Tustin’s Gottlieb Develops His Skills Under a Special Tutor : Basketball: Junior point guard, son of a former college coach, averages 18 points.

Basketball is more than an after-school activity for Doug Gottlieb . . . it’s a way of life.

The Tustin High junior point guard often can be found on a basketball court or, at least, with a ball in hand.

“I love playing basketball,” said Gottlieb, who just turned 18. “It’s my passion. For some people it’s a book, watching television or playing video games. Basketball is my escape from everything.”

But, with his brother playing basketball at a Division I school, and his father a former Division I coach, basketball is more than a pastime for everybody in the Gottlieb household.

Gregg Gottlieb, 21, was twice an All-Century League selection while at El Modena. He attended UCLA for three years but didn’t play basketball until this season, after he had transferred to Drake, where he made the team as a walk-on.

Bob Gottlieb, who has been an assistant coach at Oregon, Creighton and Long Beach State and a head coach at Jacksonville and Wisconsin Milwaukee, has overseen the development of both sons.

“Doug has matured much earlier than Gregg,” said Bob Gottlieb, who owns a design firm specializing in hospital and health-care facilities. “Gregg has enjoyed playing basketball, whereas Doug has always been driven to play and get better.”

Doug Gottlieb’s initial organized basketball experience came in first grade. But his indoctrination began even earlier.

“My dad would always take me to the park and throw me into pick-up games against old men,” Gottlieb said. “You learned the game real quick that way, or else you didn’t get to play anymore.”

Playing time is no longer a concern for Gottlieb, who leads the visiting Tillers (12-6, 5-1 in league) against the Sea View League’s top team, Santa Margarita (14-4, 6-0), tonight.

“He has real solid point-guard abilities,” Tustin Coach Andy Ground said. “He can pass, especially in the open court, and in the last year he has improved his shot and he’s gotten a lot more confidence.”

A point guard from the time he he began dribbling a ball, Gottlieb attributes much of his success to experience.

In addition to spending the last three seasons at Tustin, Gottlieb has participated in summer leagues, including the Amateur Athletic Union.

“I think a lot of the confidence he’s gotten has come from playing in the summer leagues,” Ground said. “He’s played really well against some really good competition.”

Gottlieb has played with, and against, some of the most sought-after high school players in the country.

In addition, he has played in front of some of the country’s top college coaches.

“I played in a game this summer where I turned around and saw Mike Krzyzewski, Dean Smith, John Thompson and Jim Boeheim,” Gottlieb said. “If you play well there, you can pick between a whole list of schools.”

At the forefront of Gottlieb’s development once again has been his father, who has coached his son’s summer-league teams.

However, Bob Gottlieb said he hasn’t put burdensome expectations on Doug, and that he has pushed him only because that’s what his son wants.

“Doug’s accomplishments are the result of his ability and the fact he loves the game so much,” Bob Gottlieb said. “It would be a mistake to say that he’s where he is because of me. He’s where he is because he’s put in the work.”

In addition to taking 1,000 shots a day, running regularly, lifting weights and practicing several times a day, every day, Gottlieb has enlisted a personal trainer, Eric Moreno.

Moreno, who also worked with Duke’s Cherokee Parks while Parks was at Marina, has been helping Gottlieb for three years.

“(Moreno) has been great,” Gottlieb said. “He’s worked with me on my weight training, and I think it’s the weight training and the work I do by myself that is the difference between myself and other players.”

This season Gottlieb said he hasn’t been pleased with his play. Despite averaging 18 points and more than seven assists, Gottlieb said his game has been erratic; however, opposing coaches praise his abilities.

“He’s such an intelligent player,” Santa Margarita Coach Jerry DeBusk said. “He really adds an extra dimension to that team because he’s such a good passer and so heady.”

This season is just a small part of Gottlieb’s master plan. He has one more year with the Tillers, but said he’s concentrating on peaking for the upcoming summer league, when he hopes colleges will look at him more closely and begin talking scholarships.

“I still need to improve a lot before that time,” Gottlieb said. “I’m a good passer right now, but I need to work on my shooting and on becoming a good all-around scorer.”

Gottlieb has colleges such as Syracuse, Florida, UCLA, Washington, Stanford, Georgia Tech and Iowa in mind. Despite the fact they’ve all contacted him, he realizes it’s still early.

Gottlieb is considered by many experts to be one of the state’s top point guards. However, his height (6-0), average speed and inconsistent shot have some of the same experts questioning where he’ll end up.

“He’s a real good talent,” scout Don Mead said. “He’s a very smart player and a great passer. I think he can play Division I basketball, I’m just not sure where he fits in there.”

Nevertheless, Gottlieb said he understands the work he has put in thus far is just the start of what’s to come, and that’s why it has to be his way of life.

“People don’t realize I work really hard,” he said. “Basketball doesn’t come easy to me. I’ve had to work very hard at shooting baskets, lifting weights and in school, too. But that is what is going to get me to the next level.”