Thanks to Her Confidence, Burgess Is Up to Any Task : Basketball: Playing basketball makes Woodbridge’s 6-4 center happy to be tall, for the first time of her life.

Teardrops trickled from Angela Burgess’ reddened eyes as she heard more mean-spirited whispers.

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Burgess, then a shy eighth-grader, was the subject of many of her classmates’ derisive comments as she moved from one class to another. Several girls walked a few feet behind Burgess speaking in tones just loud enough to make sure Burgess heard their attacks.

The girls huddled and giggled as they talked about Burgess, whose only transgression was that, at 6 feet 3, she had the misfortune of standing out from--and towering over--the crowd. Children can be cruel, and those who singled out Burgess learned well.

Ken and Sandi Burgess comforted their only daughter when she arrived home, but they knew the taunts would not stop. So to help Angela take her mind off the ugly words, Ken suggested that she begin playing organized basketball.

He hoped that becoming part of a team would help his daughter feel good about herself, especially since her height would be an asset in that sport.

She was not as optimistic. Reluctantly, however, she agreed to give it a try.

As it turns out, father knew best.

Burgess, now 6-4, has developed into one of Orange County’s top centers. And thanks in large part to the junior’s continued improvement in the middle, the undefeated Woodbridge High girls’ basketball team competes for its first State title tonight. Woodbridge plays Sacramento El Camino for the Division II championship at 6:15 at the Oakland Coliseum Arena.

Burgess’ height no longer brings the comments that once reduced her to tears.

“Winning so much has made everything a lot of fun,” Burgess said. “People used to say, ‘Look, there goes that tall girl,’ and then just laugh at me. All the teasing was really hard on me. . . . I hated being so tall.

“But now people congratulate me for the things I do and the ways I help the team win. Being so tall used to hurt a lot, but now I look at it as a good thing.”

So does Warrior Coach Eric Bangs.

“We’re really fortunate to have someone Angela’s size because it’s like having a 6-10 or 6-11 guy with the boys,” Bangs said. “Her development over the last few months has been dramatic. She has really caught fire about basketball.”

The fire started slowly.

Although she agreed to play basketball in the eighth grade at her father’s behest, she was not giddy about the game. She was concerned about failing.

Burgess was already the butt of jokes for being the tallest person at her junior high school. She had nightmares about how much worse the insults would become if her classmates found out a tall person wasn’t good at basketball.

“I encouraged her to do it because Angela needed to be involved in something where people were cheering for her to do well,” Ken said. “I thought this was the thing to help her self-confidence.”

Persuading his daughter to pick up the game was one hurdle--a bigger one was finding a place where she could play.

Ken said there were no youth leagues for girls as inexperienced as Angela during that time in Irvine. In order for Angela to participate in a league, Ken agreed to coach a boys’ team if his daughter was allowed to play.

“It was hard at the beginning,” Ken said. “She was nervous trying to learn and it showed, but she made some real good friends on the team who helped.”

The support of her family, though, was the biggest help.

Ken and Sandi understood firsthand the problems Angela faced. Ken is 6-6 and Sandi is almost 6-2.

“Everyone in our family is very tall,” Sandi said. “My brother is 6-8 and Ken is very tall, so we knew how the kids would turn out.”

Two of Angela’s brothers are taller than 6-feet and the family’s doctor said the other two will also surpass that height, Sandi said. Angela’s brother Chris is 6-9 and a freshman center at Mater Dei.

“I have no doubt that Angela would not have the confidence she has today if it weren’t for basketball,” Ken said. “It was very important that she did this and be successful at it.”

Success has come rapidly for Burgess.

She was promoted from junior varsity to varsity early in her freshman season. As a sophomore, Burgess had averages of 8.8 points and 10 rebounds, numbers good enough to earn a place on the All-Sea View League second team.

Burgess continued to blossom this season, averaging 12.5 points and leading the team with 12.3 rebounds. She was selected first team all-league.

The accolades are quite an accomplishment for someone who only four years ago did not know the difference between a zone defense and a no-parking zone. To her credit, however, Burgess realizes she still has much to learn.

“I think I have some talent and, with my height, I have a real chance to do something good,” she said. “When a person doesn’t think they have a lot of talent, they won’t work hard to fulfill their potential.

“Now that I know I can play, I have to work to improve my quickness and strength.”

Warrior senior guard Jamie Oenning is pleased by her friend’s positive outlook.

“I think it’s really hard for someone to be happy with themselves when they’re young no matter who they are,” Oenning said. “I’m really happy that Angela now looks at her height as an attribute instead of as a detriment.

“I know people always tell me how lucky we are to have her on the team.”

Burgess’ newfound confidence also has manifested itself in her on-court attitude.

After leading Woodbridge to a 46-41 victory over Mission Hills Alemany in the Southern California Regional Division II championship, several Alemany players complained to reporters that Burgess played too physical.

Burgess said she did nothing wrong, but simply the thought of opponents believing she has a little mean streak makes her coach smile.

“Good, now maybe I can get her to knock somebody down,” Bangs said, jokingly. “But seriously, she is so nice and sweet that it was really hard to get her to growl a little bit on the court her first couple of seasons. I think now she knows you don’t have to be mad or play dirty to go out and play hard.”

Burgess also competes for the Woodbridge track and field team. She finished third in the discus and fourth in the shotput at the Orange County championships last season, and sixth in the Southern Section Division II meet in the shotput with a career-best throw of 35 feet 6 1/2 inches.

Burgess was a member of the school choir, but she had to resign because it conflicted with basketball. The decision, Burgess said, was simple.

“I owe basketball a lot,” she said. “I’ve made a lot of good friends playing and I’ve had a lot of fun.

“Sometimes I kind of felt like an outcast, but basketball helped me find myself.”