Making a Point : Position Requires Best and Brightest

Combine the skills of a good, quick ballhandler with the innate ability to make snap decisions and then add the intangibles of good leadership and poise--you’ve got what it takes to be a good point guard.

A point guard often controls a game, not so much with scoring, but with ability to dictate a tempo or orchestrate an offense. He is often the focal point in a close ballgame--a good pass can win a game; one mistake can lose it.

“You can dominate a game with a good point guard who scores only three points,” said Jim Perry, La Quinta coach. “It’s the most important position in high school basketball.”

By most standards, the point-guard position also is the most difficult in high school basketball. A player must learn to blend his talents with his teammates. He’s the most criticized player on his team simply because he has the ball in his hands more than anyone.

“They’re hard to find,” said Dave Brown, Fountain Valley coach. “They have to be very talented and very strong-willed. The end product is a cooperative effort between the player and his coach.”

Mark Thornton, Capistrano Valley coach, has produced some of Orange County’s best point guards during the past seven years.

Burt Call, a two-time all-Southern Section guard, was the Cougars’ first standout at point guard, followed by his younger brother, Nathan, and then Scott McCullough. Thornton has another standout this year in Charles Lockard.

“They’ve all shared several characteristics,” Thornton said. “First, they were all good leaders. They had the respect of every player on the team.

“Second, they knew the game inside out. Burt and Nathan played 60 games a year from the time they were in second grade until they got to high school.

“Look around at the good point guards in the county. Players like Bret Johnson, Scootie Lynwood and Brett Pagett all played on traveling teams before they ever got to high school.”

Most coaches insist that there’s nothing that can replace experience when it comes to playing point guard. A center can work on his post moves in practice, but a point guard learns from actual game situations.

“The bottom line is can the guy win?” Perry said. “Can he handle the ball in crunch time? Can he handle the pressure?”

Perry has coached one of the county’s best point guards, Kenny Bennett, the past three seasons.

“I would estimate that 90% of the time Kenny knows what play we’re going to run before I call it,” Perry said. “I never worry about his court judgment. He’s street smart and classroom smart.”

Bennett is also a good outside shooter who has made 14 three-point shots this season. Perry thinks Bennett’s scoring ability makes him a more effective point guard.

“You have to respect his outside shot, so that spreads the defense out more, which allows Kenny to drive for a lot of baskets or pass off to an open man on the wing,” Perry said.

Bennett is a growing example of the new breed of point guard adept at scoring or passing. Lockard is Capistrano Valley’s best three-point shooter. Johnson is El Toro’s second-leading scorer with a 16.5 average.

“I think one of the big misconceptions over the years is that a point guard has to constantly be looking to make the pass,” said Tom Gregory, Savanna coach. Gregory played point guard at the University of Nebraska.

“I think a point guard should be looking for the open shot first, and then pass,” he said. “If you don’t have an outside shot, the passing lanes will never open.”

Gregory said his senior point guard, Richard Kemple, isn’t the most talented player on his team, but he is the smartest player he’s ever coached.

“I think Richard’s limitations as an athlete have helped to make him a better point guard,” Gregory said. “The true measure of a point guard is how good he makes the rest of the team.

“A good point guard can make an average player look good, and a good player look great. (Former Savanna point guard) Keith Watanabe had a way of making everybody look real good.”

Fountain Valley (13-2) has been the county’s surprise team. The Barons returned only two players from a 12-11 team last season, and Brown was forced to rebuild from the nucleus of a junior varsity team that won only three league games.

A big part of the Barons’ success this season is because of junior point guard Tom Weaver.

“Tom has always been very talented, but he made too many mistakes last year,” Brown said. “He’s learned to discipline his game with a lot of hard work.

“I kidded him earlier this year that he was trying to drive me crazy, but wouldn’t succeed because I was already there trying to coach point guards before him.”

Can a team be successful without a standout point guard? Sunny Hills (14-1), which has the county’s best record relies on guards Chris Drakos and Jeff White but doesn’t have a true point guard.

“Both are averaging over six assists a game, and between Jeff and Chris, I think they have all the qualities of a good point guard,” said Steve White, Sunny Hills coach.

Brian Kenney of Servite is rated by most college coaches as one of the county’s top point guard prospects, but he seldom plays the position. Kenney is leading the Friars in scoring with a 22.1 average and is shooting 62% from the field from the off guard position.

“He’s being recruited as both a point and off guard,” said John Walker, Servite co-coach. “He’s our best shooter, so we don’t want him passing too much. When we go into our delay game, he assumes the role of a point guard.

“I think he’s as good as any guard you’ll find in the county at either the point or the wing. He’s a complete, polished player.”

Pagett, of Los Alamitos, has signed a national letter of intent to play point guard at UC Irvine next season.

“There’s two things I want a point guard to do,” said Bill Mulligan Irvine coach. “Defeat the pressure, and then hit the open jump shot if the defense sags. Too many point guards try to do more than you want them to do.

“I see too many guys failing to pass to the first open man because they want to make the spectacular pass to another guy. I’ve also learned that it’s difficult to make someone into a point guard who has never been a point guard.

“We tried to make (former Ocean View star) Mike Labat into a point guard, but the experiment failed.”

Mike Peters has been shooting more for San Clemente this season, more out of necessity than by design. Peters was the only experienced player returning for the Tritons (2-12).

“I can’t tell you how many times Mike has driven down the lane, dished the ball off and then had one of his teammates drop the ball or miss an easy shot,” said Dion Kerhoulas, San Clemente coach. “It’s been very frustrating for him.

“I think Mike is one of the best point guards around. He’s as smooth as glass, handles the ball very well and creates scoring opportunities. He probably shoots more than he should, but he’s the best we’ve got.”

TOP COUNTY POINT GUARDS

Name School Ht. Class Greg Bedford Cypress 5-10 Senior Kenny Bennett La Quinta 5-9 Senior Dedric Bentley Santa Ana Valley 5-8 Senior Mike Frohn Ocean View 6-0 Junior Bret Johnson El Toro 6-1 Senior Brian Kenney Servite 6-1 Senior Richard Kimple Savanna 5-8 Senior Charles Lockard Capistrano Valley 6-0 Senior Scootie Lynwood Santa Ana 6-1 Senior Brett Pagett Los Alamitos 6-0 Senior Dirk Paul Edison 5-11 Senior Mike Peters San Clemente 5-11 Senior Geoff Probst Corona del Mar 5-11 Senior Mark Ramstack Mater Dei 6-1 Senior Tom Weaver Fountain Valley 6-0 Junior