Cypress’ Lockard Gets With the Plan : Basketball: Guard sheds his reputation as a ‘gunner,’ helps team into state community college tournament.

Charles Lockard spent several weeks this basketball season wondering if transferring had been such a good idea.

He had left Saddleback College and come to Cypress in hopes of reaching the state tournament.

But to do so, he had to take three classes over the summer, leaving him with a total of one week of vacation.

When the season finally started, Lockard, a sophomore guard, struggled at times with his offense, defense . . . and teammates.

“I spent a lot of nights talking to my family, wondering if it was worth it,” Lockard said.

Lockard’s laments became moot, however, when Cypress upset second-seeded Ventura, 70-68, in the Southern California Regional final Saturday. Cypress (25-10) opens play in the state tournament at 6 tonight against Columbia (31-4).

Even playing for Cypress this season has come as a surprise for Lockard. At Saddleback, he averaged 18 points and earned the reputation of a “gunner.” He averaged 13 shots a game for the Gauchos.

Cypress’ system is built around balanced scoring and passing--things that didn’t appear to be important parts of Lockard’s game last season.

But to the surprise of many, except Lockard, he has blended into the Cypress system.

Lockard points to his numbers as a senior at Capistrano Valley as proof that last season was a misrepresentation of his talents. He averaged 12 points and eight assists for the Cougars in the 1987-88 season.

“I’ve always done whatever it takes to win,” he said. “That’s why I came here, I wanted to win. They have a tradition of winning and I have great respect for Coach (Don) Johnson . . . If I have to shoot 50 times to win, I will. And if they don’t need me to shoot at all, I will do that. It was just that no one else would shoot at Saddleback.”

Lockard is averaging 11 points and 4.6 assists at Cypress. He’s taking only seven shots a game. He has 160 assists, which is the fifth-best single-season total in school history.

But the transition between schools wasn’t especially smooth, especially at the start.

When Johnson was asked if Lockard was misunderstood last season, the coach said, “That was the Charles Lockard of that era. Deep down he has always wanted to be on a winner and he has made the adjustments quicker and faster than most.”

Lockard’s desire to win came close to costing Cypress dearly at a critical juncture of the Ventura game. With the score tied at 68-68, Lockard drove to the basket looking to pass to an open teammate. He was fouled and fell to the ground with six seconds left.

He appeared to be injured, so when Cypress’ trainer came onto the court, it meant that Lockard had to come out of the game. Lockard stood at midcourt and complained to the referees that the foul shots were his and not Sam Sabbara’s, who replaced him.

“I almost got a technical for not leaving the court,” Lockard said. “I really wanted to take those shots. But Sam did the job and we won.”

Tournament Notes

The state tournament begins today in the Bren Center with Compton (27-6) playing Chabot (24-7) at 2 p.m, College of the Sequoias (22-11) playing Long Beach (30-4) at 4 p.m., Cypress (25-10) playing Columbia (31-4) at 6 p.m., and defending champion Rancho Santiago (32-2) playing Kings River (26-9) at 8 p.m. The semifinals are 6 and 8 p.m. Friday, and the championship game is 7:30 p.m. Saturday. The state all-star game will be played at 5 p.m. Saturday . . . Rancho Santiago Coach Dana Pagett has played down the repeat angle for his team since the start of the season. “Only 25% of the team was there last season,” he said. “For most of the team, this is all new and that is how we are approaching it.” Rancho Santiago has four players making their second trip to the state tournament. LaVern Broadnax and Corie Blount are back as starters, and Eric Kutus is again a reserve guard. Glenn Greene, who starts this season, was redshirted and on the bench last year. . . . Admission for each day is $6 for adults, $4 for seniors and $3 for kids 12 and under.