PREP BASKETBALL PREVIEW: SOUTHERN SECTION : St. Monica Has Found an Answer : Williams Moves In and Makes Mariners an Instant Power

Jason Matthews sat in the bleachers of the St. Monica High gym in Santa Monica after basketball practice last week, his elbows on his knees and his chin in his palms. He looked wistful, which seemed at least slightly out of character for a guy who averaged 25 points a game last season as a junior and signed a letter of intent two weeks ago with the University of Pittsburgh.

“Every year, I’ve had to go to the Sports Arena and watch my friends in the playoffs,” Matthews said. “Every time I saw them out there, I’d say to myself, ‘That should be me.’ ”

Maybe next spring, it will be.

In the 1980s, league championships and playoff appearances have only been a dream at St. Monica. Even with a backcourt that featured Matthews and the talented Earl Duncan, who is at Syracuse, the Mariners could finish no better than fourth in the Camino Real League.

“Last year, we had the toughest guards around, but we didn’t have the inside game,” senior forward Jerome Howard said. “Everything is going to change this season. The reason is Brian Williams.”

Things will most assuredly change for St. Monica with the arrival of Williams, a 6-10 center who moved with his mother from Las Vegas to Santa Monica last summer. Williams, a senior, averaged 18.5 points, 15 rebounds and 7.5 blocked shots last season at Gorman High in Las Vegas and is one of the most highly regarded players in the West.

So, for the first time, St. Monica has a true center to go with Matthews--the latest in a line of fine guards at the school. And thus, for the first time since moving up from the Southern Section 1-A Division in 1982, St. Monica has a legitimate chance to win its league title--and perhaps the 5-A championship.

“I’m always optimistic, but I don’t make predictions--especially in our league,” Coach Leo Klemm said. “We just expect to be better every year.”

St. Monica, with an enrollment of 750, first gained notoriety when guard Leon Wood led the school to the 1-A final in 1978 and to the 1-A championship the next year. Wood, who plays for the New Jersey Nets, still holds Southern Section records for most points in a career, 2,693, and highest career scoring average, 33.7.

In 1982, St. Monica joined the Camino Real League and moved up to the 4-A Division.

Klemm, 38, took over the program a year later when the Southern Section realigned and moved the Camino Real League into a newly created 5-A division. The Mariners were coming off a season during which they won just one league game against such traditionally powerful teams as Verbum Dei, Playa del Rey St. Bernard and Gardena Serra.

“After that season, some of the kids weren’t convinced that they could compete at this level,” said Klemm, who is also the school’s athletic director. “But they started believing in the program when we began working out during my first season. Each year, we’ve gotten better.”

St. Monica has had 12-11, 14-10, and 15-9 records during the last three seasons. This time around, the team that never seemed to have enough size to get into the playoffs suddenly finds itself with a big man who may have the ability to bring it a championship.

“Williams is very durable and a strong inside player,” said Coach Gary McKnight of Santa Ana Mater Dei, whose team is the defending 5-A champion. “Obviously, when a player of that ability walks into the program, he’s going to make them a contender. From what everyone tells me, they have a legitimate shot at the 5-A title.”

This is the first time that Klemm has had a player taller than 6-5 at St. Monica. Klemm’s philosophy, born out of necessity, was that it made for better all-around players to have an Earl Duncan play guard, forward and center.

“They’ve always had five guards on the floor playing against some excellent teams in the Camino Real League,” St. Anthony’s of Long Beach Coach Tom Roanhaus said. “It’s going to be different this season. Williams is a player and a true center. Maybe a little bit too true for me and the other coaches who have to play St. Monica this year.”

Williams has yet to play a regular-season game for St. Monica, but his presence has already been felt. The obvious advantage of having a 6-10 safety valve for the full-court press--as opposed to any number of 6-4 players who filled that role in the past--is comforting to Klemm. Williams, in fact, doesn’t even have to touch the ball to have an impact on the game.

“Without a real center last year, Earl (Duncan) and I would be shooting from all over the court,” Matthews said. “With the big man, I can shoot from 17 feet instead of 20. He also allows you to gamble more on defense. By being there, he makes every one a better player.”

The Mariners have some other talented players to go along with Matthews and Williams.

Senior forward Paul Eberhardt has grown two inches since last season, to 6-7. He will be a force on the boards and provide additional inside scoring.

Guard has long been the glamour position at St. Monica, and the tradition should continue even after Matthews graduates.

Jason Joe, a 6-1 junior, played on the varsity as a freshman but missed most of last season with a staph infection. An exceptional shooter, Joe gives St. Monica an additional scoring threat from the wing position opposite Matthews.

Chris Cotton, a 5-10 sophomore, will start at point guard.

St. Monica will find out early in the season if it ranks with the elite in Southern California. After opening the season tonight at home against Anaheim Servite, the Mariners will play host, starting Thursday, to a tournament that features City powers Crenshaw and Fairfax.

St. Monica appears to be ready for the challenge. Matthews, for one, can’t wait to get going.

“I don’t have to score 30 points a game for people to know I can play,” Matthews said. “I’ve already proved that. Maybe this is the season we get into the playoffs. Maybe this is the year I’ll be playing in the Sports Arena.”