CSUN Guard Weinerth Gets Right to the Point : Women’s basketball: The spirited freshman from Buena High has performed capably in the Lady Matadors’ backcourt.

Trying to keep in touch with friends in Ventura has become quite expensive for Joan Weinerth since she moved to Cal State Northridge in the fall.

“My phone bill is enormous,” said Weinerth, 18. “I have so many friends still living there. It’s hard to stay in contact with all of them.”

But it was that way even when the former Buena High basketball standout was living in Ventura.

Her parents had to install a second telephone line in their home because Weinerth and her brother, Robert, 20, used to fight over use of the phone.

Her fighting spirit extends well beyond the length of a phone cord--all the way to the court.

It is 10 a.m. the day before the CSUN women’s team is to depart for a game at Southern Utah.

During practice in the empty CSUN gym, Weinerth displays a tenacity that many players reserve for game days, diving for loose balls, sprinting at full speed downcourt on breaks and fighting for rebounds.

“Intense is a good word,” Northridge Coach Leslie Milke said. “She has a little wild side in her and sometimes she has a tendency to get out of control. She likes to play with a lot of emotion.”

At Buena last season, the 5-foot-6 point guard was selected to the Southern Section Division I first team after leading the Bulldogs to the Channel League title, averaging 19.8 points and 5.4 assists.

Despite those credentials, Milke didn’t envision Weinerth in a starting role this season.

After all, at point guard Northridge returned two-year starter Bridgette Ealy, a California Collegiate Athletic Assn. first-team selection who led the team in assists last season.

But when Ealy was forced to redshirt with a nagging hamstring injury after the fourth game, Weinerth was pressed into a starting lineup and has filled in quite nicely.

Going into Friday night’s home contest against Cal State Dominguez Hills, Weinerth leads Northridge (4-12, 1-0) in steals (2.6) and assists (3.3) and is second in scoring (9.6).

“We knew she had the potential to be a starter,” Milke said. “She had good instincts and defensive skills. We thought that she would see a lot of playing time, but mostly in a backup role.”

Weinerth had other plans.

“I expected to be playing,” she said. “I don’t like watching from the bench. I didn’t see myself as a practice player.”

Joe Vaughan, Weinerth’s coach at Buena, doesn’t find her quick contribution surprising.

“She’s a real competitor,” Vaughan said. “It’s a rare ingredient that she has. She was born with it. It’s something that you can’t teach. She has a will to win.”

Milke agrees.

“She has that competitive instinct, a real competitive fire,” said Milke, who played at Northridge in the late ‘70s. “She’s just doesn’t like to lose. I like that. She kind of reminds me of myself when I was playing.”

Because Weinerth was to have been primarily a ballhandler, her point production has been surprising. She has led the team in scoring in three games, including a career-high 22 points in a win over San Angelo State.

“With Bridgette out, we needed someone to take charge,” Milke said. “She’s done a really good job. Joanie’s getting better and better each game. She had a lot of raw ability out of high school and she’s poised for a freshman.

“We really didn’t anticipate that. I think her background has a lot to do with it. She came from a very good high school program.”

How good?

The Buena program has won the Channel League title 11 times--and the state title twice--in the past 13 years. In Weinerth’s three years, Buena was 73-9. Last season, the Bulldogs advanced to the Southern Section 5-A semifinals before losing to eventual champion Hart.

But such success comes only after hard work nearly year-round.

Buena begins workouts, including pick-up games and drills, almost immediately after the regular season ends. In May, the team begins practice for summer league, playing 20 to 25 games.

In the fall, an intensive conditioning program starts with rope jumping, sprints and work on basic skills; in November, practice for the regular season begins. All told, the program requires a commitment of 11 months.

“We have a tradition and a reputation,” said Vaughan, whose career record of 340-29 is the best among girls’ coaches in the state. “The kids understand that and make the commitment. The ones that don’t fall by the wayside.”

It was that reputation that attracted Weinerth to Buena.

Weinerth lived midway between Ventura High and Buena in Ventura’s district. However, Weinerth obtained a permit to attend Buena.

“Everybody who comes out of there knows the fundamentals,” Weinerth said. “They know how to shoot, dribble and play defense. It was hard, but it has prepared me for the college level.”

She may have been less prepared to lose more games in two months than she lost in three years in high school.

“In high school, every game I went into I expected to win. Now it’s different,” she said. “I’m not getting used to losing. I’m accepting it better. In the beginning I was really frustrated. You try to think of all the things you do wrong and all the things you can do to improve.

The Lady Matadors have shown improvement of late, winning their first CCAA game, 68-65, over Cal Poly San Luis Obispo last week.

“Now that conference has begun, it means a lot more to us to win. It was a big boost to win our first game,” Weinerth said.

Win or lose, Weinerth maintains intensity and a positive outlook. It is evident even at practice.

As Northridge concludes its workout, each player must make a free throw. With each miss, the entire team must sprint up and down the court.

Weinerth is the first one back each time.

After the last player has made her free throw, Milke hands out itineraries for the next day’s trip to Utah.

“We’re leaving at 7:30 in the morning and we have to drive there,” Weinerth says to a reporter with her eyes rolled skyward. “It’s going to take forever.”

She paused for a moment and then smiled.

“But I guess that’s OK, I have a lot of friends on the team. It should be fun.”