Brad Holland

Brad Holland is new to these parts, still learning the intricacies of coaching basketball at Cal State Fullerton, where every day is an education. Tuesday's lesson: Never--repeat, never --break a date to speak at an Orange County sportswriters and sportscasters luncheon, even if it means climbing out of a sick bed and shaking off a wicked case of the flu and stifling the urge to gag while steaming platefuls of vegetarian lasagna are passed beneath your nose.

It was a rude reception from the start for San Diego Coach Brad Holland. Holland, who resigned as Cal State Fullerton coach in 1994 after two seasons, was booed when he walked on the court for his first game back in Fullerton Saturday night, but that was no more than a minor irritant. The Titans delivered the blow that hurt. Fullerton, sparked by a 27-point effort from sophomore Ike Harmon, defeated San Diego, 76-70, in front of 1,025 in Titan Gym.

Tuesday afternoon, a few hours before Cal State Fullerton's season-opening exhibition game, the door to Titan Coach Brad Holland's office was shut tighter than a post office on Veteran's Day. Holland and assistants Bob Hawking, Chris Brazier and George Tuttle were inside, going over last-minute details--such as, who would start. Things are still that basic for the Titans. No matter how many times Holland and his staff shuffle the cards, they turn up the same way.

San Diego Coach Brad Holland, who resigned as Cal State Fullerton's coach after two seasons, was booed Saturday night when he walked on the court for his first game back in Fullerton, but that was no more than a minor irritant compared to the 76-70 loss in front of 1,025 in Titan Gym. The Titans delivered the blow that hurt. Fullerton, sparked by a 27-point performance by sophomore Ike Harmon, handed San Diego a 76-70 setback in front of 1,025 in Titan Gym.

The Cal State Fullerton basketball team, desperate for a big man, has wooed David Frigout from France to play this year. Frigout, 6 feet 9, 210 pounds, has enrolled at Fullerton and is participating in the Titans' preseason conditioning drills, Coach Brad Holland said. He is from Evreux, France, and previously attended Groupe Pigier University. Since universities in France do not offer basketball, Frigout played with a club team last year. "We're excited about David," Holland said.

Pat Foster, 142-72 in seven years as coach at the University of Houston, was hired by Nevada. The other finalists were former Laker and Loyola Marymount coach Paul Westhead and Cal State Fullerton Coach Brad Holland.

Brad Holland, part-time assistant basketball coach at UCLA, has been promoted to full-time status; and graduate assistant Mark Gottfried has been moved up to part-time assistant, according to Coach Jim Harrick.

Brad Holland's thoughts on . . . Desired style of play: "We'll push the ball up, shoot our share of three-pointers, utilize the low post, penetrate . . . I want to attack the basket. Defensively, I want to be a very good half-court, man-to-man team, but we'll play some zone. I want to play an exciting style of basketball that's the most fun to coach, play and watch." Recruiting at Fullerton: "It was fun to recruit at UCLA, because that great name always got your foot in the door (with recruits).

In two seasons as Cal State Fullerton's basketball coach, Bob Hawking must have learned all there is to know about Murphy's Law: Whatever can go wrong will, especially for the downtrodden. It has been one setback after another for Fullerton teams during Hawking's tenure. The Titans have won only 13 games during that time, and the team's six victories last season--against 20 defeats--were the school's fewest since the 1965 team won one of 25 games.

"Isn't this ugly?" Brad Holland says and laughs, calling attention to the ungainly black car he was given after becoming University of San Diego basketball coach last September. "They told me it was a Crown Victoria, but they didn't tell me it was an '89. The only good thing is that all I have to do is put gas in it." It only goes to show that when you go looking for greener pastures, they could end up being a little brown around the edges.

Former Taft High basketball player Casey Sheahan knows he is merely a victim of circumstance. But sometimes he can't help but wonder if the stagnation of his college basketball career has been calculated. Sheahan, a sophomore at the University of San Diego, sits on the bench. In 21 games, he's played only eight minutes. The 6-foot-3 sophomore seems to have done everything he could to get his career moving. But it also seems like Coach Brad Holland will forever stand in his way.

Titan assistant coach Bob Hawking was named Thursday as Cal State Fullerton's interim basketball coach, fulfilling what he called a "lifelong dream to become a Division I head coach." There wasn't a heavy emphasis on the word "interim," but it was evident. Athletic Director John Easterbrook, in only his third day on the job, said he thought it was important to move "as quickly as possible for the stability of the program."

Brad Holland, whose two-season basketball coaching tenure at Cal State Fullerton went from high hopes to growing uncertainty, has resigned to become the coach at the University of San Diego. John Easterbrook, the new Fullerton athletic director, was in his office briefly Monday and learned of Holland's resignation on the eve of his first official day on the job.

For the second time in three weeks, the University of San Diego had gathered journalists at its University Center to meet with a basketball coach. The first coach was apologetic because of when he was leaving, but painstakingly explained that timing had to be damned in the face of opportunity. The second coach was much the same way, except he was coming rather than going. Hank Egan, 57, was the coach who met with the media Aug.

Cal State Fullerton men's basketball Coach Brad Holland, who guided a team picked for ninth in the Big West Conference into a tie for fifth in his debut season, had his contract extended for a year by the school Thursday. The deal keeps Holland, who signed a three-year rollover contract last April 8, tied to the school for three years. "We're obviously pleased with the direction of the program," Fullerton Athletic Director Bill Shumard said.

Four players on Cal State Fullerton's basketball team, three of them starters, were suspended indefinitely Tuesday by Coach Brad Holland. Holland said center Sean Williams, forward Kim Kemp and point guard Aaron Sunderland, along with back-up guard Sharif Metoyer, violated team rules and will sit out tonight's game against Houston. The coach was not specific about the infraction, which apparently occurred Saturday night after the Titans' 72-60 victory over Nevada.

Brad Holland, whose two-season basketball coaching tenure at Cal State Fullerton went from high hopes to growing uncertainty, has resigned to become the coach at the University of San Diego. "This is an opportunity my family and I are extremely excited about," Holland said Monday. "The timing wasn't the best for either school, and I wish it were better.

Ask Cal State Fullerton basketball Coach Brad Holland what he's looking for in this year's recruiting class and he doesn't hesitate. "Competitiveness," he said, the word popping out as though a balloon had just burst. "We'll have a focus on that more than before. We want guys who really want to compete hard. You can watch kids play and tell how competitive they really are and we've been watching for that quality." This is an important recruiting season for Holland and his assistants.