DATE: Wednesday, November 26, 1997          TAG: 9711260556

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C2   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY PAUL WHITE, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: LONG BEACH, CALIF.                LENGTH:   57 lines

SPARTANS' BERNARD USING KINDER COACHING METHOD

Upon receiving the ball, Pepperdine center omm'A Givens shuffled, stepped, then shuffled again before flipping a shot in over a startled Norfolk State center Sean Blackwell.

Spartans coach Mike Bernard bolted upright in his chair, his arms extended toward the heavens. He paced to his left, then spun around and walked briskly to his right as an official sprinted upcourt toward the Spartans' bench.

Surely Bernard would give this whistle-swallower an earful. Surely he would let loose and. ...

``Mr. ref,'' Bernard said with a shrug, ``I just want you to know he took six or seven steps there.''

Meet today's kinder, gentler Mike Bernard.

Bernard disputes this characterization, saying his coaching personality has changed little. Those who have seen the coach stalk the sidelines and cast an intimidating presence over teams in years past, would no doubt marvel at the composure Bernard has displayed as the often-frustrating Division I learning process unfolds.

Remember, this a man whose resume includes 250 coaching victories and a Division II national championship. But through three games in the 1997-98 campaign, all he's seen is his team consistently buried at the wrong end of routs.

The 42-point loss at Pepperdine was the biggest margin of defeat in his 13-year head-coaching career. The Spartans have never been within 10 points of any opponent in the second half, and their ``closest'' game was the 25-point home-opening loss to St. Francis.

``He's surprised me,'' Spartans guard and former Booker T. Washington High star Kenny Brown said. ``I remember watching him in high school, and he carried on more than (then-Bookers coach) Barry Hamler. But he hasn't gone off on us.''

Nor will he, Bernard said, as that style would probably fail with this particular group. Bernard's teams in years past have featured several urban, street-wise kids for whom a tough-love approach would often produce improved performance.

But this year's team is composed primarily of small-town, sensitive types. Assistant Erik Rashad, the Spartans' main recruiter, said that's by design, that kids with this background are generally more coachable over the long term. But getting in the face of players like this, Bernard said, would probably backfire.

Also, Bernard forecast tough times in the early stages for the youthful Spartans - 10 of the 12 players on this trip are freshmen or sophomores - as they adjust to the higher level of play in Division I.

The 25-minute postgame lecture Bernard delivered to his team after the humiliating loss to St. Francis was the very definition of a composed monologue.

The coach may not like to acknowledge it, but even his wife notices a softening of the Norfolk State coach. Deborah Bernard, who is accompanying her spouse of three years on this trip, said she used to cringe at times at Bernard's on-court demeanor. These days, however, Deborah has been doing more yelling during games than her husband.

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