Goff Extends His Post to the Perimeter Now

Early on, it was little more than an innocent compulsion. Mike Goff of Magnolia High School spent summer afternoons shooting baskets by himself at Reid Park in Anaheim.

Once in a while, he indulged himself with a pickup game before heading home. That was enough to satisfy his appetite.

Soon he needed to shoot more jumpers, leap for more rebounds, play more games to fulfill his basketball fix.

Goff’s trips to the park became more frequent, and he also headed undercover to play in local gymnasiums.

“I played whenever I could,” he said. “I’d go to any gym that was open. It seemed like I could always find a gym that was open.”

Before his senior season had started, Goff had become a basketball junkie.

The sounds of squeaking sneakers on hardwood courts and a net snapping after a swished jumper were his high.

There was a method to Goff’s basketball madness, a reason behind his obsession. At 6-feet 6-inches, Goff knew that he couldn’t be a center for the rest of his career.

In order to become a complete player and enhance his chances of getting a college scholarship, he needed to learn the skills of a guard or a small forward. Goff is a prime example of someone who is playing out of position in high school.

He leads fast breaks, passing to open teammates for easy baskets. He works himself free from defenders for short jumpers at the free throw line or along the baseline and occasionally shoots, and makes, a three-point shot.

His increased repertoire has bolstered his scoring average from last season’s 19 points a game to this season’s 31.4, best in Orange County. He also is averaging a county-leading 20 rebounds a game.

“Last year, I was just a 6-6 post, turn around and face the basket player,” Goff said.

That’s all Magnolia, which finished 20-6 and advanced to the quarterfinal round of the Southern Section 3-A playoffs, asked of Goff, the only underclassman to start last season.

This season, he is the Sentinels’ only experienced starter. Although he is still the Magnolia center, his game has changed considerably.

“A couple of times in games, I’ll come down court with the ball and (the defense) will say, ‘Shooter. Watch the shooter,’ ” Goff said.

In a tournament game against Brea-Olinda earlier this season, Goff scored 53 points, fourth-best in Orange County history. In 1910, Art Worthy of Huntington Beach set the county record with 58 points.

“Before the season started, I figured I’d have to average between 20 and 25 points to help the team win,” Goff said. “Now I want to score a lot more to help us win.”

Said Al Walin, Magnolia coach: “He played a lot of places last summer. He plays so much basketball.”

While playing at Reid Park, Goff met Troy Joseph, a 6-4 sophomore swing player at Fullerton College and a former Western High player.

Joseph, who is making a similar transition, made a big impression on Goff.

“There are guys his size playing point guard in college,” said Joseph, who has signed to play at New Mexico State next season.

“He always wants to go inside, but he needed to learn to handle the ball more for his future. So I told him he had to work on it. When we play on weekends, he always plays outside and works on his ballhandling.”

Goff also spent time practicing with friend Randy Czech in the Magnolia gym last summer, albeit without permission.

Goff and Czech, who is not a member of the Magnolia basketball team, sneaked into the gym occasionally. Goff shot from the perimeter and Czech rebounded and passed the ball back.

He and Czech, who is 5-8, also played one-on-one for hours, but there was a minor catch in the rules. Goff couldn’t go inside the key when he had the ball. He could only shoot from the outside.

Though it was easy to get his shot off against the shorter Czech, Goff found it difficult to play outside.

Goff reports, with a slightly embarrassed smile, that Czech won every game during the summer.

Losing to his friend is funny to Goff now. But no one else is laughing at him, not with the way he tears apart defenses.

It seems that his compulsive tendencies have paid off.