Irvine’s Molle Keeps Marines Off-Guard : Prep basketball: Playing pickup games with players from military bases has toughened the Vaqueros’ senior forward.

There are times John Molle will come home from Heritage or Orchard parks with a fat lip, a swollen nose or even a loose tooth.

Such are the battle scars of pickup basketball games.

When he’s not playing for the Irvine High School team, Molle can be found playing ball at the park, usually against older players from the nearby Tustin and El Toro military bases.

“I’m not a gym rat,” Molle said. “I’m a park rat.”

Molle lives for outdoor basketball. Give him a rim, backboard and a slab of cement, and he’ll give you 32 points, 10 rebounds and an elbow to the chest.

Molle can tell you there’s nothing tougher than guarding a 6-foot-7 drill sergeant who had a rough day at the office.

The military players are more than willing to take out their frustrations on the younger players, but Molle doesn’t mind the rough treatment.

“You get all kinds of athletes at the park,” he said. “There are jumpers, quick guys and 6-7 guys who can bang you around. Those big Marines really make you work.”

Most of the older players don’t even realize they’re on the court with a high school player. Molle, sporting a mustache and a tightly cut flat top, appears older than 17.

“I like playing against the older, stronger players,” he said. “I’ve come home with a swollen lip or nose a few times. And if it’s not showing, I’m usually hurting inside. My muscles are usually tightening up and aching when I get home.”

Molle, a muscular, 6-5 senior forward, isn’t exactly a pushover. A good outside shooter and ballhandler, he also posts up inside. Those skills are a must in pickup ball, he said.

“When you’re at the park there’s no one telling you what you’re doing wrong,” said Molle, who will play at San Diego State next season. “Most of the guys at the park are tall, and we get some who think they’re the greatest thing in the world.

“They’re fun games, though. That’s what I like about the park. They’ll have open gyms and no one will be there, but you go to the park and it’s packed. There’s something about playing outdoors--the atmosphere--that makes it rough.”

Irvine Coach Steve Keith said Molle’s play during pickup games, with summer all-star teams and in the Slam ‘N Jam league have made him one of the best players in Orange County.

“He has played a million hours of basketball,” Keith said. “That’s what separates him from the average high school kid. He has size and talent, but he’s also very committed to the game. He has spent some time to get where he’s at.”

But Molle’s game isn’t limited to the park. A three-year starter at Irvine, he has shown that he can score indoors too.

Molle averaged 22 points and eight rebounds last season, including games of 40 and 39 points.

He has kept up the pace this season, scoring 32 points in Irvine’s 82-46 victory over Villa Park last week and had 34 points Monday night against Huntington Beach.

“John hasn’t had too many klinkers,” Keith said. “It’s easier to remember the games where he was held down.”

Teams have a hard time matching up with Molle. His ballhandling allows him to dribble past most taller players. His size and bulk help him post up inside, where he can use his playground moves.

“He can do it all,” Keith said. “Versatility always comes to mind when I see him play. He has gotten stronger, and he has great ballhandling skills and can play in the post.”

One of Molle’s best games was one fans never saw. He was watching a scrimmage between Saddleback College players and the Orange County all-star South squad last spring when one of the Saddleback players invited him to join.

Molle, a junior at the time, scored 30 points against the South team, made up entirely of seniors. He even mixed it up inside with a familiar South Coast League rival, Capistrano Valley’s Scott McCorkle, who is now at Syracuse.

“All the guys out there were older than I was,” Molle said. “I was helping one of the Saddleback players work on his inside game. I kept thinking, ‘What are you doing? You’re just a high school junior and you’re helping out the college guys.’ ”

Soon, Molle will be a college player.

Molle signed early with San Diego State, turning down offers from Cal State Fullerton, UC Irvine and Tulsa. The Aztecs were 13-18 last season and finished eighth out of nine teams in the Western Athletic Conference.

“I had already made up my mind to got to San Diego State,” he said. “I just wanted to reassure it with a visit.

“I want to major in business, and San Diego State has a strong business school. It’s a (basketball) program on the rise, and I wanted to go somewhere that I would get some playing time.”

Keith said Molle should do well at San Diego State. He said Molle made a good decision by committing early.

“John has played Slam ‘N Jam and has been seen by all the college coaches the last few years,” Keith said.

Molle will become the second member of his family to play athletics at a Division I college.

His older brother, Raphael, just finished his second season as an offensive tackle on Utah’s football team.

“My dad (John Sr.) has always pushed us to get into sports,” Molle said. “He has done so much for us, driving us to practices up in L.A. when we were little. And my mom (Librada) comes to all our games and supports us.”

And here’s more news for Irvine sports fans--there’s another Molle on the move.

Molle’s 8-year-old brother, Andy, is becoming a pretty good basketball and football player too. But is he good enough for the pickup games at Heritage and Orchard parks?

“No, he’s still not ready for that yet,” John Molle said.