GET A grip! Mehrdad Ershad (top) cf Carson Graham puts a huid on Balmoral's Angus Fergusson but gets his nose realigned in the process during a secondary school wrestling match held last week at Baimoral. MASSIMO SEGATO tatks like he plays: freely, en- thusiastically, and much too fast. By Guido Marziali Contributing Writer Nevertheless, even the voluble Segato was subdued this year by the unexpected rigors of collegiate basketball. Segato arrived at Capilano this fall from Victoria's Belmont High, having survived some slip- shod out-of-province recruiting in the interim. To make the Capilano College Blues’ starting lineup, he had to learn a new shoct-and-rur system, and he had to adjust to new teammates, some of them from rival high schools — but playing point guard 71 the collegiate level was the toughest task. “The point guard is almost tike a quarterback,’’ says Blues coach Neil Chester. ‘*The point guard is an exten- sion of the coach,’’ says Segato. The point guard, in other words, must show the most thought, maturity, and leadership. Segato had captained Belmont impressively from the point guard position, but he admits that leading a largely rookie offence into the competitive B.C. Col- Jegiate league was something else again. MASSIMO SEGATO... making the adjustment to being point guard for the Capl'ano College Blues men's basketball team. “tT got my feet wet by coming here. At first it was really hard ... the defence is a lot harder and each player is that much better,” Segato says. He talks about needing to im- prove his left-handed dribbling and his court vision, but adds, “—P’'m not scared of anybody when I’m playing.”” Segato may be a little hard on himself. In the regular season opener last week he flashed his form with a couple of three- pointers and some impressive drives. Chester calls him ‘‘a great CAPILANO COLLEGE SPORTS outside shooter ... we'd like to work him more into the offence.’’ Segato averaged 32 points per game in his senior year at Bei- mont, played in the B.C. High School All-Star game, and was tanked in the top 20 provincially. Concerning Segato’s initial hesi- tation at point guard, Chester merely says, “it’s a tough adjust- meni for any first year player to make ... it speaks well for his ability that he was so highly recruited.” In fact, Chester almost fost Segato to the University of Hawaii-Pacific but that door clos- ed on Segato’s fingers. “It was a big scam," he says. The coach there offered him a full scholarship, then withdrew it on a pretext. After getting an offer from the University of Alberta, but finding that some of his aca- demic credits were not transfera- ble, Segato cur his losses and headed for the small but respected program at Capilano. When he got there, Segato ran into Blair Hokanson, a former opponent from North Vancouver's Windsor Secondary. Segato can't recall much about Hokanson from their first meeting on the court. “To me he was some skinny tall guy who tried to block my shot,"* he says. See Future page 14 980-9211 Wednesday. December 12. 1990 - North Shore News - 13 n * NEWS photo Mike Waketleid IME OUT SPORTS UAL ‘Qu UP Fa ‘i Boon FITNESS-CROSS TRAINER axt PUMP mia Men’s and Ladies’ Reg. $119.99 Lynn Vatiey Centre PP -l) —980-0116