San Diego Player of the Week : Prusinski Applying All His Own Pressure, Now

By his own admission, Rich Prusinski used to let opposing players intimidate him.

As a junior last season, the San Pasqual High forward had a tendency to be overwhelmed by intense pressure.

“When I got the ball in a press, I’d throw it to the first person I saw so I wouldn’t get stuck with the turnover,” he said. “When you have all those people around you, you just panic.”

But this season, Prusinski has been doing most of the intimidating.

Last Wednesday at Escondido, Prusinski--The Times’ player of the week--scored a career-high 30 points. For an encore, he scored 17 points in the first half Friday night at Carlsbad.

“The thing that has really improved with Rich this year is that when he gets the ball in a good position, he takes it right to the hoop,” said San Pasqual Coach Frank Vannest. “He has more confidence and better timing. He gets where the ball is and he’s usually in a good position for the offensive rebound. Just by watching him, I can tell that Phil has been a lot of help in his improvement.”

“Phil” is Phil Smith, a former NBA guard with the San Diego Clippers, Golden State Warriors and Seattle Supersonics, who has been working with Prusinski and other San Pasqual players this season.

“Rich has a natural talent and a knack for offensive rebounds, and he’s a hard worker, so I just talked to him about some basic points of the game--concentration, mental toughness, basically just all-around basketball,” Smith said.

In all three subjects, the senior’s report card has been impressive. In Avocado League play, Prusinski has shot 58% from the field, averaging 17.7 points and 11 rebounds. Vannest describes Prusinski’s scoring statistics as “not big numbers, but very consistent,” adding that the forward’s contribution to the Eagles can’t be quantified.

“He’s the one person on our team who just kind of does everything,” Vannest said. “He’s the one person who really goes out to win.”

Added Smith: “I haven’t really found anybody in this area at the high school level who does the kind of things Rich does all the time. He just has a nose for the ball. With his strength and quickness, he can dominate a basketball game.”

Prusinski’s college plans may focus on community colleges such as Mira Costa and Palomar.

“I think he could be a real good player in J.C. ball,” Smith said. “It would give him the chance to play against kids who can jump as high as he can and do the kinds of things he can. I think it will force him to develop some areas of his game that he doesn’t need to now.”

But before he enters college, Prusinski has a few more things he’d like to accomplish at San Pasqual. Another 30-point game is not necessarily one of them.

“They’re pretty much team goals,” he said. “I want to get to CIF more than anything.”

Rich Prusinski

San Pasqual High School

Position: Forward.

Height, Class: 6-4, Sr.

Last Week: Scored 30 points and had 12 rebounds in 53-49 victory at Escondido; scored 19 points in 76-60 victory at Carlsbad.