Mounce No Longer Jack-of-All-Positions : College basketball: Senior settles in at point guard after playing all over the court for Southern California College.

John Mounce came to Southern California College to learn a different way to play basketball.

After playing methodical, pick-and-pass basketball through most of his career, Mounce was ready to see how the other half lived. Or at least he wanted to see how to use more than half the court.

The run-and-gun, press-until-you-drop style of the Vanguards helped induce him to transfer from Azusa Pacific. What Mounce didn’t realize was that he would be learning it all, as in everything the Vanguards did from every position. This season, it’s point guard.

“They just keep switching me around,” said Mounce, who graduated from Mater Dei High School in 1986. “I was very surprised at first. (Assistant coach) Randy Hawkins told me this could be my ticket. He also told me not to make any mistakes.”

After playing center, power forward and small forward his first two seasons at SCC, Mounce finally settled in as an off-guard last season. Then, just when he thought he had his role defined, Coach Bill Reynolds pulled the rug out.

Reynolds didn’t give Mounce any warning or preparation time. He was moved to point guard in the middle of a loss to Christian Heritage earlier this season. He has performed so well that he has been a point guard since.

Tonight at 7:30, Southern California plays Christian Heritage again, this time for the National Assn. of Intercollegiate Athletics District 3 championship. The winner will go to Kansas City for the NAIA national tournament.

Mounce is one of the main reasons the Vanguards have reached the district final for the second consecutive season. On Saturday in the semifinal, he scored 21 points and made two free throws with 12 seconds left in overtime to clinch an 88-83 victory over Westmont.

“That’s the guy we want on the free-throw line with the game on the line,” Reynolds said. “He’s among the leaders in the nation in free throws. But more than that, John hates to lose. He’ll do anything to win.”

Which is one of the reasons Reynolds moved Mounce to point guard.

The Vanguards had a void at the point at the start of the season. Todd Dixon, a two-time all-district player, had graduated and Elbert Davis, a transfer from Golden West College, was adjusting to the system.

John Carmichael, a transfer from Bethany Bible, didn’t pan out as a point guard.

“Elbert was doing OK, but not excellent and John (Carmichael) was better as a shooting guard,” Reynolds said. “That left us with a need at point guard. I figured why not try John? He was a steady player who made good decisions.”

So early in the Christian Heritage game Reynolds told Mounce to move to point guard.

Not only did Mounce have to direct the offense for the first time, he also had to defend Mark Kraatz, considered one of the top guards in the NAIA.

“It was kind of scary,” Mounce said. “I mean, Kraatz is an All-American-type player. I remember him blowing past me almost every time down the court. I was sort of thrown to the wolves.”

But Mounce learned under fire.

A few weeks later, Mounce played well in a game against Murray State, a Division I NCAA school. The Vanguards nearly upset the Racers, who went on to win the Ohio Valley Conference title.

“John is just a scrawny 6-2 kid who’s not the quickest player or the best shooter,” Reynolds said. “But he’s very good at delivering the ball to the right people. He’s also very intelligent. He can create scoring opportunities for himself.”

Mounce is averaging 10.4 points and 5.5 assists a game. He is also shooting 52.2% from the field and 86.8% from the free-throw line.

“It was a tough adjustment at first, especially on defense,” Mounce said. “I didn’t have the sidelines and baseline anymore. It seemed like everybody was blowing past me at first. Now I’ve learned to take a step or two off.”

But beyond statistics, Mounce has provided stability for the Vanguards, who had lost three starters from last season’s team. With so many parts to replace, SCC struggled at first.

The Vanguards were 5-5 entering Golden State Athletic Conference play. They’re now 24-8.

“We were searching for the right combination during the preseason,” Reynolds said. “John gave us the steadiness we need to develop. You have to give the bulk of the credit to him.”

For Mounce, it’s just another job.

Mounce’s high school career was a mixture of success and pain. He was a teammate of LeRon Ellis and played on two Southern Section 4-A championship teams.

Mounce’s career was slowed by a broken ankle the summer before his junior year and a broken wrist the summer before his senior year. As a result, he was a starter only one season.

Mounce was the only starter on Mater Dei’s 1985-86 team who didn’t receive a Division I scholarship. He ended up at Azusa Pacific.

“They were one of the few schools who recruited me pretty heavily,” said Mounce, whose family lives in San Clemente. “I also wanted to get away from home, but be close enough to get a home-cooked meal once in a while. I thought I could fit in there.”

But after one semester, Mounce was ready to leave. He had only a partial scholarship and the tuition was too expensive. He called Reynolds, who also recruited him in high school.

“Southern California was a lot cheaper,” Mounce said. “They also played a style of basketball I really liked. Even in high school, we had walked the ball up the court because we had LeRon and (Stuart) Thomas. I wanted to go some place where they ran and pressed.”

As a sophomore, Mounce came off the bench, sometimes as an inside player. Last season, he played on the perimeter and started most of the Vanguards’ games.

“I didn’t do too bad as a post player,” Mounce said. “In high school, I had to guard guys like Tom Lewis in practice. I like to think I learned something. But I would rather play guard. That’s my natural position.”

Even point guard?

“It’s a challenge, but hey, I’m just happy I’m playing,” Mounce said. “I’m even having some fun at it.”