A desire to be closer to home was among the reasons California native Zac Wasserman cited when he transferred out of Penn State last spring. As it turns out, the quarterback will be closer than even he expected.

After talking to a number of Division I schools, including Texas A&M, Wasserman opted to go to Los Angeles Valley College, a junior college less than 10 minutes away from his home in Tarzana. According to his father, Charles Wasserman, Zac made his decision July 27, picking a junior college so he can play this season.

The younger Wasserman redshirted as a true freshman at Penn State last year. Had he gone to another Division I-A school, he would have had to skip another full year under NCAA transfer rules.

“It’s probably the best thing for him,” Charles Wasserman said.

L.A. Valley College is part of the well-regarded Western State Conference, which has sent scores of athletes to the major college ranks. Charles Wasserman said his son intends to return to Division I-A, perhaps as soon as the 2002 season.

While he attends L.A. Valley College, Zac Wasserman will live in Tarzana with his father. That was part of the appeal of the school, too. Zac’s mother, Candace, is battling what is believed to be a terminal case of breast cancer. Though she lives in Connecticut, Charles Wasserman explained that his son “wanted to be closer to home” during what is obviously difficult time.

The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Wasserman began informal workouts with the Monarchs last week. The team kicks off preseason practice Aug. 17.