CSUN NOTEBOOK: IS CSUN ON THE MOVE?

Byline: Chris Branam Staff Writer

Boise State and Louisiana Tech went to the Western Athletic Conference. Texas Christian bolted the WAC for Conference USA.

The dominoes are falling. Will Cal State Northridge be the next athletic program to make a switch?

``I'd hate to make odds, but I think there is certainly that possibility,'' CSUN athletic director Dick Dull said last week in the wake of the maneuvering that has a ripple effect on the Big West, a conference seeming to be a good fit for the Matadors. ``I met with (Big West Commissioner) Doug Farrell a month ago. At that point, I was gathering formation; we talked about what was going on.

``I feel this institution is best served if (it) develops all its options.''

Dull said he's happy with CSUN's membership in the Big Sky Conference, but the Big Sky might not be as pleased with Northridge. The conference has repeatedly allowed CSUN to maintain its stay in the Big Sky even though it has done little or nothing to upgrade its facilities.

``For any institution to leave, you have to give a one-year notice,'' Dull said. ``We don't have any place to go. Right now, we're a Big Sky member.''

Farrell, who couldn't be reached for this story, may be courting several schools for the openings left by the departures of Boise State and Nevada, which also is going to the WAC.

UC Riverside and Sacramento State are possibilities. UC Riverside is in the transition of moving up from Division II to Division I, and even Dull admits Sac State seems to be a good fit to remain in the Big Sky.

Name that game: Dull is trying to nail down non-conference football games for next season. The Matadors added Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and are advertising in NCAA News for two more opponents, including one from the I-A.

``We have a couple of people we've talked with,'' Dull said, adding he's looking for a I-A road game because ``that's tied to revenue.''

That means CSUN is looking for a payout similar to the $200,000 the program received for playing at Kansas this season.

Two I-AA non-conference possibilities for CSUN - New Hampshire and Florida A&M.

Pierce a possibility: Next year's home schedule will be played at North Campus Stadium, regardless of the proposed student fee increase that could generate financing for a new 8,500-seat facility.

The Matadors could be playing the 2001 season at Pierce College, however, if the referendum fails; North Campus Stadium is scheduled to be demolished that summer.

``In the short run, that's an option,'' Dull said of playing at Pierce. ``We have a short-term problem we need to address.''

Deep position: Bobby Braswell, the head men's basketball coach, said every starting position is open. Incumbents Brian Heinle, Andre Larry and Jeff Parris seem to be safe at the center and two forward positions, though.

An interesting battle is in the backcourt, where returnees Markus Carr and Carl Holmes and junior college transfer Marco McCain will be competing for two spots.

Carr, a sophomore from Palmdale who averaged a team-leading 4.4 assists last year, probably will start at point guard. Holmes, a junior, averaged 6.1 points per game in 1998-99. McCain was a key player on Cerritos College's state championship team.

``It's a great opportunity for Carl to step in and get some minutes,'' Braswell said.

Whoa, Nellie: The men's basketball team picked up a non-scholarship player in freshman Keith Jackson, a walk-on from St. Bernard High in Playa Del Rey.

``(Jackson)'s got a great basketball IQ,'' said Braswell, who invited Jackson to try out the week before practice began. ``He's also a personable guy.''