Will Jeffers : Dana Hills’ Senior Is Quickest Route to 6-7 Star McSweeney

Pardon Will Jeffers if he seems to be suffering from something of an identity crisis. It’s just that there are so many obstacles to overcome--particularly on the basketball court--before more people know who he is.

For starters, Jeffers plays on the same Dana Hills High School team as Bryan McSweeney, a 6-foot 7-inch senior who is generally recognized as one of Orange County’s premier prep basketball players.

Jeffers? He’s the guy who spends most of his time trying to get the ball to McSweeney.

Then there’s the matter of the playing in the South Coast League. Though he’s been asked to assume more of a scoring role this season, Jeffers is a point guard by trade. That’s made it difficult to get much attention, what with Capistrano Valley’s Burt and Nathan Call and Mission Viejo’s Tom Desiano considered among the county’s best at that position over the past three years.

And, of course, there’s Jeffers’ height. To make a short story short, it is difficult for someone who stands 5-9 to stand out on a basketball court, where the over 6-foot crowd is at a distinct advantage. Not to worry, Jeffers says. He feels a growth spurt coming on.

“Of course I’d like to be taller,” he said. “I still think I’m going to grow, because I wear size 11 1/2 shoes. My Dad and brothers (all no taller than 5-9) all wear size nines, so there’s got to be something going on there.”

Even if Jeffers doesn’t grow another inch, he figures he’s grown as a person during his three-year, varsity basketball career. If nothing else, he’s learned to deal with his relative anonymity while the Calls and Desianos of the world collect press clippings.

“Sometimes it can get to me,” he said. “I feel I do my job as well as any of those guys. But that’s just going to help me grow mentally. It’s teaching me to not be so self-centered . . . to think: ‘Don’t worry about what people think of you. Just know that you got the most out of each game.’ It should make me play harder.”

But there’s more to Jeffers than the smooth, ballhandling guard we see on the basketball court. Off the court, Jeffers is a dedicated student; a deeply religious young man from a big family.

Before last Monday night’s game against Mission Viejo, Jeffers was spotted in the bleachers with his head buried in his math analysis notebook. “I don’t know who schedules the league,” he said, “but they give us the three toughest teams during finals week. That doesn’t make too much sense.

“I’ll go home tonight (after the game) and type up a speech and study for math analysis. I’ll probably be up until about 1. I was up until 1 last night. It’s not helping me much . . . not getting much sleep for Mission, Capo and El Toro.

“But I can get up for these games. They’re big enough.”

Dana Hills lost to Mission Viejo on Monday in its quest to earn a playoff berth in the tight South Coast League race. The Dolphins will play host to Capistrano Valley tonight and visit El Toro Friday night.

Jeffers has managed to maintain a 3.7 grade-point average while budgeting his time between basketball in the winter and baseball in the spring. And he hasn’t exactly taken it easy during his senior year. His classload this semester consisted of Accelerated Speech and Debate, college math, physics, American Government and Consumer Auto Mechanics.

Of eight children, Jeffers is the second-youngest, which would seem to add to the identity crisis. Not so, he said.

“We’re like the Brady Bunch or something. Everybody knows us. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love having all those brothers and sisters to be there for me.”