Capistrano Valley’s Sedgwick Finds Perfect Role as Point Guard : South Coast League: Senior would rather pass than shoot for Cougars, the defending Southern Section I-AA champions.

Maybe it was the way David Sedgwick held the basketball so firmly in his hands. Or how he kept the ball low on his dribble. Or his calm demeanor on the court.

But some coach somewhere watched Sedgwick play basketball and saw a natural point guard. At the time, Sedgwick was taller than most other kids but he seemed so well-suited to dribbling and passing rather than shooting and rebounding.

When the others grew taller, Sedgwick’s outstanding ballhandling skills kept him in the lineup. He didn’t shoot as well as other guards, couldn’t out-jump taller players, but he could pass. It was always the one thing he did better than anyone else.

An ankle injury kept Sedgwick from playing basketball in his freshman year at Capistrano Valley, but he was back to full strength by his sophomore season and Cougar Coach Mark Thornton wanted Sedgwick at the point.

He has been there ever since, making sure the ball gets into the right player’s hands at the right time. He’s about as good as they come, too. Last season, he averaged 8.4 assists and directed Capistrano Valley to a 30-4 record and the Southern Section Division I-AA championship.

“I guess it comes pretty naturally,” said Sedgwick, a 6-foot-2 senior who was a first-team All-Southern Section selection last season. “Ever since I was a kid, coaches always put me at point guard. I feel comfortable with the ball. I’ve been playing it for so long, I suppose that’s why.”

Shooters daydream about swishing three-point shots. Rebounders think about boxing out opponents and jumping. And point guards?

“Before every game I just try to get myself into a mind set where I have to get the ball to the open man,” Sedgwick said. “I get other guys in a position to get an easy basket.

“I really expect myself to make good passes. It’s not that I get excited about making a good pass, but I’m upset if I make a bad pass.”

Sounds simple, but it takes a special player to pass first and shoot seldom. It goes so against the grain of the game that only a precious few can master the unselfish philosophy of a good point guard.

Last season, it meant Sedgwick threw pass after pass to long-range bomber Tom Airey, who made an astounding 129 three-pointers. They were the perfect running mates, Sedgwick passing and Airy shooting Capistrano Valley to a section championship.

Airey is now at Loyola Marymount and this season’s team is younger with a decidedly different look. It’s Sedgwick’s job to keep the Cougars winning.

“I have to be a leader on the court,” he said. “Sometimes I get upset with some of the younger big men, but that’s my responsibility on the court.”

It’s also his role to get the Cougars off and running. Thornton’s teams have always relied on an up-tempo style, and it falls to Sedgwick to control the pace.

“I just love running up and down,” Sedgwick said. “He (Thornton) has put a lot of trust in me. I’ll be calling the offense. I’m calling out the defenses all the time.”

With much of the weight of Capistrano Valley’s success resting on Sedgwick’s shoulders, does he ever get the urge to cut loose and hoist up a few jumpers?

“I’m not looking to score a lot of points every game,” he said. “Sometimes, if it’s necessary, if we need a basket to lift us up, I’ll take it to the hole.”

After all, it’s not as if he can’t shoot or Thornton won’t let him shoot.

Last season, so many teams slacked off Sedgwick in order to double-team Airey that he felt offended. They didn’t respect his shooting and that hurt his pride, so he spent much of the past summer working on his jumper.

“I’m really confident shooting now,” Sedgwick said. “Sticking a three will really open things up for the big men.”

That’s how Sedgwick’s mind works: Help the team and you’re helping yourself. It’s one more reason he has always been such a dependable point guard for Capistrano Valley.