Clark Is Not the Whole Story : Christian: Adaptability of other Patriots was as important as new guy’s scoring as team reached Division V state final.

Last season, Christian High had a mediocre boys’ basketball team. The Patriots finished with a 14-12 record and were fourth in the City Central League.

But then something happened, making Christian one of the most competitive and talked-about small-school teams in the state: Tony Clark, the county’s leading scorer in 1988-89, decided to transfer from Valhalla. And when a three-member subcommittee of the San Diego Section Board of Managers voted to waive the public-to-private transfer rule, allowing Clark to play, Christian’s future immediately became brighter.

But a great player doesn’t automatically make a great team or winning season. It was awkward at first. Just as it is breaking in a new pair of shoes, it took time for the Patriots to feel comfortable playing with somebody of Clark’s caliber.

As a junior at Valhalla, Clark averaged 29.3 points per game and was named The Times’ section player of the year. This year, he averaged 44 points, scoring 1,312 for the season, finishing with 2,522 for his career and breaking a number of section records.

“Tony had to create his own shots (at first),” Christian Coach Randy Wright said. “He’s still creating shots, but the kids are getting the ball to him in better spots. The kids have progressed to a point where we’re a pretty decent basketball team.”

“Pretty decent” seems an understatement coming from a coach whose team is now 19-11 and will play Colusa (27-2) for the Division V state championship Friday in Oakland.

“I don’t think we would’ve gotten this much better without Tony,” Wright said, “but I don’t think we would have gone this far if the kids hadn’t progressed as much as they did.”

At first the players watched Clark more than they played with him. In February, Wright said, they were getting more used to Clark, and Christian began to improve. The Patriots finished second in the City Harbor League with a 5-3 record.

“When you play with a great ballplayer like Tony, you’re going to learn,” Wright said. “They had to learn not to stand around and watch him but move around to the open gap and be ready for the good passes.

“They’ve definitely progressed. The kids understand their roles and are very unselfish.”

Added Jeff Rose: “At the start of the year, it was just Tony, and everyone else was just on the court. Now we’re more of a team.”

Wright said that during the playoffs, others were making key plays. Wright continues to talk about Rose’s steal and three-point play that helped Christian to a 44-43 regional quarterfinal victory over Paramount Brethren.

“That was a very tough high school play,” Wright said. “He’s learned a lot.”

Brad Fox, the lone returning starter, doesn’t score much but is a “role player,” Wright said, vital in rebounding on both ends.

“I’m looking for him to have a pretty good game Friday,” Wright said. “He’s had games (scoring) in the 20s. He’s real good at giving that up and giving the ball to Tony.”

Against Canoga Park Faith Baptist in Christian’s regional semifinal victory, junior Dave Piester scored 18 points and had nine rebounds.

“It’s important to get him into the flow early,” Wright said. “If we can get him rebounding early in the game, he gets the confidence he needs offensively.”

Added Piester: “Toward the second half of the season, there was more chemistry between us, and we began getting used to Tony.

“He’s a great player.”