COLLEGES:

It appears with each passing game that UC Irvine senior guard Marcus McIntosh is going to have as much impact on games this season as he does on the Anteaters’ men’s basketball starters during pregame introductions.

Once a much-anticipated transfer from Texas A&M;, the 6-foot-1, 186-pounder out of Eaglecrest High in Aurora, Colo. started three games early last season, when Coach Pat Douglass was looking for a point guard.

But it wasn’t long before McIntosh was languishing on the bench. The subsequent appearances he did make were brief.

It’s a crossroads that the majority of college athletes reach, when envisioned stardom gives way to reality. And for McIntosh, it was a chance to either check out or buck up.

He chose the latter and his perseverance is paying off this season, as he has become a valued reserve. He scored a career-high 11 points in Saturday’s win over visiting San Francisco, though it was energy, as much as stats, that lifted the Anteaters.

After the game, McIntosh, whose chest bumps with teammates have become a common pregame occurrence during introductions, reflected on his ups and downs at UCI.

“[Last year] was the first time in my career when I wasn’t playing,” he said. “But I’m a competitor. I love to play the game and you have to take the good with the bad in basketball. I knew I had to pay my dues and try to contribute when I could.”

Douglass acknowledged McIntosh has done just that.

“He has come a long way for us in terms of his attitude about being a team member,” Douglass said of his backcourt defensive demon. “And I’m really pleased with where he’s at.”

 One interested observer at Saturday’s UCI-USF game was former Orange Coast College men’s coach Herb Livsey.

Livsey, who guided the Pirates for seven seasons from 1969 to 1976, is in his fourth year as a scout with the NBA Atlanta Hawks. He worked six years prior to that as a scout for the Portland TrailBlazers.

Livsey, who lives in Palm Springs, said he was looking primarily at the Dons’ 6-foot-7 sophomore Dior Lowhorn.

 Vanguard University men’s basketball coach Fred Litzenberger said early last week that senior guard Greg Gusiff was coming in early to spend time polishing up his outside shooting, after a pair of disappointing performances.

Gusiff was a combined zero for five, including four three-point tries, in Lions’ victories over Cal State Los Angeles (Dec.8) and Fresno Pacific (Dec. 5), after netting four of six three-point attempts in a win Dec. 1 over The Master’s.

The extra work obviously paid off as Gusiff went four for five from the field, including three of four from threedom, in the Lions’ 76-69 triumph over Cal State Dominguez Hills Saturday at The Pit.

Equally obvious was that Gusiff’s shooting prowess (heading into Wednesday’s game against visiting Mesa State of Colorado, he was shooting 42.1% from beyond the arc, 16 of 38), was contagious.

Four of the Vanguard starters, of which Gusiff is not one, were a combined 20 of 25 from the field, including a five-for-five effort by 6-foot-11 senior center Arvydas Vaitiekus.

Andrew Ellis was six of eight from the field, while Troy Trajceski was five for seven.

 UCI women’s basketball assistant coach Danny Prince was in the stands to scout the Coast Christmas Classic final Sunday between host Orange Coast College and Saddleback.

Saddleback prospects include 5-7 sophomore guard Cassie Klockgether, 6-3 sophomore center Rekeshia Jones and 6-0 sophomore Joy Mason.

Klockgether, who along with Jones earned all-tournament honors, is averaging 19.0 points and 6.4 assists in four games this season. Mason is averaging 11.8 points and 7.6 rebounds, while Jones is averaging 11.2 points and 7.8 rebounds.

 UCI signee Zack Atkinson, a 6-9 sophomore at Feather River Community College whom UCI Coach Pat Douglass said was the best athlete he has recruited in his 11 seasons at the school, is averaging 9.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.6 blocks in 11 games with the Quincy, Calif. school this season.

BARRY FAULKNER may be reached at (714) 966-4615 or at [email protected].