Season Bounces Back With ‘Midnight Madness’ Drills

A look at the region’s college basketball teams heading into the start of official practices:

Cal State Northridge will dress for its first practice Saturday in a new locker room paid for in large part by donations from NBA players Lucious Harris and Bryon Russell, who played under Matador Coach Bobby Braswell when he was a Long Beach State assistant.

Only four Matadors remember the old digs: center-forward Kevin Taylor and guards Derrick Higgins, Trenton Cross and Lucky Grundy. All are seniors who played key roles in the Matadors posting a 14-15 record and coming within one game of the NCAA tournament last season.

But everything is not upbeat. Cross, redshirt sophomore Jeffrey Parris and Loyola Marymount transfer Mike O’Quinn were suspended Thursday for breaking unspecified team rules. Cross and Parris will miss the first week of practice and exhibition games, and O’Quinn’s suspension is indefinite.

Taylor led Northridge in rebounding with a 6.1 average, Higgins led in scoring with a 11.9 average and Grundy led in assists with a 3.4 average. Cross was most valuable player of the Big Sky Tournament, in which Northridge upset Montana State and Northern Arizona before falling to Montana, 82-79, in the final.

Braswell has nine newcomers, including two Division I transfers--forward O’Quinn, who sat out last season, and forward Brian Hagens (New Orleans).