Benson Williams

Benson Williams, a 6-foot 7-inch senior walk-on player, has quit the Cal State Fullerton basketball team, reducing the squad to 10 players. Williams, whose 2.7-point average in 9 games last season made him the Titans' top returning scorer by average, left the team last week after Coach John Sneed denied his request to be placed on scholarship. "The last word I had was he wanted a scholarship," Sneed said. "I haven't seen him since." Sneed said Tuesday he would not allow Williams to return.

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Benson Williams, a 6-foot 7-inch senior walk-on player, has quit the Cal State Fullerton basketball team, apparently because he was not put on scholarship. His loss leaves the squad with 10 players. Williams, who averaged 2.7 points in 9 games last season, left the team last week after Coach John Sneed denied his request for a scholarship. Sneed said Tuesday he would not allow Williams to return.

Benson Williams, a 6-foot 7-inch senior walk-on player, has quit the Cal State Fullerton basketball team, reducing the squad to 10 players. Williams, whose 2.7-point average in 9 games last season made him the Titans' top returning scorer by average, left the team last week after Coach John Sneed denied his request to be placed on scholarship. "The last word I had was he wanted a scholarship," Sneed said. "I haven't seen him since." Sneed said Tuesday he would not allow Williams to return.

The Breakout Principle How to Activate the Natural Trigger That Maximizes Creativity, Athletic Performance, Productivity and Personal Well-Being Dr. Herbert Benson and William Proctor Scribner: 336 pp., $25 * In their new book, "The Breakout Principle," Dr. Herbert Benson, author of "The Relaxation Response," and William Proctor, co-author of "Beyond the Relaxation Response," present their "breakout" technique as a major breakthrough. It isn't, especially.

The first ovation was for Derek Jones, who made his first appearance in a Cal State Fullerton basketball uniform since being seriously injured in a drive-by shooting more than a year ago. The second was for John Sneed, who became the Titans' acting coach after George McQuarn resigned a week ago. After that, a gathering of 500 sat back in Titan Gym for a preview of the Fullerton team, which Wednesday night consisted of only 10 uniformed players.

They wouldn't be the Cal State Fullerton Titans if they weren't close for a while. But neither would they seem themselves if they won a game on the road--particularly here at Nevada Las Vegas' Thomas and Mack Center, where the Titans--and a lot of other teams--have never won. After a 77-61 loss Thursday, the Titans are 0-5 here. The Rebels are 86-3 in the arena. Fullerton, next to last in the Pacific Coast Athletic Assn.

Just when it looked as if Cal State Fullerton might never win a game on the road, who should the Titans meet but Pacific. The Tigers were trying to break an 18-game losing streak, the nation's longest among Division I teams. Pacific was also hoping to get its first Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. victory of the season. The Titans were 0-13 away from home, and this was their final road game of the season.

Just when it would seem that it hardly matters anymore, Cal State Fullerton is playing its best basketball of the season. The Titans, who had managed to put together consecutive victories only once all season before Saturday, upset Utah State, 80-77, in front of 1,720 in Titan Gym. Just two days ago, Utah State was playing Nevada Las Vegas for first place in the Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. Saturday, the Aggies were beaten by the Titans, who hadn't defeated a team above seventh place all season.

Cal State Fullerton Coach George McQuarn, implementing a new policy under which players are not allowed to use summer school to regain academic eligibility, has dropped the only returning starter from last season's 12-17 basketball team. Van Anderson, who averaged 5.5 points a game last season, failed to meet academic eligibility requirements last semester. Under National Collegiate Athletic Assn.

Benson Williams, a 6-foot 7-inch senior walk-on player, has quit the Cal State Fullerton basketball team, apparently because he was not put on scholarship. His loss leaves the squad with 10 players. Williams, who averaged 2.7 points in 9 games last season, left the team last week after Coach John Sneed denied his request for a scholarship. Sneed said Tuesday he would not allow Williams to return.

This is not the first time John Sneed has followed George McQuarn as coach. The first time was in 1974, when McQuarn resigned at Verbum Dei High School. Sneed, his 26-year-old assistant, took over. The team went 30-2 and won the Southern Section 4-A championship. Sneed was named coach of the year. McQuarn has left a team to Sneed again, this time resigning suddenly and without comment 4 weeks before Cal State Fullerton's season opener. This time, it's different.

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