UC IRVINE, CAL STATE FULLERTON RECRUITING : Anteaters Land Two Players; Elisma Remains Uncommitted

Two junior college basketball players signed letters of intent with UC Irvine Wednesday, and Anteater coaches are hoping to land a New York City high school recruit within the next few days.

Chris Brown, a 6-foot-2 guard from Bakersfield College, and Mark Odsather, a 6-7 forward from Bellevue (Wash.) College said they signed with Irvine, according to their junior college coaches. Wednesday was the first day of the month-long signing period.

Both players committed to Irvine Monday after weekend visits, and each has two years of eligibility remaining.

New York City prep star Ed Elisma, a 6-10 center from LaSalle Academy, is considering Georgia Tech and Irvine. He said Wednesday he is unsure when he will announce his decision.

Irvine coaches can’t officially announce their signings until they have the letters of intent in hand, which will likely be today or Friday. Most of the letters are faxed or sent by Express Mail.

Both Brown and Odsather are strong outside shooters, filling a need that Irvine Coach Rod Baker noted at the end of last season.

The Anteaters made 166 of 462 three-point attempts (36%) last season and Keith Stewart, Irvine’s main outside threat, has completed his senior season of eligibility.

Brown made 130 of 318 three-point attempts (40.9%) last season. Odsather made 99 of 261 three-point shots (38%) in two seasons at Bellevue.

Odsather was recruited by Washington, USC and several Big Sky Conference schools, said Bellevue Coach Ernie Woods. Odsather committed to Irvine Monday night after a weekend visit, turning down a scholarship offer from Washington.

“Mark is by far the best prospect in the Northwest,” Woods said. “It basically came down to Washington and Irvine. He took a look at Irvine’s schedule and saw schools like Georgetown on there. He was very impressed with that, and with the school.”

Odsather led Bellevue in scoring the past two seasons, averaging 18.1 points last season despite playing only 23 minutes a game. He was the Northwest Conference player of the year, leading Bellevue to a 32-1 record.

Woods said Arizona recruited Odsather out of Bellevue Newport High two years ago.

“He was real lanky back then and he might not have been ready for that level,” Woods said. “He has put on some pounds since he came here. He’s up around 200 pounds now.”

Brown, who led Bakersfield in scoring last season with a 19.1 average, chose Irvine over San Diego State, Arkansas State, Creighton, Idaho and the University of San Francisco.

“Irvine was the first school I visited so I didn’t take trips anywhere else,” he said. “This was the best move I could have made.”

Elisma averaged 12.7 points, 16.5 rebounds and 5.8 blocked shots last season for LaSalle Academy, which finished 17-10. He began showing interest in the Anteaters last summer, when he participated in the ABCD Camp on the Irvine campus.

National signing day passed with the Cal State Fullerton men’s basketball team still awaiting its first letter of intent, which is taking a detour through Georgia.

Darren Little, a 6-foot-8 forward from Palomar College in San Marcos who had made an oral commitment to Fullerton, said Wednesday he had signed his letter and dropped it in the mail so his mother in Georgia could sign before sending it along to Fullerton.

“It’s a great feeling,” said Little, who averaged 16.6 points and 10.9 rebounds for Palomar last season. “A lot of coaches shot the breeze with me for the past two years. I’ve been shot a lot of breeze in the past two years. I needed someone to be straight up with me, and (Fullerton’s) coaches seem like the type of coaches I can trust.”

Fullerton Coach Brad Holland, who cannot comment on a recruit, according to NCAA rules, until he receives the letter of intent, has four more scholarships to give and is hoping to sign at least three more players. The signing period ends next month.

Little also visited Oklahoma, South Florida, San Jose State, San Diego State and Grand Canyon College, an NAIA school in Phoenix, before choosing Fullerton.

“There was no hesitation about playing time,” Little said. “(Holland) has a program that is going to be on the rise.”

The Titans lost four of five starters after last season, including their entire front line. Little, who saw the Titans’ 72-58 loss at Cal State Long Beach on Jan. 21, figures he can step in and play immediately.

“I want to come in and make a huge impact on the program,” he said. “I know I’ll bring excitement (to Fullerton), a lot of excitement. And I hope to bring a few more Ws.”