CENTURY LEAGUE 1993-1994 / BOYS BASKETBALL : Gonzales Gives Orange a Shot at League Title

For those Century League coaches scratching their heads, trying to figure out ways to prevent Orange’s Gil Gonzales from sinking three-point field goals, it could all have been avoided.

Gonzales wanted to quit basketball after his freshman season. Then a scrawny, 5-foot-5 kid who saw little playing time, he decided to concentrate his energies elsewhere.

Baseball, his first love, seemed perfect. A lot of short guys play baseball.

Then came the interrogation.

“I was in the weight room and Coach (Richard) Bossenmeyer and a couple other coaches came in,” Gonzales said. “They all started telling me that they didn’t want me to look back 10 years from now and regret my decision. They talked to me for a while. By the time they were done, I wanted to play basketball again.”

Now, some might call it browbeating. But not Gonzales.

“I’m glad they did it,” he said.

Pardon Orange’s opponents if they don’t share his happiness.

Gonzales, a senior, now stands 6-2 and has filled out. He’s an imposing figure, especially around that three-point line.

He made 92 last season, tops in Orange County. Teams ran special defenses, double-teamed him and even picked him up in the backcourt. They pushed and shoved and, still, he made shots.

“I think Gil made the correct decision when he decided to stick it out with basketball,” Bossenmeyer said.

Bossenmeyer, of course, is a little biased.

With five returning starters, the Panthers have a shot at their first league title since 1985. This group of seniors already has two league titles, on the freshman and junior varsity levels.

Orange, which went winless in league play in 1991-92, finished third last season. Gonzales was a big reason.

He started the season by hitting eight three-pointers against Villa Park in the league opener. Gonzales made at least one three-pointer in every game. He made nine against Valencia and finished with 40 points in only three quarters.

“They were holding me and doing everything they could,” Gonzales said. “I get free from one guy and another guy would run at me. It was great.”

Gonzales is proud of his shooting range, as he worked hard to increase it.

Even as a kid, he was attracted to the three-point line. Of course, his technique wasn’t the best.

When Gonzales was a sophomore on the junior varsity, he was still throwing up two-handed set shots. He played six games on the varsity that season. He learned that to be successful on that level, he was going to have to change his shot.

“Gil came to the coaching staff after the season and asked what he could do to change his shots,” Bossenmeyer said. “We gave him some drills to do. But there’s a big difference between showing someone shooting drills and him going out there and doing it.”

And Gonzales?

“There would be messages on my answering machine, ‘Coach, can I get into the gym Saturday?’ ” Bossenmeyer said.

Gonzales spent hours shooting. He began by standing on the free-throw line and shooting one-handed and worked his way back to the three-point line.

“Now, I know where that line is,” Gonzales said. “I don’t even have to look down.”

Said Bossenmeyer: “We had a pretty good idea over summer that Gil was going to be a good shooter. But when he knocked down eight in that first game, we knew we had something special.”

Other teams soon thought so too, as they geared their defenses to deny Gonzales that shot. Santa Ana Valley even put a man on him in the backcourt, just to play it safe.

The defensive ploys often didn’t work. Against El Modena, Gonzales hit a 22-foot shot at the buzzer to tie the score. The Panthers won in overtime.

Said Bossenmeyer: “He’s a great weapon. It opens up the defense. Others teams have to worry about where he is at all times.”