SCU star search

By JOE TONE

Eventually, people will have to bail on the Chastain-bandwagon. Steve Nash's fame is fading faster than his jump shot. And Brent Jones? The day football packed up and left town, much of his legend went with it.

The history-soaked trophy case at the north end of Toso Pavilion - a life-size collage of championships and all-stars - will soon be an outdated collection of athletes whose feats we hardly remember. Eventually those legends will be replaced by 21st century Broncos, breaking the records and traditions sprinkled throughout that trophy case.

"With the new facilities, the future is bright," Assistant Athletic Director Gerry Houlihan said.In starting the search for the next Santa Clara standouts, we'll have to admit that Santa Clara is a soccer school. The only All-Americans, top-flight recruits and national championship-sniffs Santa Clara is getting these days come on the soccer field.

With All-American seniors Mandy Clemens and Jacque Little on their way out and taking their 362 career points with them, the Broncos need to find some new offensive threats if they want a chance to reach the championship game that has eluded them seven times in seven tries. If anyone is going to lead women's soccer past the semi-finals - and take Brandi and Mandy's places as Santa Clara soccer studs - count on redshirt freshman midfielder Aly Wagner to give it a run. The consensus No. 1 recruit in 1998 was the WCC Freshman of the Year last fall, and her scissor-sharp cuts had fans and opponents doing double takes all season. The second team All-American netted four goals and 10 assists in her first season.

If Wagner doesn't streak to stardom as expected, sophomore Danielle Slaton and freshman Devvyn Hawkins could sneak in as Santa Clara stars. Slaton, an All-American defender, was the anchor of the Broncos' great wall of defense the past two seasons while Hawkins, an all-WCC first-teamer, tallied eight goals and 10 assists in her first season.

The star-search doesn't shine as bright for men's basketball. Back from last season's knee injury, junior Brian Jones has taken the reigns as team leader this season, as expected. Jones will be gone after next season, and the Broncos have gotten very little production from their youngsters this season.

If it were up to the coaches, sophomore guard Brian Vaka would be the next big-time Bronco. The 6-foot-2-inch slasher's attitude and hard work has him coming off the bench as fast as any Bronco. While his scoring - 5.5 points a game - isn't eye popping, he shows flashes of Jones-like explosiveness, and his defensive intensity makes him one of Coach Dick Davey's favorites."He's exuberant," Davey said of Vaka. "He plays hard and is an aggressive player."Vaka's cause will be helped by increased production on the part of sophomore David Emslie, a 7-foot center who has recorded 17 blocks in 15 games this season.

Across the way in the women's locker room, the future is now. Youngster Becki Ashbaugh, a sophomore, finds herself third in the conference in assists (4.3 per game) and leading the team in scoring (10.4 points per game). More importantly, her leadership at the point helped the Broncos start the season with a record nine straight wins.

"She's really starting to step up," Coach Caren Horstmeyer said. "She really came up big at the end of the Colorado State game [a one-point win]."

While many of Santa Clara's other sports haven't traditionally received the national attention of basketball and soccer, many programs could be turning out legends of their own in the coming years.

Men's tennis will have the luxury of watching four freshmen emerge over the next four seasons. Ryan Livesay, a 6-foot-4-inch southpaw from Oregon, was one of the nation's best high school seniors a year ago while Adam Lewis was the Pacific Northwest's top player in last year's National Intersectionals. With such a crop of young talent and a brand-spanking new tennis center, Coach Sean Burns has reason to be excited about tennis in the next century.

"This is the best team we've ever had," he said. "We're very excited."

Other Bronco squads will boast some star power in the coming years as well. Baseball inked five players for the 2001 season in November, including shortstop Clint Cleland, who was rated the nation's 33rd best prospect as a junior by Baseball America.

Men's soccer will enjoy two more full seasons of sophomore goalie Rusty Johnson, who helped bring the Broncos to the national championship game in his first season as a starter.Men's water polo got 28 points in 28 games from freshman Erik Akerman this past fall, while women's softball went to the coaching ranks to find their turnaround, hiring former Stanford All-American Marcy Crouch, 22, as their new head coach, despite Crouch having zero coaching experience.

The search for athletes doesn't stop there. First year volleyball coach Jon Wallace spent most of his free evenings in different high school gyms this fall looking for his next star. Did he find one? Did he stumble upon some obscure talent that very well could replace Chastain and Nash as Bronco legends in the future?

Keep your eye on the trophy case to find out.