Fuerbringer Feels Like a Stranger : Estanica: Six-foot-7 senior is only returning player from last season’s State championship team.

Don’t blame Matt Fuerbringer for looking a little out of place in some of the Estancia High School basketball team’s early-season games.

After all, everyone around him is new.

Fuerbringer is the only returning player from last year’s State Division III championship team. Not the only returning starter. Not the only returning letterman. The only returning player .

Estancia was devastated by graduation, losing 16 players from the varsity. Starters Mike Haas, Paul McDaniels, Son Ly and Torrey Hammond are gone, as well as the entire bench.

And even with Fuerbringer, a 6-foot-7 senior and two-year starter, returning, the Eagles are off to a sluggish start. They’re 4-2 and have struggled in the Pilot Tipoff Classic and Tournament of Champions.

The Eagles blew out Bellflower by 29 points, won overtime games against Torrance and Brea-Olinda, but lost by two to Marina and Lakewood pounded them by 17 points. Fuerbringer averaged 23 points and 10 rebounds in the first five games.

“We’ve been a little inconsistent so far,” Fuerbringer said. “It shows that we haven’t played together much. But we’ve shown we can win some close games, and that’s a good sign.”

Fuerbringer expects more. As a sophomore, he helped the Eagles win the Southern Section 3-AA title. As a junior, he led the Eagles to the State Division III championship.

He was the Pacific Coast League’s MVP and was an All-Southern Section selection last season. He averaged 16.2 points and nine rebounds and shot 64% from the field.

“I think Coach (Tim) O’Brien and I both would consider this a down season unless we win either the section or State tournaments,” Fuerbringer said. “That sounds like a lot, but we have pretty high standards.”

This basketball season could be Fuerbringer’s last. He has signed to play volleyball at Stanford. NCAA rules prohibit players on volleyball scholarships from walking on the basketball team, although basketball scholarship players, such as Stanford’s Adam Keefe, are allowed to play volleyball.

“Everyone was sort of surprised when I chose volleyball,” Fuerbringer said. “Even myself. But my parents stress grades, and they wanted me to go to Stanford. I chose the school over the sport.”

Fuerbringer said he’ll miss the physical aspect of basketball the most. Coaches around the league say he looks more aggressive near the basket than in the past.

“What makes Matt so tough this year is that his teammates (Jeff Byrne, Jim Faulkner and Ty Schisler) are so good, you can’t double up on Matt defensively,” Laguna Beach Coach Bret Fleming said. “And he’s so good, he will kill you if you try to cover him straight up.

“He’s much more aggressive on the boards this year, too. That’s one of the first things I noticed about him when I saw him play. He really goes after it.”

Fuerbringer said he’s more aggressive around the basket because he has a new role in the Estancia offense.

“Last year, we were running an offense where I wasn’t around the basket,” he said. “Now, I’m trying to dunk more when I go to the basket. I’m really not sure why I’m more aggressive in there. I think it’s confidence.”

It also could be the pounding he took in practice last season. Fuerbringer credits one of O’Brien’s drills for improving his play near the basket. The object was to make three shots within the key, with two teammates pounding you with the foam bags similar to blocking dummies used in football.

“We haven’t brought the bags out yet this year, but we will,” Fuerbringer said. “Last year, we were slumping and lost three in a row. We started doing that drill in practice, and it made a difference. It made you concentrate harder on making a layup.

“It was a kick-start for us. Practices were the same old thing, but getting out there with bags was fun.”

Fuerbringer will need to be more aggressive this season, especially in the league play. The league teams have more height this season. Fuerbringer is looking forward to matching up with Gavin Vanderputten, Trabuco Hills’ 6-foot-10 center.

“I think the league will be a lot more exciting this year,” Fuerbringer said. “Last year, no one could play with us when we were at our best. This year, we could play well and lose.”