wins rank second to Bobby

Knight among active coaches, has not coached the team all season, due

to a bout with viral encephalitis.

He hopes for a return to the bench in January.

For now, associate head coach Tony Stubblefield is guiding the

Aggies, who are led by junior guard Mike Mitchell and junior center

Trevor Lawrence.

Mitchell is averaging 12.2 points per game, while the 6-foot-11

Lawrence is producing 12.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per contest.

UCI, which was defeated by the Aggies, 69-64, last season in Las

Cruces, is led by junior guards Ross Schraeder and Aaron Fitzgerald,

as well as senior center Greg Ethington.

Schraeder, who shared Big West Conference Player of the Week

honors after scoring 43 combined points in the Bay Area, is averaging

a team-high 16.7 ppg.

He had a career-high eight three-pointers en route to 26 points

Friday at San Jose.

Fitzgerald is averaging 15.2 points and 5.2 assists, while

Ethington his chipping in 13.3 points and a team-high 7.3 rebounds

per game.