His Best Shot Has Not Been Good Enough : Basketball: Steve Clover earned accolades for his scoring at Rolling Hills High, but he has not made an impact at Pepperdine.

When he was playing basketball at Rolling Hills High, scoring points was almost second nature to Steve Clover.

It was at Rolling Hills where Clover gained a reputation as a premier outside shooter.

In a game against Torrance during his senior season, Clover made 11 three-point baskets. He still ranks as the Southern Section’s leader for three-point baskets in a season with 140 (1989-90) and is second on the career list with 288.

His marksmanship helped him earn All-Southern Section 3-A Division honors as a senior, when he averaged 24.4 points.

But since enrolling at Pepperdine three seasons ago, Clover’s playing time has been infrequent and the scoring opportunities have dwindled to a precious few.

Now a junior, he has scored only 28 points--a microscopic 1.9-point average--and played only 121 minutes. The 6-foot-4 guard has appeared in 15 of 23 games, the most he has played in three seasons with the Waves.

Clover, 21, acknowledges it has not been an easy adjustment.

“It’s difficult to figure out what your role is, but you have to realize that (NCAA) Division I is very competitive and you just have to wait for your chance,” he said.

What was the most difficult part of the transition?

“I think the main thing is the intensity,” he said. “The moment you step on the court for the first time, you realize that everyone’s desire to play and to do well is just a huge step above what it was in high school.”

Clover said it was his reputation as a shooter that caught the attention of college recruiters.

“I broke a few scoring records and that’s what they started recruiting me for,” he said. “But you can say the same things about a lot of high school players. The first thing (scouts) look for is your scoring and then they look at the rest of your line in the box score.”

Wave Coach Tom Asbury said Clover has worked hard to improve his game.

“When he first came here, he just didn’t want to bring the ball up against pressure,” Asbury said. “There were certain things he wasn’t asked to do in high school. He just had to catch it in the corner and shoot. I’m not saying that to take anything away from his high school program, but he just didn’t have to be a complete player.”

Clover said he has worked hard to improve his defense, ball-handling and play away from the ball.

Teammate Steve Guild said Clover has made substantial strides in his game.

“He looks a lot more confident pushing the ball up the court and defensively he’s a lot better than he was before,” Guild said. “He’s been practicing against (former Wave player) Doug (Christie) and he holds his own against him.”

Clover’s shooting touch has suffered the most because of the lack of playing time. He has made only 28.6% of his shots this season, although all but one of his attempts have been from three-point range.

Guild said it doesn’t help that most opponents are aware of Clover’s shooting ability.

“I think the big thing that hurts Steve is that everyone knows who he is because everyone in the conference recruited him out of high school,” Guild said. “Last week against San Diego and Santa Clara was a perfect example. They were zoning us and as soon as he came into the game, they went to a man-to-man against us. It’s tough being known as a shooter and having everyone key on you when you come in.”

Clover again points to his part-time role when talking about his struggles shooting the ball this season.

“It can be tough when you’re jumping off the bench, trying to get in the flow of the game and then start shooting,” he said. “My mind-set is already there, but it’s getting the body set, that’s the difficult part. It’s a real challenge and it definitely takes a lot of concentration.”

Clover’s playing time had increased since the start of West Coast Conference play because starting off-guard Damin Lopez broke his hand in a January practice.

With the return of Lopez to the starting lineup Wednesday against Loyola Marymount, Clover’s playing time is expected to dwindle.

“I just try to take whatever comes and not force myself into any situation,” he said. “More than worrying about my offense, I just concentrate on my defense and whatever else is needed to help the team out.”

Clover, who was recruited by USC, Harvard, St. Mary’s and Loyola Marymount, does not regret his decision to attend Pepperdine.

“There were some other schools that recruited me pretty hard,” Clover said. “But I really liked this team here. I liked their personality more than at the other schools that I visited.”

Playing for a winning team helps. For the past two seasons, the Waves have made the NCAA tournament. Clover got a chance to play in Pepperdine’s first-round loss to Seton Hall two seasons ago.

“I still feel that I made the right decision,” he said. “I might not have played as much as I had hoped, but I like the program here. I’ve met a lot of great people and I’m having a good time here.”

Asbury thinks Clover has the potential to develop into a contributing player.

“There’s nobody that wants to see him succeed more than myself,” Asbury said. “He’s the kind of kid that you want to see do well.

“He’s got a winning attitude, he’s an unselfish kid and he always wants to do what’s best for the team. If he never scored another point or didn’t play another minute, I’d still say he embodies everything you’d ever want from a player in your program.”