AVC NOTEBOOK: A.V. PLAYER WON'T NEED SURGERY.

Byline: Gideon Rubin Staff Writer

Antelope Valley College's men's basketball team can breath a huge sigh of relief.

Results of an MRI exam on former Lancaster High standout Deonte Huff's injured right knee revealed a torn medial collateral ligament, but no meniscus damage, as was originally feared. The injury won't require surgery, meaning Huff could return to action within a matter of weeks.

Huff, a 6-foot-4 freshman guard, has emerged as impact player, providing a spark off the bench. He's the team's third-leading scorer, averaging 11.2 points per game, and averages 4.3 rebounds, second on the team.

He suffered the injury when he landed awkwardly on a breakaway dunk last week against Big Bend of Moses Lake, Wash., in a College of the Canyons tournament game.

Huff learned the results of his MRI on Wednesday morning.

``(Wednesday) morning was pretty hard for me because I didn't know what the outcome (of the MRI) would be,'' Huff said. ``I was kind of hoping nothing was wrong, but if you think about it, it's kind of a relief knowing it's kind of not that bad. I knew something was wrong.''

Huff will spend up to three hours daily rehabbing and undergoing physical therapy. He'll wear a brace during practices and games.

Huff's rehab will focus on strengthening the muscles around his knee. He'll also undergo agility and movement therapy.

``When he can come back and play will depend on his attitude toward his rehab,'' AVC coach Newton Chelette said. The best-case scenario would be within two weeks.

Without Huff, the Marauders (12-4) opened Foothill Conference play with an impressive 81-77 road victory over Mt. San Jacinto of Hemet.

--Best ranking: It seems the women's basketball team can do no wrong, even when they don't do much of anything.

The Marauders (15-2), who had been idle for 2 1/2 weeks before Wednesday's 79-21 Foothill Conference-opening victory over Mt. San Jacinto, leapfrogged San Jose City and Foothill of Los Altos Hills in the two most recent state polls, vaulting from fifth to third.

The Marauders' state ranking is the best in program history.

--`Super Bowl Saturday': AVC women's basketball coach John Taylor called today's game at Foothill Conference rival Chaffey of Rancho Cucamonga ``Super Bowl Saturday.''

Chaffey boasts a significant size advantage, with four players 6-foot-1 or taller.

AVC will look to counter that advantage with speed, quickness and a strong shooting game.

``It's more about what we do than what our opponents do,'' Taylor said. ``If we do what we do well, we're going to be OK. We've already played some big teams, and we've been pretty successful.''

Gideon Rubin [phone]

gideon.rubin(at)dailynews.com