Carreon Takes His Best Shot at Stardom : Division I-A: After sitting out last year, and losing starting job this year, Marina senior hits a game-winner.

Mike Carreon seemed uncomfortable talking about “The Shot.” He ducked his head, scuffed his sneaker on the gym floor and mumbled a few, almost inaudible, words.

There was, though, a trace of a smile.

The memory won’t fade, not in Carreon’s mind, not for a long time. If ever.

It was the second round of the Southern Section I-A playoffs and Marina was trailing Capistrano Valley, 57-56. With five seconds left, Carreon found himself alone in the corner with the ball.

A moment later, he was being mobbed by his teammates.

“I was open, so I shot the ball,” said Carreon, a 6-foot-1 senior.

He paused, then added, “and I’m very happy about it.”

Indeed.

That three-point field goal has been the high-point of Carreon’s rather anonymous, sometimes tumultuous, high school career. After being ineligible last year and losing a starting job earlier this season, he has created a place for himself in Marina basketball history.

Around campus, Carreon is simply known as, “The Guy Who Won the Capistrano Valley Game.” It might be a bit embarrassing for him, but it’s certainly better than carrying the weight of losing that game.

“Mike was an instant hero,” said Cherokee Parks, the Vikings’ 6-11 center who is sort of an authority on the subject.

“If he had missed, he would have been the goat. That would be a tough thing for anyone to carry around. Mike showed a lot of courage to take that shot. But he made it and we won.”

The Vikings have continued to win and will play Santa Barbara at 6:30 tonight at the Los Angeles Sports Arena for the division championship.

A year ago, this would have been a nightmare for Carreon. He anticipated playing a lot for the Vikings as a junior, but instead could only watch because of poor grades.

Carreon rarely attended a Marina game, especially during the playoffs. He wanted the team to do well, but sitting in the stands was too painful.

“I wanted to play so bad that I would get depressed when I went to games,” he said. “I couldn’t do anything to help the team.”

But Carreon was determined to be back.

Almost every day he found a pickup game to play in, just to remain sharp. When none could be found, he sought out his longtime friend Sean Haselrig and the two would play one-on-one.

“We had some great games,” said Haselrig, a senior guard for the Vikings. “We’ve been friends for eight years and he’s the most competitive guy I’ve seen.”

Carreon worked just as hard in the classroom to get eligible.

“I remember the day he got his grades, Mike came running to me and said, ‘I want to play, I want play,’ ” Marina Coach Steve Popovich said. “He couldn’t wait to get back with the team.”

Carreon began this season as a starting guard, but midway through the season, he was relegated to the bench. Popovich used him as an offensive jolt when his offense needed a jump start.

Still, it wasn’t a role Carreon cherished at first.

“Everybody wants to be a starter, so of course I was disappointed,” Carreon said. “But Coach Popovich was right. When I was a starter, I would be asleep on the court sometimes. When I come off the bench, I can watch the first few minutes and get into the game.”

Carreon’s play was undistinguished and inconsistent during much of the regular season. He did score nine points in games against Huntington Beach and Santa Ana, but averaged only 3.7 points in Sunset League play.

His playing time diminished toward the end of the season. However, the need for outside shooting in order to keep the defense from collapsing on Parks brought Carreon back into the picture.

“Mike is a streak shooter,” Popovich said. “When he gets hot, he can really hurt a team.”

In the quarterfinals against San Bernardino, Carreon scored all 10 of his points in the second half. He made four of five shots, including two three-pointers.

With the score tied, 35-35, late in the third quarter, Carreon got open in the corner. It was almost a replay of the previous game against Capistrano Valley, as he sank a three-pointer to give the Vikings a lead they would never relinquish.

Carreon then closed out the quarter with a 10-foot jumper over the outstretched hand of Ray Owes, a 6-8 center who will attend Arizona.

“I used to be afraid to shoot,” Carreon said. “I was scared to miss. But now I have confidence. I know when I’m on.”

His biggest basket in that game, though, came after San Bernardino had cut the lead to 46-43. Against a full-court press, Parks got the inbounds pass and threw a baseball pass to Carreon, who scored an easy layup.

“That was the shot that won the game,” Popovich said. “My athletic director told me that, the kids told me that and my wife told me that. I have to agree.”