Old World Arrival Now Leads the Way at Mission Viejo : Prep basketball: Maggie Gorska has worked hard since immigrating from her native Poland.

The first time Maggie Gorska saw a basketball game, back in her native Poland, she was captivated by the sport. A few years later, in a different place, she’s practically obsessed with it.

Gorska, a 5-foot-11 senior forward, is the top player on the Mission Viejo High girls’ team that heads into South Coast League play Thursday with a 10-3 record. She’s averaging 18.5 points and 10.8 rebounds, and shooting 52% from the field. With Gorska leading the way, the Diablos finished fourth in the Marina tournament this week.

Her success on the court is a testimonial to her commitment and hard work. First-year Diablo Coach Jim Irby says Gorska spends an hour before practices refining her skills. But to Gorska, playing basketball is not work.

“Basketball is my hobby,” said Gorska, 17. “During the summer, I practiced every day for two hours and I played pickup games against guys and girls.”

The time was well invested, particularly since the young Diablos needed a leader in hopes of improving on last year’s 4-6 league record. Gorska, then surrounded with more experienced teammates, averaged 14.3 points and 8.4 rebounds, and was selected to the all-league first team. This season, she has a bigger load to carry.

“She’s playing with a lot of young players. We start three sophomores and another sophomore comes off the bench,” Irby said. “Maggie has been the focal point of our offense. When she’s on, the other players get fired up, and our team plays better.”

Gorska began her development as a basketball player in Gorlice, a small town about 50 miles southeast of Krakow, in southern Poland. Her father, Chester, had been a goalie on the local professional soccer team, and Gorska showed signs of athletic ability as a child. Still, she didn’t know where those abilities would be directed until the day her athletic career took a decisively turning point.

“When I was about 7, I was walking with my mom (Bozena) on the street one day, and this lady who coached a girls’ team asked my mom if she would let me play, because I was very tall for my age,” said Gorska, whose given first name is Magdalena. “So my mom took me to the gym, and the coach said I had a lot of potential. She showed me the basics and got me started.”

It wasn’t long before Gorska became good enough to play in international tournaments with her school team. But her playing days in Poland ended in 1987, when Gorska, her parents and brother visited Austria and never returned home. They stayed in Linz for 1 1/2 years before moving to Mission Viejo 3 1/2 years ago. Gorska said she wasn’t happy during her time in Austria.

“Before we left (Poland), I was supposed to go to Czechoslovakia to play in a tournament with my school team. I was so mad (about leaving),” Gorska said. “They didn’t have a gym in the hotel we were staying (in Linz). There was a gym at the school I was going to, but they wouldn’t let me use it to practice.”

She didn’t find similar problems at Mission Viejo, where she quickly joined the basketball program.

Although she was supposed to enroll in the eighth grade when she arrived, Gorska said school administrators here moved her to ninth grade--despite the language barrier--because of her solid educational background. She carries a 3.0 grade-point average and will graduate in June with brother Lukas, 18, who ran hurdles on the Diablo track team last season.

Under Gorska’s leadership, the Diablos hope to contend this season in the powerful South Coast League. It won’t be easy, with Capistrano Valley, Mater Dei, San Clemente and Dana Hills the overwhelming favorites to win the title, but Gorska knows the team’s success depends greatly on her.

“She’s got to be a role model and a team leader, so that makes it a little tough on her,” Irby said. “She has to play hard at both ends of the court.”

For Gorska, that goes without saying.