SOUTHERN SECTION BOYS’ BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS : TONIGHT’S FEATURED GAME : Kennedy’s Kunz Counters With Confidence

Lakewood Artesia’s 6-foot-11 center Avondre Jones has six inches and about 30 pounds on Kennedy’s Pat Kunz. Jones is also quicker, more polished and more coveted--nearly every major college coach was after him before he recently narrowed his choices to UCLA, USC and Michigan.

Kunz? Well . . . his teammates call him “Psycho” and he does have Chapman University and a couple of community colleges interested in him.

But Kennedy forward Demetrius Tatum, who saw the two match up this summer, said he likes Psycho’s chances against Jones in the Division II-A boys’ basketball semifinals at 7:30 tonight at Cypress College.

“Jones doesn’t like playing against Pat,” said Tatum, who gave Kunz the moniker because of his resemblance to Anthony Perkins’ character in the 1960 horror film. “He saw the way Pat was bumping him and he said, ‘What are you doing?’ He doesn’t like the rough stuff. He likes to be babied.”

Said Kunz: “Jones doesn’t have his game against me. I body him up, talk some smack and frustrate him.”

Kennedy Coach John Mayberry said Kunz often frustrates players with more imposing physical characteristics and better haircuts. Kunz sports a Telly Savalas hairdo.

“Pat goes in there looking like a skinhead and everything,” Mayberry said. “They say, ‘Where’d he come from?’ The kid has a different haircut every week. I can’t keep up.”

But Kunz said the shaved head is part of his act.

“I use it as an intimidating thing,” Kunz said. “People think I’m crazy out there.”

Kunz said his hair--or lack thereof--has generated a cult following on campus.

“I had shaved my head last year,” he said. “But when I wasn’t bald this year, people kept asking me when I was going to shave it.”

Finally, Kunz’s dad persuaded him to go hairless.

“My two brothers got earrings and my dad said, ‘Do something else for your act of rebellion,’ ” Kunz said. “My mom told me not to go bald, so I decided to shave it as my rebellious act.”

When he isn’t rebelling against fashion trends, Kunz is rebelling against logic. He scored 24 points and grabbed 13 rebounds last Friday against Mira Costa in the quarterfinals while playing on virtually one leg. His severely swollen left ankle was so sore he didn’t practice during the week.

“I think they knew I was hurt and they probably weren’t expecting me to do much,” said Kunz, who averaged 17.1 points and 10.3 rebounds during the regular season.

Kunz’s ankle wasn’t much better Monday. He was limping around and did not participate in drills.

How effective can a slow, gimpy, bald-headed guy be against Jones, who averages 19.4 points, 14.3 rebounds and 5.8 blocks?

“I bet if you go, you won’t even notice that I’m hurt,” Kunz said. “Once the game starts, my mind gets focused.”

Kunz said he can’t get much slower than he already is.

“I’m not a real finesse player,” he said. “I don’t have a lot of moves. I just kind of power my way in until I get close enough to where I can shoot a layup.”

So while Jones and Charles O’Bannon, Artesia’s other star, do their rim-rattling jams, Kunz and his teammates will settle for ugly layups.

“I’m sure they will have their share of dunks,” Mayberry said. “Jones and O’Bannon are great but they can only do so much. We have a saying, ‘Remember who we are and not who they are.’ ”

Kunz said top-seeded Artesia will definitely know who Kennedy is after tonight’s game.

“It’s time for them to be humbled,” Kunz said.

Any doubts?

“None,” Kunz said. “I think we’ll win. I’m 100% confident.”