There’s No Mixup When Estancia Forward Scott Clements Mixes It Up

Estancia High School forward Scott Clements prefers to play a finesse game. And as a solid outside shooter, the 6-foot 3-inch, 195-pound senior plays the role well.

He’s averaging 15 points a game and can turn a zone defense into no defense at all.

But Clements has a role other than team shooter, a role that takes precedent at Estancia High School.

Clements is the team enforcer. When push comes to shove, Clements puts aside his soft jump shot and gets physical.

“Yeah, I guess you could call me that (an enforcer),” Clements said. “I pretty much get to where I want to go (on the court).”

Clements’ showcased his inside talents recently against Newport Harbor in a Sea View League showdown won by the Sailors, 61-49. Newport Harbor, the Sea View League leader, is a big, physical team. Second-place Estancia is a small, physical team.

Inevitably, tempers flared as the strain of the game wore on. The referees had to stop opposing players from fighting three times. Estancia’s Adam Lockwood, Todd Mooney (who was ejected) and Clements were involved in the tussles.

“Clements and Lockwood are team captains and they take it seriously. They hate to lose. They really boil when they get behind,” Estancia Coach Joe Reid said.

“Big teams like to push us around,” Clements said, “so when they do, that is the only time I’ll throw my weight around. Usually when we show that we have some strong guys, too, the other team will back down.

“Sometimes, though, our size works to our advantage. We get a lot of turnovers off of our press because most big guys aren’t that quick. Actually, I’d much rather just score and rebound than worry (about other team’s size).”

Scoring and rebounding are two of Clements’ fortes. Besides his 15 points, Clements averages 8 rebounds per game. He has had season highs of 25 points against Los Amigos in the Irvine Tournament and 11 rebounds against Corona del Mar in the Laguna Beach Tournament.

“The funny thing about Scott is that he is probably the best shooter on the team, but we need him inside, so that’s where he plays,” Reid said.

So, when the opportunity arises, Clements can be found outside, instead of inside, looking out.

Clements’ 15-foot jump shot with one second left gave Estancia a 41-40 victory over Corona del Mar in the first week of Sea View League play. And when Lockwood, the team’s chief outsider shooter, suffered a game-ending injury against Newport Harbor, Clements took over the designated shooter position.

Opposing coaches have taken note of Clements’ versatility.

Said Saddleback’s Pat Quinn: “When they (Estancia) go to their ‘spread’ offense, Clements plays the middle, at about the foul line. Against us (in Estancia’s 63-61 win), it was a close game and he got through our big guys for three straight layups to put them ahead by eight points. That kind of took the wind out of us.

“Clements works very hard without the ball. If you (a defender) turn your head on him, he’s gone. He’s always moving.”

Said University’s Steve Scoggin: “He’s one of the most intense players in the league. He’s real tough around the boards--that’s his style and he’s good at it. He’s the kind that plays taller than he really is.”

The Eagles (6-1 in league, 18-2 overall) are having the kind of success that has become expected at Estancia.

Last season, Estancia won the Sea View League with a 13-1 record, and advanced to the 3-A Southern Section final at the Sports Arena, losing to John W. North of Riverside.

Clements, Lockwood and Mooney returned from last season to form a strong nucleus this season. Still, some prep basketball observers thought Estancia might have an off-year because of a coaching change.

Larry Sunderman, Estancia’s veteran coach, became the Orange Coast College women’s coach, and was replaced by his assistant, Reid. Because of the in-house switch, the Eagles haven’t had an adjustment problem, Clements said.

“Reid’s worked out well as the coach because he knew the team and the team knew him,” Clements said. “It’s been much better than if an outside coach had come in.”

Sunderman, who still teaches at Estancia, keeps in close contact with his former players.

“Sunderman kind of looks after us,” Clements said. “He’ll call us (players) into his classroom to talk to us.”

Sunderman and Reid both may rightly take credit for Clements’ on-court development. Clements, a pitcher on Estancia’s baseball team, once considered playing only baseball, though he hasn’t been as successful on the mound as on the court.

“He came to us before his freshman year and said, ‘Coach, I think I’m going to concentrate on just baseball,’ ” Reid recalled. “We figured he needed some immediate leadership and guidance. Fortunately, we talked him into playing basketball, too.”

Clements’ decision to play basketball could eventually offer him more rewards than the usual postseason honors.

Cal Poly Pomona has shown the greatest interest in him, and Clements, who’d like to play basketball and major in architecture, has designs on doing some enforcing for the Pomona basketball team as well.