ALL-COUNTY TEAMS AND ATHLETES OF THE YEAR : Nguyen Stays in Control of Emotions, Opponents : Boys’ badminton: Junior learns to keep his temper in check while helping Estancia win 4-A team title.

Last year, Chau Nguyen of Estancia High School spent more time doing a slow burn than hitting winning backhand shots on the badminton court.

His problem had more to do with getting a good grip on his temper than getting the proper grip on his racket.

“I have a temper and I get frustrated,” said Nguyen, The Times Orange County boys’ badminton player of the year. “The coach told me, ‘If you do that, you’ll lose automatically.’ ”

This year, Nguyen, a 17-year-old junior, got a grip on his emotions and helped Estancia (20-0) win the Southern Section 4-A team title May 24 against two-time defending champion Buena Park.

“The coach (Lillian Brabander) just kept stressing it,” Nguyen said of learning to control his temper. With a 3.8 grade-point average, he didn’t need to have someone draw him a picture.

“Now, when I get frustrated,” he said, “I just put my hands on my knees, take a deep breath and stay quiet for a couple of seconds.”

As a result, Nguyen’s cooler head has prevailed.

He finished 45-6 in singles competition this year, won the Estancia Tournament and teamed with Doan Nguyen to win the mixed doubles competition in the Yonex Southwest Regional Badminton Championships at Cal State Long Beach.

In postseason team competition, he defeated Garden Grove’s Sang Kim, 15-11, 15-11, in the semifinals. In the final, he swept his singles matches and teamed with Doan Nguyen again to win in mixed doubles.

“Last year, he had such low tolerance for his mistakes,” Brabander said. “He’d make a mistake, get down on himself and blow the game. This year, maybe with maturity and help from Hai Pham, our assistant coach, he had a lot of psychology sessions and learned to play each point and not let one bad one ruin the whole game.”

Nguyen has more going for him on the court than his psychological approach.

“He has an outstanding jump-smash, he’s as quick as a cat and his intelligence allows him to see how to adjust his game,” Brabander said.

As his lofty GPA attests, Nguyen’s intelligence translates to the classroom as well.

“The thing that’s different about his academic achievements is that everything is so easy for him,” Brabander said. “I think he’s just brilliant.”

Said Nguyen: “I don’t have to study hard. I do study when I really need it. I’m a procrastinator. I do end up doing my work, just not right away.”

Born in Saigon, Nguyen moved with his family to Orange County in 1975. He is undecided about where he will attend college.

Nguyen credits his sister, My Linh, a former Estancia badminton player who is now a student at Orange Coast College, with getting him involved in the game.

“I thought it was a (wimpy) sport and I used to make fun of her,” he recalled. “So one day she finally got me out on the court and she really worked me. That got my respect.”