ORANGE COUNTY PREP BASKETBALL : Low-Key Sargeant : Orange High Star Tired of Hearing She’s Too Reserved

Suzette Sargeant of Orange High School is tired of hearing people say her on-court attitude is often less than enthusiastic. They tell her she doesn’t get mad enough, doesn’t fight hard enough, doesn’t show the flash and fury of a true basketball star.

Sargeant doesn’t quite see it that way. In fact, she thinks her critics are completely wrong.

“People are always saying I don’t give it everything,” Sargeant said. “But I do . I just don’t scream and yell ‘We’re going to win’ all the time. That’s just the way I am.”

Sargeant, a senior, is a 6-foot 2-inch center whose offensive talents made her the fourth highest scorer in the county last season.

Utilizing an effective blend of inside and outside shots, Sargeant averaged 23 points and 14 rebounds a game last season. She began this season by scoring 15 points and getting 10 rebounds against Brea before twisting her ankle early in the third period. She missed most of the next game, scored 16 in a loss to Valencia, then added 21 points and 12 rebounds Wednesday in a 34-15 win over University.

Such credentials would hardly point to sloth, but Panther Coach Bob Gunther thinks there’s a lot Sargeant could do to spiff up her game--at least statistically.

“Suzette is real low-key on and off the court,” Gunther said. “That can be good sometimes, but she needs to get mad out there. There’s a point where lying low isn’t going to get you anywhere. I think she can become a great player. But she needs to learn to be more aggressive.”

Myron Brown, women’s basketball coach at Rancho Santiago College, watched Sargeant play a lot when she was taking his co-ed night basketball class last spring and summer. That supplemented the two or three hours of shooting practice she did alone every day during the off-season.

Brown says Sargeant was a very smart player and showed great potential, and believes she could be one of the best if she really wanted.

“If she gets the hunger, I think she could become the player she could be. (If so), her best days are in front of her,” Brown said.

Most of Sargeant’s teammates see little problem with their team captain’s attitude. Of course it’s tough to question someone’s effort when she’s outscoring you by 10 or more points. “I think she’s right up there with (Brea-Olinda’s) Carrie Egan,” said Alicia East, a junior forward at Orange. “And if she knows it, she shouldn’t be embarrassed to admit it. I think she could slam dunk too, if she tried to do it.

“Sometimes in practice you can tell she doesn’t push herself. Maybe because she’s so talented already. But she’s a real humble player, and I admire her for that.”

Well, maybe someone ought to let Sargeant speak for herself.

“The only way I can explain it is like this,” she said. “In my mind I want to win. I just don’t show it on my face. I don’t get all excited. I show it by playing.

“Besides that, I want everyone to be involved. I don’t want all the attention. It’s nice, but a basketball team is made of five, not one.”