MOTIVATED MATADOR NEWCOMER EFEVBERHA BRINGS ENTHUSIASM, LEADERSHIP.Byline: Ramona Shelburne Ramona Shelburne is an American sports journalist currently writing for the Los Angeles Daily News. Shelburne was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She attended El Camino Real High School in Woodland Hills, California where she was a class valedictorian. Staff Writer There are players excited to join a new program and get a second chance, and then there is Cal State Northridge junior guard Mike Efevberha. Efevberha hasn't stopped moving since he started training with the Matadors last summer. He stays late after every practice to run, then returns to the gym at nights to work on his shot when no one is around. He even ordered NBA TV NBA TV is a television network that is dedicated to showcasing the sport of basketball in the United States. The network is financially backed by the National Basketball Association (NBA), which also used NBA TV as a way of advertising their Pay Per View programming. so he could study the games of his favorite players at home. Two years ago, Efevberha was one of the most exciting young players in the Big West Conference at UC Irvine, but ended his time there on a sour note, when he was suspended for the final four games of his sophomore year and released for violating team rules. He transferred to Orange Coast College Orange Coast College (OCC), founded in 1948, is a community college providing two-year associate of arts degrees, and lower-division classes transferable to other colleges and universities. in Costa Mesa Costa Mesa (kŏs`tə mā`sə), city (1990 pop. 96,357), Orange co., S Calif., on the Pacific south of Santa Ana; inc. 1953. It is a transportation, residential, and light industrial center. but did not play so he could save his remaining two years of eligibility. If he didn't carry his Orange Coast College student ID card with him, however, you might have sworn he was already a member of the Northridge men's basketball team. Efevberha attended every game, sent text messages to coach Bobby Braswell Bobby Braswell, an American basketball coach, is currently the head coach for Cal State Northridge. Braswell was named the fourth head coach in Northridge history on April 30, 1996, succeeding the retired Pete Cassidy. to wish the team luck before games or congratulate them after victories, and played in open gyms with players on the team. ``That's just Mike,'' said sophomore guard Jonathan Heard. ``I just looked at it as he really wanted to be here. I was impressed with that.'' Now, Northridge needs Efevberha almost as much as he needs them. With Ian Boylan, the school's second all-time leading scorer, gone to graduation, Efevberha is being asked to become a team leader in a program for which he has never played. ``It's huge to have a guy like that after losing a guy like Ian,'' said Braswell, who begins his 10th season as CSUN CSUN California State University Northridge coach on Sunday afternoon at USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. . ``He's a little bit more athletic than Ian, he's got more of a scorer's mentality, where Ian was the consummate team player. ... Mike has the ability to be a very special player for us.'' Other than Efevberha, who averaged 11.1 points a game as a sophomore at UCI UCI University of California, Irvine UCI Union Cycliste Internationale (International Cycling Union) UCI Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos UCI United Cinemas International (UK) , the Matadors are thin on experience. Their top returning scorer is Heard, who averaged 8.9 points and 2.9 rebounds as a freshman. The starting point Noun 1. starting point - earliest limiting point terminus a quo commencement, get-go, offset, outset, showtime, starting time, beginning, start, kickoff, first - the time at which something is supposed to begin; "they got an early start"; "she knew from the guard spot is likely to be a three-man platoon between senior Bakari Altheimer, who didn't play the final 14 games of the year, and freshmen Jason Hill (Cleveland High of Reseda) and Rob Haynes. Northridge's starting center Sunday might be freshman walk-on Austen Powers, if junior Thomas Shewmake isn't fully healed from a knee injury that plagued him in the offseason. Judging from Efevberha's performance in the team's two exhibition games - he averaged 29 points in 26.5 minutes - he's ready for the job. Ramona Shelburne, (818) 713-3617 ramona.shelburne(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 3 photos, 7 boxes Photo: (1 -- color) CSUN Guard Terrell Jones Matt Brown/CSUN (2 -- color) EFEVBERNA (3 -- color) HILL Box: (1) Q+A (2) THE SEASON'S A SUCCESS IF ... (3) THE SEASON'S A FLOP IF ... (4) INTRODUCING ... (5) MARK YOUR CALENDAR (6) ROSTER (7) ROSTER BREAKDOWN |
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