[[1/5]] I posted the following report the the UCI SportsOnly message board. two days ago, by the way, UCI reported the Mark Gottschalk is leaving UCI.
We are indeed playing a home and home against California. California will be playing at the Bren Center next year. We are also going to be playing at UCLA next year, though not in a home and home series (read: it's a body bag game). They are paying us "lots" of money to play them. You can bet the Band will be making a road trip to Pauley Pavilion.
Of the two new recruits for next year (7-2 Korfman and 6-9 Zuzak), Zuzak is the most prized. They say that if he were playing high school basketball here in the U.S., he would be a top 50 national player. He is also older so he should (will) play immediately upon arrival. Zuzak will most likely be playing as a 3. Korfman changes the game when he steps on the court, probably much like St. Mary's 7-3 Brad Millard. He and Parada will probably share the center position.
With Gottschalk's departure, I count the team having two more scholarships to give (replacing Ethington and Gottschalk). Now that they appear to have a full team for at least a year, they can hold out for say a prized point guard recruit.
C: Korfman, Parada
PF: Christ, Okoro
SF: Zuzak, Jackson, Jones
2G: Bennem, Jensen
PG: Green, Edmond, Baskouskas
DPowell added an interesting point which is also a point that coach Len Stevens made to me (which I promptly forgot) when we were talking about Zuzak a month ago.
It sounds like Zuzak is a Toni Kukoc type of player: a tall lanky guy with good ball handling skills and a nice shooting touch. It will be a big plus to have a 6-9 guy with the ability to play the 3. Talk about major matchup problems. At center, Parada will make us quicker and more athletic while Korfman will be more of an intimidator/shot-blocker.
In any event, the future is bright for UCI.
[[11/19]] The UCI Athletic Department issued the following press release on November 17.
UC Irvine men's basketball head coach Pat Douglass has announced the signing of two players to national letters of intent.The two signees in the early period are Dave Korfman from Mira Costa College and Stanislav Zuzak from the Czech Republic.
Korfman, a 7-1, 260-pound center, averaged 9 points and 7.5 rebounds overall for Mira Costa last season. In conference games only, he averaged 12 points, 9 rebounds and 3.3 blocks en route to honorable mention All-Pacific Coast Conference honors.
Zuzak, a 6-9, 225-pound forward, currently plays for ASK Chomutov in the first division in the Czech Republic and is averaging 15 points and 8 rebounds. Zuzak also is a member of the Czech under-20 national team and he will have four years of eligibility at UC Irvine beginning next fall.
I have found out a little bit more about Stanislav Zuzak. Zuzak was being recruited by West Virginia, but they gave their scholarship to another Czech player. It was then when a friend of assistant coach Len Stevens pointed him out to Stevens. Zuzak is a 3 or 4 type of player and is very good, like all-state caliber. He is, after all, kind of All-Czech. There is nothing like recruiting in stealth.
[[10/24]] A fellow band member pointed this out to me...and for that I thank him very much. Michael Miller reported on the Pac-West Hoops site some interesting tidbits about our recruit Dave Korfman. He wrote the article on September 26, three weeks before he had committed to UCI.
Dave Korfman of Mira Costa JC drew more scouts than any other player. He can't shoot, can't dribble, he's slow, and he can't jump. He's 7-1 and 265 and he changes the game when he's in there. I was told by several college coaches that Dave, who is originally from Boulder City (NV) High, has improved so much in just 1 year of playing for Mira Costa coach Clete Adelman that they are in awe and still really can't believe it. I guess Clete Adelman should start up a Big Man's Camp or get a job in the NBA. In any event, I assume Dave will get recruited by numerous schools. Both Oregon and Oregon State were on hand and both schools are looking to sign at least 2 post players (OSU might be looking to sign 3).
It looks like UCI really knows how to find the sleepers out there. Even so, Korfman still averaged 15 points and 9 rebounds last year as a freshman which is downright good regardless of how he must have played in high school.
Michael Miller's 9/26/99 PacWest article - Recruiting News and Rumors
[[10/13]] The LA Times reports that UCI picked up two new players for next year. Dave Korfman, a 7-1, 270-pound center from MiraCosta College, said he will play at Irvine next season. Korfman averaged 15 points and nine rebounds for MiraCosta College last season. He played at Boulder City (Nevada) High School. He joins Stanislav Zuzak, a 6-9, 220-pound forward from the Czech Republic, who verbally committed last week. Zuzak has not played in the United States.
That's all I know. It appeared in the Newswire section of the LA Times Orange County Sports section. I don't think this diminishes from it, but moreover it just shows how low UCI sports is on the local radar screens. The Orange County Register reports nothing.
[[5/16]] Matt Okoro, a 6-6 power-forward committed orally to play basketball at UCI next year. I have not yet read anything formal about it in any newspapers nor has the basketball team's web site been updated to say anything about it. My sources think it is a done deal...it is just a matter of time before all the paper work comes in. For more details on Matt Okoro, read my page on him.
[[11/13]] It is official. The UCI Men's Basketball web page reports that Adam Parada has signed a letter of intent to attend UCI next year. "Parada, 6-11, 215 pounds, averaged 10 points and 8 rebounds as a junior last season. He scored a high of 20 points against Ontario High School and was named first team All-Mt. Baldy League. He also received his team's Most Improved Player award." For more details on Adam Parada, read my page on him.
Gabe Cagwin is quitting the team largely because of lack of playing time and apparent irreconcilable differences with Coach Douglass. Jason Flowers is also transferring to SCC (maybe somewhere else now that Cameron Dollar is leaving SCC) also due to lack of playing time. That freed up two scholarships, giving UCI four (4) to give this year. Stan Divranos will be out another year due to his back injury but will remain on scholarship. The coaching staff is considering an appeal to the NCAA to get a 6th year for Divranos.
[[11/8]] From the message boards...UCI, apparently, "is involved in recruiting Shomari Sarpy, a slender 6-9 power forward/center. He was a teammate of Jerry Green last year at Pomona. He's an excellent defensive player with raw offensive skills." Another reader responded that "Sarpy is probably the best fit player that UCI needs and UCI can possibly get rite now. From what M. Miller wrote, he's got great potentials. And he is an 'A' student. Need that to survive at Irvine."
A January 3, 1998 report written by Michael Miller of West Coast Hoops adds the following. Shomari Sarpy, 6-9 Pomona High: Shomari has grown 2 inches in the last year and is still growing and should wind up in the 6-11/7-0 range. His arms are so long he already plays 7-2, and he has some of the best low post footwork on d I've ever seen in a h.s. player (his help d is phenomenal) . On the downside, the kid weighs maybe 190 and his offense is raw, although he's developed a jump hook which he can hit out to 12 feet by shooting down into the basket (he releases it from 6"-1' over the rim). This kid could become a potentially dominating defensive 5 in college. Best of all, he has a 3.8 gpa and he's a great kid. Mid to High D 1.