For Dons, Broadnax Was Worth the Wait : Basketball: After taking a two-season break, guard from Tustin became a key factor in Rancho Santiago’s success.

A few years back, Tim O’Brien, then the Tustin High School basketball coach, called Rancho Santiago College to check on the progress of LaVern Broadnax.

Broadnax, a 5-foot-11 guard, had graduated from Tustin in 1987 and gone on to play for Dana Pagett at Rancho Santiago. Or so figured O’Brien, now coach at Estancia High.

But Pagett had no idea how Broadnax was doing. Because he had no idea where Broadnax was.

Four years later, Pagett needs simply to watch the court to check on Broadnax’s progress. Broadnax, a sophomore, is starting in the back court for the second consecutive year for the Dons (15-1), who have won 12 games in a row.

Rancho Santiago, the top-ranked team in the state, opens play against Los Angeles Trade Tech at 8 p.m. Thursday in the first round of the Rancho Santiago Holiday Tournament.

Broadnax had played some in Rancho Santiago’s summer program in 1987 but decided to sit out the school year to work and lift weights. He showed up again for the summer of ’88 and attended school briefly in the fall but then pulled the same vanishing act.

“I wasn’t sure if I wanted to play after high school,” Broadnax said. “I played all the time at the park, and I just started to miss it.”

Finally, last fall, Broadnax was sure he wanted to play. And his timing was as exact as most of his passes.

He earned a starting spot on a team that rolled to a 32-3 record, best in the college’s history. He also was part of Rancho Santiago’s first state championship team in men’s basketball.

Broadnax’s made many contributions last season, but none was as memorable as a pair of free throws with one second left in regulation in a round-of-16 state playoff game.

Rancho Santiago trailed Glendale, 77-75, when he was fouled in the act of shooting. He went to the line, made both shots, and Rancho Santiago was in overtime. The Dons eventually won, 86-84.

“Coach Pagett asked me if I wanted a timeout,” Broadnax said. “But I didn’t. I thought I had missed the first one, but it hit the back of the rim, went up, then fell in. That took the pressure off.”

Rancho Santiago won its final three games over American River, El Camino and Chabot (for the championship). Against American River, Broadnax had a career-high eight assists.

“He’s one of my favorites,” Pagett said. “Even before the free throws. He plays with all he has all the time. He tries to do the things we want done, and he always stays in the game, even when he’s on the bench.”

His play in the playoffs was impressive, given a pair of calamities he had to overcome just two weeks earlier. In a game against Orange Coast, his head was split open by 6-foot-10 teammate Matt Lien as the pair went after a rebound.

“I just started seeing red coming down and fell right to the floor,” Broadnax said.

A few stitches closed the wound, and he was ready for the Orange Empire Conference championship game three days later.

This time, Broadnax ran into Cypress forward Brian Kenney and lost two front teeth. He also gained a mouthpiece that he now uses every time he takes the court.

Broadnax, who will be 22 next month, averaged 7.7 points and 2.3 assists last season, but most amazing was his low number of turnovers: just 56 in 35 games. He had 57 steals as well.

This season, Broadnax is averaging 10 points and two assists for a team on which he and forward Corie Blount are the only returning starters. The Dons’ chances for another outstanding season were helped greatly when guard Brett Pagett (UC Irvine) and forward Erik Martin (Texas Christian) transferred.

Broadnax and Pagett, the coach’s son, switch off at point guard and wing.

“We have a lot of good players,” Broadnax said. “Coach Pagett still wants me to be a threat, but I know I just have to get them the ball, and we’ll win.”

Holiday Tournament Notes

Thursday’s first-round pairings for the Rancho Santiago tournament: Los Angeles City vs. Saddleback at 2 p.m., Skagit Valley (Washington) vs. Long Beach at 4 p.m., Mt. San Antonio vs. Santa Monica at 6 p.m. and Los Angeles Trade Tech vs. Rancho Santiago at 8 p.m. The tournament continues until Saturday’s 8 p.m. championship game. . . . This year’s field is the best of any tournament in the state, with four teams in the top 13 of the state rankings. Rancho Santiago is No. 1, Long Beach is second, Los Angeles City 10th and Santa Monica 13th.