Wulf Is Leader of Pack at Trabuco Hills : Basketball: Coach has guided Mustangs to two Southern Section championships and four Pacific Coast League titles.

It’s game night at Trabuco Hills High, and there’s no mistaking that Coach Rainer Wulf is in charge.

With his hair slicked back like New York Knick Coach Pat Riley’s, the 6-foot-6 Wulf is neatly attired in a sport coat, slacks and tie. He commands attention when barking out instructions to his players or pointing out a referee’s oversights.

Wulf looks like a successful coach and has all the credentials. But he cringes when talking about image.

“You see that Andre Agassi commercial where he says image is everything,” Wulf said. “In some ways, that’s what we’re fighting today. A belief that you don’t need substance behind the image.”

During Wulf’s six seasons, Trabuco Hills’ accomplishments--highlighted by one State championship game appearance, two Southern Section championships and four Pacific Coast League titles--are a byproduct of his program. But Wulf is not driven by championships and victories.

“All those things take care of themselves,” he said. “I came here to be the best coach I could be. I came to give my players a good chance to win their games, but also to make sure they get a good education and stay away from drugs and substance abuse.”

Wulf has established a “family atmosphere” at Trabuco Hills, starting with a coaching staff that has stayed largely intact for six seasons. In addition to overseeing strong lower-level programs, he runs a basketball camp for elementary-aged players.

“I’ve modeled the program after talking with Jim Harris at Ocean View and seeing what Gary McKnight has done at Mater Dei,” Wulf said.

Wulf’s family values came from his parents, Carl and Lotte. The Wulfs immigrated to the United States from Germany after World War II and moved to Southern California in 1955 after living in New York. Rainer was born Jan. 9, 1960, in Montebello.

As a youth, Wulf hooked up with Russ Boenker, who coached the Monterey Park Monarchs, a traveling basketball team. Twenty-some years later, Boenker would join Wulf as an assistant coach at Trabuco Hills.

“He was a little, skinny, third- or fourth-grader,” Boenker said. “He was a late developer.”

Wulf blossomed in high school, averaging 25 points as a senior at La Puente Bishop Amat and continued to be an offensive force for two seasons at Citrus College. Wulf landed at UC Irvine the same season as Coach Bill Mulligan and standout center Kevin Magee arrived from Saddleback College.

“My role completely changed at UCI,” Wulf said. “But I wanted to do whatever it took to play.”

Said Mulligan: “Everyone was a role player on those teams because we all just revolved around Kevin. But Rainer could really shoot it.”

Wulf proved that as a junior, scoring a season-high 21 points against Utah State in the first round of the Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. tournament in 1981; however, Irvine lost, 93-90.

Wulf averaged fewer than eight points during his two years at Irvine but was instrumental in helping the Anteaters to a 23-7 finish--Irvine’s best record--and a National Invitation Tournament appearance in 1982.

After spending a year as a graduate assistant and another as a full-time assistant at Irvine, Wulf left to play one season of professional basketball in Australia. He returned to coach freshman and junior varsity basketball at University High for two years before moving to Trabuco Hills.

“He’s been dealt a different hand every year at Trabuco Hills, but has found a way to fit his system to his personnel,” Boenker said. “His teams find a way to win.”

In the past, All-State players paved the way to victories for Trabuco Hills. Rick Swanwick, a 6-10 center now at Eastern Washington, earned Orange County player of the year honors after leading the Mustangs to a Southern Section title in 1989. Gavin Vanderputten, a center now at Pepperdine, helped Trabuco Hills win the Southern Section title in 1992.

But this season . . .

“I don’t know how we’re 17-4,” Boenker said. “They say championship teams play great defense and rebound. Well, we don’t do either.”

Nevertheless, the Mustangs are 17-4, 5-0 in league, and ranked third in Orange County heading into tonight’s home game against eighth-ranked Century (18-3, 4-1).

What Trabuco Hills is doing well is shooting. Four starters have made 71% or more of their free throws, and the Mustangs are outscoring opponents by an average of eight points.

Ryan Karnoff has made 42% of his three-point shots, 78% of his free throws, and averages 21 points. Rob Warnick is shooting 50% from the field and averaging 16 points, and sophomore point guard Nick Punto is averaging 11 points and shooting 39% from three-point range.

“Maybe this year, more than any other, I’ve had to do more coaching because the team is so young,” Wulf said. Five of his 12 players are seniors.

“But the success is a credit to the players. Really, to get the kids to buy into the system so that they really want to be part of the team, to do whatever it takes for the team to succeed. . . .

“That means committing to the off-season weight lifting, the 30 or so summer league games, the preseason and league games, and the grade checks. . . . We’ve been fortunate to have good kids here.”

Wulf, who has his master’s degree from Azusa Pacific and teaches in the Trabuco Hills social science department, will marry Lynda Cardinale in April.

So he will no longer be the lone Wulf, and that suits him just fine.