McNaull Spends Bulk of His Summer Getting Better : Festival: Twenty pounds heavier, San Diego State sophomore-to-be earns spot on West team.

Here’s one summer story that won’t boil the blood of the college coach destined, and eager, to hear it.

San Diego State’s Jim Brandenburg would prefer to spend the preseason perfecting screens and three-point shots rather than trying to undo bad habits or lax work ethics his players might have picked up over the summer.

“Out of sight, out of mind,” may work for some relationships, but summertime strips Brandenburg of virtually every ounce of control he once had over the team.

“I have none at all,” he laughed.

Yet Brandenburg can rest easy in the knowledge that sophomore-to-be Joe McNaull, for the sweetest fortnight, was in good hands and spent his time wisely.

McNaull, 19, envisioned a summer of fraternity house frivolity, daily doses of pick-up games at Muni Gym in Balboa Park and selling sneakers at Cal Stores.

That all happened. What he hadn’t planned on was becoming one of two Southern California basketball players--the other is Cherokee Parks of Marina High School in Huntington Beach--named to play in the Olympic Festival, which began Saturday in Los Angeles.

“We know what he’s doing,” said Brandenburg, who coached the West team to a 4-0 record and festival gold medal in 1981--the West’s only other title since came in 1986. “It’s keen competition. The only way to totally improve is when they’re going against great competition and there’s a high level of concentration. This is good for Joe.”

McNaull said his selection to the West team, which defeated the South, 105-81, Saturday in the second game of a doubleheader at Pauley Pavilion, was a surprise.

“I didn’t think I had a chance, so I didn’t even think about it,” he said.

Maybe it was in the far reaches of his mind. But the festival’s selection committee has scarcely looked this far southwest on its roster hunts. Since its inception in 1978, McNaull joins only three San Diegans’ and one former Aztec who have made the festival grade: Michael Cage (SDSU) played on Brandenburg’s 1981 squad, La Jolla High’s Ken Johnson (USC) played in 1982, Patrick Henry’s Howard Wright (Stanford) competed in 1986, and Christian’s Tony Clark, now a teammate of McNaull’s but who played at Arizona in 1990, represented the West last summer.

“Any time you have a youngster from San Diego who has come through the local programs, it’s good for San Diego County,” Brandenburg said. “And it’s good for our program. The last player from San Diego State that was nominated was Michael Cage and he’s had a good career.”

That Reggie Minton of Air Force is coach of the West team enhanced McNaull’s visibility and his chances. On Jan. 10, Minton painfully watched McNaull come off the bench and grab 11 rebounds and block three shots against his Falcons in SDSU’s opening Western Athletic Conference victory.

“Yeah, that definitely helped,” McNaull said. The Monte Vista High graduate knows he is considered the unproved talent between he and Parks. In a recent newspaper article about California athletes represented in the festival, McNaull was left out of the paragraph on basketball.

“Me and Cherokee, we’re from beach cities,” he said. “People have certain ideas about what we can and can’t do. Cherokee has proven himself, but no one’s heard of me, no one knew who the hell I was. It was just like my senior year, when I was in Tony Clark’s shadow. I’ve always been in someone’s shadow.”

The festival could be the perfect stage for the shadows to disappear. But McNaull wants to showcase his skills for reasons that go beyond self-promotion. He thinks fans who believe basketball talent stops where the Pacific Ocean coastline starts need to be enlightened.

“I’m glad to have the opportunity to show people that San Diegans can play. I just hope to turn some heads,” McNaull said. And just maybe, “my name will come up in a couple of years.”

He’s not talking about the lottery, either.

Paul McNaull made no attempt to downplay the significance of this event as it relates to the development of his son’s career.

“This is more than small potatoes. This is a big deal,” he said. “He’s representing this part of the country, and he’ll be observed by people who, among other things, will be picking the Olympic team.”

Brandenburg said McNaull’s selection indicates he’s considered one the top 48 players in the country in his age group.

“It’s an honor, and it gives him an opportunity to see where he stands in this elite group,” Brandenburg said. “It’s also a confidence builder and a motivator. He can look at the other players and say, ‘OK, these guys have been able to do this, now I’d better go to work on it.’ ”

The wheels are already in motion. One of McNaull’s summer projects was to bulk up the 210 pounds that hung on his 6-foot-11 frame at summer’s start.

“I’ve gained about 20 pounds, I’m up to 230 now,” said McNaull, who has subsequently lost some of that during his stepped-up practices. “I’m tired of getting pushed around. I can’t live my entire life with people breezing by me.”

Not that a guy who’s 6-11 goes to the beach and gets sand kicked in his face. But McNaull said he feels stronger with the added weight and would like to reach 235--Brandenburg said 225 is a more realistic goal--when the next season rolls around.

“My ball handling has gotten better as my strength improves,” McNaull said. “I’m actually a little bit quicker and I’m moving my feet more.”

Actually, he’s starting to move every which way he should. McNaull, a power forward, said he never worked a defense like he has these past few days.

“I’m learning to get a body on someone,” he said. “Like (Coach Reggie) Minton was saying, when you go out to 18 to 20 feet and you’re guarding someone, he’s just as uncomfortable having you there are you are being there. He’s not used to having you in his face and you’re not used to doing it. He’s not really comfortable out there, but I’m not either. I think about that and that makes sense.”

Confrontation has become less and less intimidating for McNaull in more than a physical way. The first year of college has a way of doing that.

“I’m still the same person, just a little bit older, more mature, more confident,” McNaull said. “I don’t have anyone or anything to be intimidated about. Before, I was intimidated by everyone, especially when we played at North Carolina. I mean, I kept thinking, ‘This is the Dean Dome.’ Now I always think, ‘He’s a person and I’m a person. I don’t have anything to lose.’ He may be an All-American, but he’s still a man, just like me.”

In past camps, tournaments or All-American games, McNaull has played with and against many of his teammates and opponents here. He is not in awe of everyone in general, but welcomes the chance to meet Glenn Robinson of Gary, Ind., in particular. Robinson, a 6-9 forward, led Roosevelt High to the Indiana state championship and is considered one of the best seniors in the country.

“There are no dogs, no stiffs here,” McNaull said. “I’m looking forward to playing against Glenn. Everyone considers him the best senior and I’m like, ‘I’m not going to let him get anything on me.’ ”

Bring on the challengers, and bring on the gold. McNaull said the championship is the goal for his team, but if it doesn’t happen, he won’t come home despondent.

“I just want to do the best I can,” he said. “Obviously we want to win it, but if we don’t, I’m not going to be heartbroken. My role is just to play hard, that’s all I know how to do.”