Youth Prevails in Meeting Between Freshman Guard and Rookie Coach

One went north.

The other went south.

But when their paths crossed for the first time Saturday, Phil Mathews and Brock Jacobsen were on common ground--a basketball court.

This time, the kid came out on top.

Jacobsen, The Times’ Valley player of the year last season at Crescenta Valley High, helped the University of San Diego to a 75-66 victory over visiting San Francisco in a West Coast Conference opener. The Dons are in their first season under Mathews, the former Ventura College coach.

Jacobsen, a 6-foot-5 freshman guard, scored 16 points on six-for-six shooting.

“We didn’t play well at all,” said Mathews, who coached Ventura to the state junior college title last season. “It’s very tough on the road in this conference. Every game is going to be a dogfight.”

San Francisco is 7-6 overall, a far cry from Ventura’s 37-1 record of a year ago.

Jacobsen has had to adjust to Division I competition as well. He is averaging 7.2 points a game after averaging 27.2 as a Crescenta Valley senior.

Add Jacobsen: The freshman didn’t fare as well when he faced his older brother, Adam, in a game Nov. 26. Adam, a junior at Pacific, scored 19 points to lead the Tigers to an 80-78 victory. Brock scored only four points.

Adam, also a former Crescenta Valley standout, scored 28 points--a career high--including eight three-point baskets, Monday night to lead Pacific over Nevada Las Vegas, 88-68.

Rest for the weary: Bill Oates, The Master’s College basketball coach, probably cost the Mustangs a sure victory when he agreed last week to cancel Tuesday night’s game against American Indian Bible because of Bible’s shortage of players.

He didn’t seem to mind, however, because the Mustangs were tired and nursing injuries after playing six games in 10 days, from Dec. 28-Jan. 6.

“Their coaches asked if they could cancel the game because they had lost some kids to ineligibility and we said that was fine,” Oates said. “I think we could use the rest.”

The cancellation will give forward James Mosley (thumb), guard Jeremiah Cathey (wrist) and center Jeff Mobley (knee) more time to rehabilitate nagging injuries before Saturday’s home game against NCAA Division II power Cal State Bakersfield.

Quotebook

“We recruited attitude as much as ability because last year’s team didn’t have the best attitude. In fact, those players had a terrible attitude and it was the worst year I’ve had in coaching.”

--John Price, CSUN men’s volleyball coach.

“Our offense creates other teams’ offense.”

--L.A. Baptist High girls’ basketball Coach Mary Christiansen, on her team’s average of 22.5 turnovers a game.

Stats

Cal Lutheran point guard Dave Ulloa is 20 assists shy of fifth place on the Kingsmen’s all-time list.

The 5-foot-9 senior from Hoover High has 347 assists, 19 behind Mike Adams, who played from 1979-83.

Things to do

The Cal Lutheran men’s basketball team will open Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play with a game at Claremont-Mudd at 7:30 tonight.

Contributing: Rob Fernas, Irene Garcia, John Ortega, Peter Yoon.