It’s Been a Long Time Coming for Huntington Beach

Jeff Long has been waiting a long time for the success Huntington Beach High School’s basketball team currently is enjoying.

Long was a starter on last season’s varsity, which won only 2 league games and finished tied with Marina for last place in the Sunset League.

Long said he and his teammates didn’t like that losing feeling. This season, Long was all set to help turn things around. But he was going to have to wait.

Two games into the season, he injured his ankle in the Laguna Beach tournament.

“When I first went to the doctor, he said it was over, that I wasn’t going to play again this year,” Long said.

Long wouldn’t take no for an answer. He prevailed upon his parents to find him a new doctor. They did and over Christmas vacation he began physical therapy, 2 hours every day, to get his ankle strong enough to play.

His teammates helped by “just keeping me motivated,” Long said.

“They made me feel wanted and like they wanted me back.”

Well, he is back, and he was definitely worth the wait.

Long, The Times’ athlete of the week, scored 21 points, including the game-winner at the buzzer, to lift Huntington Beach past Marina, 62-61, Wednesday.

Friday, the senior added 12 points as Huntington Beach upset seventh-ranked Ocean View, 74-65. It was the first time in 7 years the Oilers had beaten Ocean View.

“We were trying to hang in there until he got back,” Coach Roy Miller said. “We look to him for leadership. He is very stable. You can count on him in a pressure situation. The players know that, so they look to him.”

Huntington Beach is 3 games into league play but already has tied the number of games won overall (7) and in league play (2) last season.

The success has brought out the crowds and that, Long said, has motivated him and his teammates even more.

“Last year, you came here and the place seemed empty,” Long said. “This year, the last couple of minutes of a game, the crowd just goes wild. It just fills you up.”

His ankle still hurts sometimes, but that is not something Long dwells on. It isn’t something he uses as an excuse.

“I love basketball so much, I just want to always play it,” he said.

TOP PERFORMERS

La Quinta’s Scott Campbell scored 80 points in Garden Grove League victories over Bolsa Grande and Los Amigos. He set a school record with 53 points against Bolsa Grande, erasing John Rogers’ record of 52 points set in 1981. His tally ties the fourth highest single-game scoring record in the county.

Jeff Long

Huntington Beach High

Position: Forward / Center.

Height, Weight, Class: 6-4, 235, Sr.

Last Week: Long’s shot at the buzzer gave Huntington Beach High School a 62-61 victory over Marina Wednesday. He scored 21 points in the victory and added another 12 Friday as the Oilers beat seventh-ranked Ocean View for the first time in 7 years.

Season: Long is averaging 18.8 points and 8.6 rebounds in 5 games.