Former Torrey Pines, USD guard Fogel becoming a star at Division II Mercyhurst College

By: JOHN MAFFEI - Staff Writer | Sunday, December 11, 2005 9:36 PM PST ∞

Avi Fogel figured his second chance at playing college basketball might be his last.

So the former Torrey Pines High standout worked like crazy over the summer, lifting weights, running, working on his game.

The time and effort have paid off.

A starter in 14 games at point guard for the University of San Diego last season, Fogel ran into academic problems and was dropped from the team and school at the beginning of the spring semester.

He later cleared up his academic problems and was re-admitted to USD.

"But I decided it was better to make a change," Fogel said.

So when coach Gary Manchel of Mercyhurst College called, Fogel jumped at the chance to visit the Erie, Pa., campus.

"I fell in love with the place," Fogel said. "It's a beautiful campus, the academics are great, and the team is good.

"I'm a California boy, so it has taken a little time to get used to the snow. But it's good to experience different things."

Fogel is off to a great start for a Mercyhurst team that is 7-2 after a loss Saturday afternoon to Grand Valley State, the No. 19-ranked team in NCAA Division II.

The 6-foot-2 junior has started all nine games for the Lakers and leads the team in scoring, averaging 17.6 points a game. Plus, he leads in assists and steals.

He had 26 points Wednesday in an overtime win against Edinboro, hitting 10-of-17 field-goal attempts. It was his second straight 20-point effort as the Lakers are off to their best start in a decade.

"I know the coaches here wondered a little bit about me," said Fogel, who scored a season-high 29 against Wayne State. "But from Day 1, I've been comfortable here ---- on and off the court.

"I had a great summer, worked very hard and was prepared for the challenge."

He spent part of the summer playing for Atlanta Hawks assistant coach Herb Brown in Israel at the Maccabiah Games.

"That experience really helped me," said Fogel, whose sister Elana is a freshman basketball player at New York University. "The competition in Israel was high NCAA Division I or better. And the Israeli team was made up of all professional players.

"It's amazing how much I've improved because of that experience."

Fogel credits a lot of his success to Torrey Pines coach John Olive, a man who played in the NBA and coached at the NCAA Division I level at Loyola Marymount and Villanova.

"Coach Olive preached 'It's what you do when people aren't looking that counts,' " Fogel said. "Everyone wants to succeed in the games, when the crowd is in the stands and your friends and family are watching.

"In order to succeed, you need to put the time and work in the offseason, early in the morning, late at night. I finally understood what Coach Olive was teaching all those years at Torrey Pines.

"He has been a great mentor for me. I talk to him all the time. He always says his players have a place to come back to.

"Coach Olive is like a second father."

Fogel will be home for Christmas break and hopes to see Torrey Pines play, visit with Olive and the Falcons, and tell them about his success.

"Once you get a taste of success, it's addicting," Fogel said. "I can't say enough about this school. I'm the only California kid, so they kid me a lot, but I've been 100 percent accepted. We have a close bond as a team, and I think people would be surprised at the level of the competition.

"It's way better than I ever imagined. There are a lot of Division I-type players, so there is no room for coasting.

"I need to keep pushing, keep improving."

Anchors aweigh

< Mike Mulvey (Carlsbad), a freshman water polo player at the U.S. Naval Academy, was named the Collegiate Water Polo Association Southern Division Rookie of the Year. He started every game and finished with 24 goals and four assists, the most points by a Navy freshman since 2002 and the 10th most in school history. He also had 25 steals and drew six ejections. Navy, one of the top water polo programs in the country, finished 22-7 and has 19 or more wins in 24 straight seasons. This season, the Midshipmen boasted wins over No. 20-ranked Cal Baptist, No. 12 Pacific, No. 13 UC Davis, No. 19 Johns Hopkins, No. 16 UC Santa Barbara, No. 17 Bucknell (three times) and No. 12 Princeton (twice). They lost to No. 5 Long Beach State (11-10 in two overtimes), No. 2 California (9-3), No. 5 Pepperdine (9-6), No. 9 Loyola Marymount (7-6) and No. 11 St. Francis (10-9). The loss to St. Francis in the Eastern Division Championship at Harvard cost the Midshipmen a trip to the NCAA tournament.

< Sophomore Greg Sprink (El Camino), an All-Patriot League pick as a freshman men's basketball player at Navy last season, is averaging 9.2 points ---- second on the team ---- and 3.8 rebounds through six games. He had 14 points and five rebounds last week in a win over Morgan State.

Aztecs connection

Sophomore midfielder Kraig Chiles (Poway) and freshman forward Jamel Wallace (Oceanside) were key contributors to a San Diego State men's soccer team that made its first postseason appearance in 16 years.

Chiles, who sat out last season as a medical redshirt, led the team with seven goals and was named second-team All-Pac 10. His seven goals were also second most in the conference.

Wallace played in 16 of 19 games, seeing considerable time on the field.

The Aztecs, who finished 9-4-6, lost to UC Santa Barbara in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Nov. 19. Chiles and Wallace both started that match. Wallace played the entire 90 minutes, while Chiles played 69 minutes and got one of only two San Diego State shots on goal.

And the award goes to ...

< UC San Diego freshman defender Devon Cook (Carlsbad) was selected to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America men's All-Far West Region second team. Cook started 16 of 18 games for the Tritons, anchoring a defense for a team that finished 11-5-2. Cook, who had a goal and two assists, was also a second-team All-California Collegiate Athletic Association pick.

< Sonoma State junior defender Brett Cook (Mt. Carmel) was selected to the NSCAA All-Far West Region first team. Cook started all 23 games for a team that finished 12-9-2.

< Freshman Rebecca Bailey (Orange Glen) of UC San Diego was an honorable mention selection on the American Volleyball Coaches Association All-Pacific Region team. She was one of only two freshmen on the 18-member squad. UCSD went 19-8 in the fall with just one senior on the team.

< Cal State Bakersfield sophomore setter Erica Baldwin (Poway) was a second-team All-California Collegiate Athletic Association selection.

< Amherst College sophomore Andrew Olson (Rancho Bernardo) was named New England Small College Athletic Conference men's basketball player of the week after he was named the MVP of the fifth-annual Pioneer Valley Classic. He opened the event by handing out a tournament-record 12 assists in an 80-74 win over Springfield College while scoring a career-high 18 points and grabbing five rebounds. He followed that with a 17-point, five-assist performance in a 102-77 win over Westfield State in which he hit all five of his 3-point tries.

< Nicole Morton (Fallbrook), a junior women's volleyball player at Arizona State, was named honorable mention All-Pac 10 after leading the Sun Devils with 300 kills.

< Aska Sturdevan (San Dieguito Academy), a junior field hockey player at Stanford, was named to the All-NorPac squad.

The Alumni Report appears every other Monday through the college season. Contact staff writer John Maffei at (760) 740-3547, by fax at (760) 740-5045 or at jmaffei@nctimes.com. Readers are urged to submit information on former North County prep athletes.

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