CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE: HILL, CSUN ARE CONFIDENT.

Byline: RAMONA SHELBURNE  Staff Writer

Cal State Northridge is less than five miles away from Jason Hill's alma mater, Cleveland High of Reseda, but there were times last season when it felt like a different continent.

At Cleveland, Hill was cocky, confident and aggressive. At Northridge, he was timid, scared and unsure of himself.

It's called being a freshman.

``Last year, sometimes I just did what I had to do, like bring the ball up past halfcourt,'' Hill admitted. ``I was afraid of making mistakes and not doing what coach needed me to do.

``But now I know what he wants, I trust the system, I'm more relaxed. ... I feel like it's me again, like I'm reborn.''

That's a common theme around the Matadome this fall. Last year, the Matadors were young and inconsistent, plagued by personality conflicts and a rash of injuries, and it was reflected in their 11-17 record and seventh-place finish in the Big West.

But time, and some spring cleaning -- junior guard Mike Efevberha, who clashed with Braswell on numerous occasions, is playing in the NBA Development League, and all three assistant coaches moved on -- have a way of fixing all that. And so far this fall, the Matadors have started to look a lot like the way Hill feels.

``The vibe is totally different this year,'' senior center Thomas Shewmake said. ``We have new coaches, new players. Everybody is buying in. It's like a breath of fresh air when you come to the gym now.''

CSUN won both of its exhibition games and two of its three games at the Basketball Travelers Classic last weekend in Eugene, Ore., losing only to host Oregon, 84-73.

Perhaps most important, there was a different leading scorers in each of the fivegames. That's a marked change from last year, when the team often stood around waiting for Efevberha to score.

Efevberha led the team in scoring, averaging more than 17 points a game. But when he fell out of favor with Braswell and opposing defenses started putting multiple defenders on him, the Matadors struggled to find cohesiveness on offense and went into a tailspin.

``Braswell has a system that's going to work, we just have to trust it,'' Hill said. ``Last year, we didn't always do what we were supposed to do. We got complacent. And there were inner problems on the team that showed on the court.''

Over the summer, the Matadors made a pact to put team success ahead of individual goals and not repeat the mistakes of last year, Hill said.

A lot of the responsibility for that will fall on his shoulders, despite his sophomore status.

``I've got to step up and be a leader,'' he said. ``I'm the only returning point guard, so I've got to see things from a veteran standpoint and teach the new players. I'm still learning, but I'm a lot more confident. Now I'm just going to go play like I always have.''

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FIVE FACTS

1. Sophomore point guard Jason Hill is an accomplished chess player. He picked up the game in the sixth grade and has won several tournaments. ``I play a lot over the computer against people all over the world,'' Hill said. ``It relaxes my mind and takes it off basketball.''

2. Senior forward Austin Waggener's uncle (by marriage) is Stevie Wonder. Waggener is a bit of a musician himself. He plays the piano and guitar and loves classical music.

3. Junior forward Calvin Chitwood's father, Roy Hinson, played eight seasons in the NBA, including three with Cleveland (1984-86), 11/2 with Philadelphia (1987-88), and 31/2 with New Jersey (1988-91).

4. Sophomore center Austen Powers tries to have fun with his connection to the popular movie character of the same name created by Mike Myers. When asked what the title of his autobiography would be, he said, ``The Real Austen Powers.''

5. Senior center Thomas Shewmake was born on April Fools' Day.

INTRODUCING

Junior point guard Rai Colston didn't exactly have a lot of options after graduating from Valley College last spring. Only one school, Western Washington, offered him a scholarship. The former El Camino Real of Woodland Hills standout didn't give up on his dream of playing Division I basketball. Over the summer, he worked on his game with former Matadors star Markus Carr. He impressed Carr so much that Carr called Northridge coach Bobby Braswell and asked him to give the kid a shot. The 5-foot-9 Colston walked on and is now the Matadors' primary backup at point guard. ``It's all about competing,'' Colston said. ``I want to compete hard everyday and earn my playing time. A lot of people say I'm too short, but that just fuels my fire.''

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Saturday: CSUN will play host to run-and-gun Pepperdine in what could turn out to be a barnburner. After the game, the Matadors head to the Midwest for games at Tulsa and Illinois State.

Dec. 30: The Matadors will be coming off a two-week break to open Big West Conference play at defending champion Pacific.

Jan. 13: Long Beach State was the hot preseason pick to win the conference. Northridge used to own the 49ers, winning six straight before last season, but Long Beach turned the tables last year, beating the Matadors by an average of 16.5 points in their two meetings.

THE SEASON'S A SUCCESS IF ...

Shewmake stays healthy and develops into dominant center and Heard becomes more than a slasher and leads Northridge to a top-four seed in the Big West tournament. The Matadors were picked seventh in the pre-season conference poll, but only three teams -- Cal State Fullerton, Long Beach State and Pacific -- have the talent and track record to be considered favorites. ... Heard showed flashes of becoming a star last season when Mike Efevberha fell deeper into Braswell's doghouse. ... Sophomore guards Jason Hill and Rob Haynes, who saw significant playing time as freshmen, play like veterans as the only returning backcourt players.

THE SEASON'S A FLOP IF ...

The Matadors never find a way to make Shewmake a bigger part of the offense, Hill and Haynes aren't ready to lead the offense and Northridge finishes in the bottom half of the Big West and makes an early exit in the conference tournament. Shewmake averaged 8.9 points and 6.6 rebounds in 25.8 minutes a game as a freshman but only played 19.6 minutes and 20.1 minutes, respectively, the next two seasons. ... Hill, who was converted to point guard after starring as a shooting guard at Cleveland High of Reseda, struggles in the position.

ROSTER BREAKDOWN

BACKCOURT

Jason Hill has looked good in the preseason and could have a breakout year if he keeps his confidence high and plays aggressively. His height (6-foot-5) is an advantage against the smaller point guards in the Big West.

Rob Haynes' steady play last season earned Braswell's trust -- he started 13 of the 14 Big West games -- so expect him to play a lot of minutes. Haynes led the team in 3-point percentage last year (.423) and will be green-lighted to shoot more often this year.

Junior college transfers Rai Colston and Tre Peters will be Hill's primary backups at the point. Colston is feisty and aggressive, Peters has good ballhandling skills and speed. Braswell would love for one of the newcomers to step up so Hill can slide over to shooting guard.

Junior Jordan Noblitt is the best pure shooter on the team. He shot 47 percent at Feather River College (Quincy) last year and 89 percent from the free-throw line. The Matadors have not had a true 3-point shooting threat since Ian Boylan graduated, and Noblitt was recruited to be just that. If he gets hot, it will open up the inside for Chitwood and Shewmake.

Senior Terrell Jones is probably the team's best defensive player. He's brought in for short spurts to play defense and provide an offensive spark.

FRONTCOURT 

Frontcourt depth became a real issue last year when Miller and Everage were lost with season-ending injuries. That turned what was supposed to be a strength into a weakness as Chitwood, Shewmake and Waggener became the only viable options in the post.

Both Everage and Miller are healthy again, which immediately upgrades the interior defense. But for the Matadors to be successful, Shewmake and Chitwood need to shine.

Heard is the unquestioned starter at small forward. He developed into a team leader last year and needs to take another step forward offensively this year by draining more 3-pointers. Teams have a tendency to play off him because of his slashing ability.

Mike McCrary is an athletic wing who will start off in a reserve role, but has a good stroke from behind the arc and could see more playing time if he gets hot.

CAPTION(S):

7 boxes

Box:

(1) CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE

(2) FIVE FACTS (see text)

(3) INTRODUCING (see text)

(4) MARK YOUR CALENDAR (see text)

(5) THE SEASON'S A SUCCESS IF... (see text)

(6) THE SEASON'S A FLOP IF... (see text)

(7) ROSTER BREAKDOWN (see text)