Mead product Shorts is versatile

When KeLicia Shorts blocked a Gonzaga shot on Thursday in a first-round game of the West Coast Conference women’s basketball tournament, it gave the San Francisco junior 365 in her career.

The first 355 came during her four-year career with the Dons’ volleyball team.

The Mead grad just joined the USF basketball team in January and didn’t start playing until the second half of the conference season.

“Basically, I wanted to play both sports in college, but after I blew my ACL in high school I knew I couldn’t,” she said. “I decided to see how my knee held up.”

She was a volleyball starter as a freshman, but during the second half of the season had to have another knee surgery. Her sophomore year was spent behind two senior standouts on a NCAA-qualifying team and then she blossomed.

Shorts was team captain both years and finished her senior year as the school’s all-time leader for career and single-season hitting percent. The 355 blocks are fifth on the school career list.

USF coach Mary Hile-Nepfel heard Shorts was interested in basketball last fall and encouraged her to come out as soon as volleyball was over.

Though she played in just six conference games and averaged less than two points in about 10 minutes, her time kept increasing. In the Dons’ semifinal loss to top-seeded Santa Clara on Saturday, she had six key points in 17 minutes that included starting in overtime.

“I’m excited,” said Shorts, a 6-foot-4 post. “I’m definitely looking forward to next year.”

Playing basketball works out perfectly for Shorts, who has to go to school next year to finishing her nursing degree.

What? Toreros tired?

San Diego’s players were questioned about how the fatigue factor might play into tonight’s men’s semifinal matchup against top-seeded Gonzaga.

The Toreros will be playing their third game in three days, while GU will coming off a five-day layoff, courtesy of the bye they received into the semis after winning the regular-season league championship.

“Coach (Brad Holland) has done a pretty good job with our rotation,” said Nir Cohen, the Toreros’ junior forward, who was one of 10 players Holland used in Saturday night’s 62-59 quarterfinal win over San Francisco. “I still feel pretty energized. I think we’re going to be all right.”

Senior forward Nick Lewis was even more adamant about the Toreros being ready.

“Coach does a good job of preparing us all year, and we’re all in really good shape,” he said. “But bottom line – that last two minutes with that (McCarthey Athletic Center) crowd jumping up and down – that atmosphere tomorrow will take care of everything.

“If you’re not up for it, I don’t know why we play basketball, because the atmosphere is going to be awesome. And our energy is going to rise to the occasion.”

The D rested

Surprisingly, Pepperdine moved into the women’s championship game without much help from lone senior Kelsey Ball, the WCC Defensive Player of the Year.

Plagued by foul trouble, she scored one point, had two rebounds and one steal in 17 minutes before fouling out with 4:05 to play.

Teiosha George, who usually plays about 17 minutes, played 30 and contributed 10 points and eight rebounds.

“I look at this team and we’re so young,” coach Julie Rousseau said. “Our senior fouled out and she was on the brink of crying on the bench. She left it in the hands of kids she has inspired all season.”

It was an impressive win for Pepperdine, which only has two juniors on its roster and started the conference season 1-6.

“Every experience has prepared us for where we are now,” Rousseau said. “All the losses that we’ve had, all the close games that we’ve lost … it has prepared us for this time. I think that these kids are more than prepared for going into the championship game of this tournament.”