Lovett Following in Brother’s Steps : Football: Franklin standout to play in Shrine game before preparing for Pacific 10 season at Arizona.

Lamar Lovett did not need a campus map when he arrived at UC Irvine last week to begin practice for Saturday night’s Shrine All-Star Football Classic at the Rose Bowl.

Lovett, the state’s leading receiver last season at Franklin High, made the trek to Irvine last July to watch his brother, Lamont, prepare for the Shrine game, which pits the top graduating seniors from Southern California against their counterparts from Northern California.

“I remember the food and the facilities as being great from my standpoint as a visitor,” Lamar said. “Now that I’m here as a player, those things are still good.”

Few would contest that Lamar, who will join Lamont at Arizona in the fall, deserves to be playing with the state’s elite players rather than watching them.

Lamar, a 5-foot-10, 180-pound wide receiver, caught a state-leading 100 passes--19 for touchdowns--as Franklin won its second consecutive City Section 3-A Division title last season.

Despite his accomplishments, he was largely overshadowed by quarterback Santiago Alvarez, who passed for more than 4,000 yards and 52 touchdowns.

No big deal, said Lamar.

“If I was one who wanted to be in the spotlight all the time, I would have been disappointed,” Lamar said. “But I helped the team win a championship by doing what I do best. I’m a team player and will do what’s best to help the team succeed.”

That much was evident last week when South coaches Jim Barnett and Ken Sutch asked for volunteers to play in the secondary.

Lamar didn’t hesitate.

“He jumps forward and is willing to help any way he can,” said Sutch, head coach at Paramount High. “It was a classy move. I’m sure he’d have no problem playing on the other side of the ball.”

Lamar said he was only looking for a chance to contribute.

“I came to play in the game, it didn’t matter what position,” said Lamar, who made The Times’ All-Glendale team in 1989 as a defensive back. “Besides, it’s fun to play on defense against the guys who are supposedly the best at the (wide receiver) position.”

Two weeks after the Shrine game, however, Lamar will return to wide receiver when he reports to Tucson for his first college workouts.

The opportunity to catch passes rather than defend against them was one reason Lamar chose Arizona over USC, UCLA and other Pacific 10 Conference schools that recruited him as a defensive back.

But that wasn’t the only factor.

“Arizona was always there,” he said. “They sent me the first letter when I was in the 10th grade--it was the first one from a college that I ever received----and that made a lasting impression.

“When my brother eventually chose to go there, that added to my incentive.”

Lamont, who rushed for more than 2,000 yards his senior season at Franklin, will be a redshirt freshman this season. Last year he played on the scout team in practice, impersonating opposing runners such as USC’s Ricky Ervins and Washington State’s Steve Broussard for the benefit of the Wildcat defense.

The experience provided Lamont with insight he passed on to his younger brother.

“Lamont said they’re faster and they hit harder, but it’s mostly a mental change,” Lamar said. “The main thing is to come in and not be intimidated by anyone.”

Once he arrives in Tucson, Lamar is hoping to avoid redshirt status and contend for a starting position. He is confident that he can help the Wildcats, who were 8-4 and rushed for a conference-best 240.9 yards per game but passed for only 81.6 yards per game--the fewest in the Pac-10.

Arizona Coach Dick Tomey has said he aims to balance the Wildcats’ attack, which suits Lamar Lovett just fine.

“Everybody over there is pumped up and they have reason to be,” Lamar said. “People don’t expect a lot, but I think we’re going to surprise some people.”