New Digs Fit Former Antelope, McCutcheon
by Robert Johnson, Antelope Valley Press
March 23, 2004 Crystal McCutcheon is exactly where she wants to be.
The 2001 Antelope Valley High graduate left the Valley for the beaches of Malibu and the basketball tradition of Pepperdine University.
But after a year of waves with the Waves, McCutcheon bolted for another beach.
And she is perfectly content.
McCutcheon, who redshirted after transferring from Pepperdine to Long Beach State in 2002, finished her first season with the 49ers on March 12. Her season ended with a 74-56 loss to UC Santa Barbara in the semifinals of the Big West Conference Tournament.
A 5-foot-9 guard, McCutcheon averaged 10.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 30 games - 16 starts. She was second on the team in scoring and rebounding and led the 49ers in 3-point shooting (.340) and foul shooting (.741).
"Once I settled into my role on the team, I was more concerned with the fact that we were losing," she said.
Long Beach finished 14-16 under first-year coach Matt Hegarty, a statistic that greatly chagrined McCutcheon.
"I haven't had that (losing) for a while," she said. "You just have to keep working at it and not give up.
"We never really got the package together this year."
Losing wasn't an issue at Pepperdine, but McCutcheon's satisfaction was. Although she averaged 9.4 points in 28 games for a Pepperdine team that went 23-8 during the 2001-2002 season, McCutcheon was unhappy.
"I knew for sure I wanted to leave Pepperdine and wanted to stay in Southern California," said McCutcheon, who would not discuss why she was so inclined to leave Malibu. "This was one of the best options for me.
"I like Long Beach State better," she said. "I like the bigger school and the atmosphere. You'd think at a bigger school you'd get less attention, but that's not the case."
The 49ers' run through the conference tournament has McCutcheon thinking of bigger and better things for her junior season - especially since only three players are graduating.
"I really do think we have a good opportunity for next year," she said. "Hopefully we can make a run at the conference." |
