CLU NOTES: CLU IS SPARED COACHES SEARCH; SQUIRES NOT A CSUN FINALIST.

Byline: Patrick Hipes Daily News Staff Writer

The collective sigh heard last week echoing off the walls of the Conejo Valley were from the higher-ups at Cal Lutheran University.

Why? Kingsmen football coach Scott Squires was not one of the three finalists for the head coaching position at Cal State Northridge, left vacant when Jim Fenwick took the offensive coordinator job at New Mexico.

Northridge's list of three - San Jose State defensive coordinator Ron Ponciano, Northern Iowa defensive coordinator Tom Mason and CSUN assistant Jeff Kearin - does not include Squires, who led CLU to a share of its first SCIAC title in just his second year with the program.

Squires said it was nice to be considered, but CSUN's delay in releasing its choices was tough.

``It's starting to effect the team,'' Squires said the day before the list was announced. ``We had a team meeting and addressed the situation there.''

Squires had 15 football recruits on campus the day of the list's release. ``I don't have time to even think about it right now,'' he said.

Fullback injured:Senior fullback Billy Busch was injured in a car accident in Oregon over the winter break, CLU spokesman John Czimbal said.

Busch, from Mist, Ore., was walking around in crutches, according to Czimbal, but otherwise the injuries were not of a serious nature.

She's baaack: Cal Lutheran women's basketball coach Tim La Kose has been waiting for senior forward Brandie Murrish to recover fully from a preseason leg injury.

Murrish, who averaged 13.7 points and 8.0 rebounds per game last year en route to earning second team All-SCIAC honors, started quieter this season after a minor tibia fracture.

Last Friday against Occidental, however, she was quiet no longer. Murrish scored a game-high 29 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in a 76-68 victory, keeping the Regals (8-6, 4-0) in first place in the conference.

It was the sixth consecutive victory for CLU, which led by as many as 17 points before a late rally by the Tigers.

Missy Rider added 14 points and 15 rebounds for the Regals.

Shea kicks: The buzz was good around All-American punter Jeff Shea after his performance at the Hula Bowl two weekends ago.

Shea punted three times in the college all-star game, averaging 35 yards per kick. His best punt, CLU coach Scott Squires said, came with his heels at the back of his own end zone. The punt was 46 yards.

``Talking to scouts, they have him listed as among the top five punters in the nation,'' said Squires, who went to Hawaii to see the game. ``He had a good week in practice, so (what he did in the game) wasn't make-or-break for him.''

Rolling along:The Cal Lutheran men's basketball team has won three consecutive games, moving its SCIAC record to 3-1 and making noise in the conference race.

``We're shooting the ball better,'' caoch Rich Rider said. ``That basket was the size of a head of a pin before. ...''

After a 20-point victory over Occidental on Saturday, the Kingsmen (7-8 overall) are shooting 46 percent from the field in the SCIAC, four percentage points better than their season average.

``We played some pretty good teams, and it takes time,'' Rider said. ``We're starting to get some confidence and hit some shots.''

Even better news is the health of impact freshman forward Cory Johnson (Hart HS), who missed the last week with a recurring back injury. Rider said he is 100 percent for today's game at Claremont-Mudd.

Kuntz honored: Dan Kuntz, who led both the men's and women's soccer teams to NCAA playoff berths in 1997, was named NSCAA/Umbro NCAA Division III regional men's coach of the year.

Kuntz, in his fifth season, guided the Kingsmen to a 16-3-3 record, their third consecutive SCIAC title and a spot in the NCAA quarterfinals.

His overall record at Cal Lutheran is 59-34-7 (.625).

Philby Florida-bound: CLU defender Lara Philby, a first-team All-American, will play in the Umbro Select College All-Star Classic on Friday in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

She will play on an all-star team comprised of Division II, III and NAIA soccer players against Division I players.

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos, 2 Boxes

PHOTO (1) BUSCH

(2) Cal Lutheran senior forward Brandie Murrish scored 29 points and grabbed 16 rebounds against Occidental.

Gus Ruelas / Daily News

BOX: (1) Basketball statistics

(2) Upcoming events