OC Crush home games uncertain

Dennis Rodman and the Orange County Crush came to town with plenty of

bells and whistles Tuesday at the Atrium Hotel across from John Wayne

Airport, but officials said the team’s 2004-05 season schedule is

still up in the air because of ongoing television negotiations

between the league -- the American Basketball Association -- and

networks ESPN and Fox.

The Crush, who will open their season Sunday at the Long Beach

Pyramid, will play their first home game Dec. 9 at the UC Irvine Bren

Center.

The Crush will then play their home games in a portable tent, or

“bubble arena,” at the speedway track at the Orange County

Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa, “either New Year’s Eve or the first week

of January,” Crush General Manager Kevin Copeland said.

Copeland also said no season-ticket packages are available.

Rodman, 43, wants to return to the NBA and Crush Coach Earl

Cureton said “he’s in the best shape I’ve ever seen anybody. But,

hopefully, he won’t be here long, so he can get back to the NBA and

finish his career the way he wants to finish it.”

Rodman, a seven-time NBA rebound champion, said he’s “110 percent

healthy” and “once I step on the court, I know I can play 25 to 30

minutes a game and produce.”

Rodman also appears to be shedding his bad-boy image. He said he

stopped drinking alcohol two months ago and started attending a

church in Costa Mesa six months ago.

“I’ve got this black cloud over my head because of the last four

or five years,” Rodman said. “Hopefully, that’ll be lifted.”

-- Richard Dunn

Crosson leads Coast

* SOCCER: Freshman Christine Crosson scored two first-half goals

and the Orange Coast College women’s soccer team made it stand up to

defeat host College of the Canyons, 2-1, to open the Southern

California regional playoffs Tuesday in Santa Clarita.

The Pirates (13-4-3) travel to face top-seeded Cypress in the

quarterfinals at 2 p.m. Saturday. The Chargers defeated Saddleback,

9-0, Tuesday.

Goalkeeper Kara DeMille, a Newport Harbor High product, made six

saves for Coast, which led, 2-1, at halftime.

College of the Canyons ends its season 13-3-3.

Sage Hill eliminated

* VOLLEYBALL: The Sage Hill School girls volleyball team lost to

visiting top-seeded Western Christian, 25-13, 25-15, 25-15, in the

semifinals of the CIF Southern Section Division IV-A playoffs

Tuesday.

Junior Cat Dailey had 11 kills and four aces, while junior Vista

Murphy had 11 kills and two aces, as the Lightning finished their

season 17-7.

With the exception of senior Vicky Gutierrez, the rest of the

squad is expected to return next season.

Western Christian (30-1) will be playing in the finals against

Sage’s Academy League rival St. Margaret’s (23-6).

Serpas keys victory

* SOCCER: Sophomore forward Jose Serpas tallied a hat trick for

the second straight game to lead seventh-seeded Orange Coast College

to a 4-0 men’s soccer victory over visiting Santa Barbara Tuesday in

the first round of the Southern California regional playoffs.

Coast (11-4-5) will visit No. 2-seed Cerritos in a regional

semifinal Saturday. The time will be announced later in the week.

Serpas, the Orange Empire Conference’s Most Valuable Player,

scored goals on assists from Miguel Ochoa, Greg Reese and Eli Solis.

Mike Gustafson came off the bench midway through the second half

and scored his first goal of the season off another Solis assist.

Coast’s defense, composed of Sean Bedier-Prairie, Reese and John

Gauthier, held the Vaqueros to five shots, forcing OCC goalkeeper

Trent Painter into one save.

Registration tonight

* SOFTBALL: The Pacific Coast Girls Fastpitch Softball league will

conduct open registration for the spring 2005 season from 5:30 to

8:30 p.m. tonight at Bonita Creek Park in Newport Beach. Details:

(949) 224-9409.

Evans top defender

* SOCCER: UC Irvine sophomore Brad Evans has been named 2004 Big

West Conference Midfielder of the Year by conference men’s soccer

coaches. Evans was also named first-team All-Big West.

Anteaters’ senior Sebastian Galmarini, junior Sergio Rivera,

senior Cameron Rossi and sophomore Cameron Dunn are second-team

all-conference honorees.

Galmarini and Rossi were second-team picks in 2003.

UCI sophomore Anthony Hamilton and senior Lorne Howlett received

honorable mention.