McIntee Flexing His Muscles : Basketball: Newport Harbor senior’s intense weight and strength training is paying dividends on the court.

Justin McIntee wasn’t exactly a 165-pound weakling when he decided to join the Newport Harbor football team last spring, but his first few weeks in the weight room left him dejected and nursing sore arms.

“After my first month I was bench pressing only 185 pounds,” he said. “That was depressing.”

The way McIntee figured, one of the best ways to prepare for his senior basketball and volleyball seasons was to add another sport--football.

And adding football meant being strong, which McIntee wasn’t.

But under the watchful eye of Tony Ciarelli, Newport Harbor’s strength and conditioning coach, McIntee showed steady improvement. His bench press went from 185 to 190, then 200. By the end of the summer, he was lifting 255 pounds.

“A lot of it was motivation,” McIntee said. “I knew I wouldn’t lift by myself, but I knew I would have to if I played football. Otherwise, I would’ve been flaking and not gone to the weight room every day.”

McIntee’s strength gain showed only modest results in football. By the time the season started, he was 6 feet 3 and weighed 190 pounds. He was the Sailors’ backup tight end and played sparingly.

His season highlight--a 10-yard touchdown catch--came in Newport Harbor’s 27-0 blowout of Sea View League rival Corona del Mar.

McIntee said his summertime workouts began paying big-time dividends when he dropped the football and picked up the basketball in November.

He felt faster. He was jumping higher.

It wasn’t long before his scoring and rebounding averages showed more improvement than his weightlifting figures.

A three-year varsity starter, McIntee entered this week ranked third in Orange County in scoring with a 23.7 average, trailing only Liberty Christian’s Toby Curto (27.8) and Jocques Wright (25.7).

“Being stronger has helped my confidence level in basketball,” said McIntee, who averages 9.4 rebounds a game. “I feel like I can’t miss out there. But I’ve had to lay off the weights during the season because it will throw my shot off.”

McIntee quietly slipped into the Newport Harbor lineup in November.

The Sailors’ football team had reached the Southern Section Division VI quarterfinals, which cut into the basketball team’s practice schedule. McIntee attended only two basketball practices before the season opener.

Still, it wasn’t long before opponents began noticing McIntee, who scored 27 and 37 points in his first two games, and averaged 28 points and 11 rebounds through his first five.

“Before the season, he wasn’t listed among the top 10 players by any of the newspapers,” Newport Harbor Coach Bob Serven said. “He’s definitely one of the 10 best now.”

McIntee averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds as a junior, sharing the scoring duties with guard Huy Nguyen (18.7 points).

“Justin is carrying the bulk of the load for us this year,” Serven said. “Last year, he was a junior sharing the scoring load with a senior (Nguyen). This year, other teams are focusing on him.”

After basketball season, McIntee will move on to what may be his best sport--volleyball. He’s a relative newcomer to the sport, playing only since his freshman year, and has developed into one of the county’s best players despite never competing at the club level.

“He’s like a sponge when it comes to volleyball,” Sailor Coach Dan Glenn said. “He’s still soaking it all up. He’s just learning, but he’s very good.”

Last season, his first as a starter, McIntee helped Newport Harbor reach the Southern Section finals, where the Sailors lost a four-game match to San Marcos.

McIntee averaged double figures in kills and was an all-section pick last season. The added strength and conditioning, plus an increased vertical jump (now at 36 inches) should come in handy during volleyball.

He’s hoping for another trip back to the section finals and, possibly, a college scholarship offer. Pepperdine and Cal State Long Beach already have shown some interest.

“It should be interesting to see how the season goes,” McIntee said. “I haven’t touched a volleyball since I played on the beach last summer.”

McIntee’s quick rise through the program has caught him somewhat by surprise. To him, it seems like only yesterday that he showed up to his first volleyball tryout with a broken arm.

McIntee was a tad reluctant about diving across the floor to dig a kill, figuring it wasn’t exactly a good way to rehabilitate a broken bone.

“Coach Glenn told me I didn’t have to dive if I came out for the team,” McIntee said. “We signed a ‘No Dive Contract.’ ”

The contract was soon null and void. Charlie Brande had tried a similar stunt when he lured a basketball player named Steve Timmons to play volleyball for Newport Harbor in the early 1980s.

Timmons, who went on to win two Olympic gold medals, soon learned that playing volleyball meant scuffing your knees and elbows. McIntee discovered the same thing after a couple practices.

“I have to remind Coach Glenn about our ‘No Dive Contract’ now and then,” said McIntee, who’s now three years older and three years wiser.