Heenan reveled in Titans’ special year

For the Cal State Fullerton Titans who are lacing them up to take on Wisconsin in Omaha, Neb. today, Kevin Heenan’s got a message:

“You only get one chance ... It all boils down to this being a basketball game and your attention should be on the game. So bring your game. Don’t be intimidated by the other team. Bring what you do, and do it. The big thing is don’t embarrass yourselves or the conference.”

Heenan should be heard. He speaks from experience. The Costa Mesa resident played on the 1977-78 Cal State Fullerton men’s basketball team, the Cinderella that came within one game of the Final Four.

It took 30 years for another Fullerton team to make it to the NCAA Tournament. But the Titans are in and Heenan will be excited to watch. He believes his team can win.

“They’re good enough to be there,” said Heenan, who was drafted in the 10th round by the Golden State Warriors in 1979. “It’s not like the University of San Diego, that’s just lucky to make it. They don’t belong in the tournament. But Fullerton’s got players. They have guys who can put it in the hole.”

Heenan drew comparisons with this year’s Titans to his 1977-78 squad finding similar attributes, but, “we had a better defense.”

That defense helped that Bobby Dye-coached team reach the regional final after improbable wins over New Mexico and San Francisco. New Mexico had Michael Cooper and San Francisco had Bill Cartwright.

“We had our moments when we weren’t playing good that season,” Heenan said. “But when we had that little run, it was magical in the sense that everybody was on the same page.”

The Titans had great team chemistry to contend with, Heenan said, featuring Greg Bunch, Keith Anderson, Mike Niles, Mike Linden, Steve Shaw and the kid out of El Dorado High who wore goggles and played with extra reason during that special season.

That kid? Kevin Heenan. His father, Richard, a disabled war veteran, died in December of 1977. A month later, Heenan injured his right eye when going up for a rebound. But Heenan kept on playing. He wore goggles. His friend, Dale Tanner, a former Lakers trainer, got him an extra pair of goggles that had belonged to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

It was stuff like that, that still made Heenan say the season was fun, even though his father had passed away.

“I was still coming to practice and just playing my butt off,” Heenan said. “That probably might have inspired someone. I think as a team it might have bonded us closer, but no one ever really said it. Some of the guys from the team came to the funeral.”

But happier times came later in the season, specifically in those victories over New Mexico and San Francisco.

Down by 12 at the half to New Mexico and Cooper, Heenan said the Titans never panicked. The Aggies were anxious to win in the first-round game at Arizona State, so they could go back home to play out the regional.

But it was Fullerton, with Heenan and his goggles, headed to New Mexico to face the favored Dons and Cartwright.

Heenan said the Titans were rightfully treated with hostility in New Mexico. No one there found admiration in these underdogs, until they saw their fighting spirit displayed in their comeback against USF. This time, Heenan said, Fullerton rallied from a 15-point deficit.

“All of a sudden, everyone in the arena was pulling for us,” he said.

Among the faithful supporters was Heenan’s high school coach Nash Rivera, who died of a heart attack last month.

At El Dorado, Rivera grew fond of Heenan, the star who was twice named CIF Southern Section Division 2A Player of the Year after leading El-Do to section titles in 1974 and 1975. But that wasn’t the reason they stayed in touch after Heenan graduated. They became friends and remained that way until Rivera’s death. Last year, Heenan said Rivera went to 20 of the 29 Vanguard men’s basketball games to see Heenan’s son, Dennis, play.

“That’s the kind of guy he was,” Heenan said.

At Fullerton, Heenan also connected with Dye away from the game. Dye’s on Heenan’s speed-dial on his cell phone. They usually talk about their families. Heenan has four children to talk about. Ryan’s the oldest, 23, the musician. But, yes, athletics is prevalent in the Heenan home. Debbie, Heenan’s wife and the mother of the four, played basketball at Cal State Fullerton making it to the NCAA Tournament all four years under Hall of Fame Coach Billie Moore. Dennis, 20, just finished his sophomore season with Vanguard, where he was the Lions’ leading scorer. Jamie, 17, who played girls’ volleyball at Newport Harbor, is seeking a college to play at — she visited Fullerton with her father on Wednesday. And, Kelly, 15, is a sophomore at Newport Harbor.

Basketball remains in Kevin Heenan’s blood. It’s why he’ll watch the Titans today with such excitement.

STEVE VIRGEN may be reached at (714) 966-4616 or by e-mail at [email protected].