GIRLS’ BASKETBALL 1994-1995: GARDEN GROVE LEAGUE : The Busier, the Better for Los Amigos’ Zavala : Basketball: Senior guard impresses everyone with her talent on, off the court.

Bored, is one word that isn’t in Carmela Zavala’s vocabulary. In fact, the Los Amigos senior is so busy these days, it would make any self-respecting couch potato shudder in disbelief.

Never mind that Zavala, a 5-foot-7 senior, is emersed in her favorite pastime, basketball, which requires lots of time and practice. And never mind she also keeps herself in high gear with her studies, cheerleading and a part-time job at a health club.

Zavala, 17, pays no mind. And for those who might advise her to slow down and take it easy. Forget it: She seems to thrive on the hectic pace of her life.

“I haven’t really thought about it,” Zavala said. “I just have a lot of interests and things I want to do. I like to be busy and it doesn’t bother me at all.”

Last season, she was named first-team All-Garden Grove League after averaging 16 points. And her coach, Mike Loftis, thinks she’ll be better this season.

“She’s a very good athlete,” Loftis said. “She’s completely dedicated to the sport and her willingness to help other players makes her one of the most popular girls on the team.”

He is equally impressed with her ability to do it all and still be a well-adjusted teen-ager.

“It’s obvious that Carmela has a busy life,” he said. “But even though she does all these things, she still is able to maintain a 3.5 grade-point average, keep a part-time job and be a cheerleader. She’s an angel.”

Zavala also participates in cross-country and track and field, in which she runs the mile and 880 and was an all-league selection in both sports.

“I like cross-country and track. But my main love is basketball,” Zavala said. “Unlike the other events, basketball is more of a competitive thing. In cross-country and track, the individual is stressed more. But in basketball, it’s you against another person. It’s you and your teammates against another team. I love it.”

Since she was a little girl, basketball has been her favorite sport.

“My brother and I used to watch the Lakers on TV, and I remember watching Magic. He was so good. I thought to myself, ‘That’s how I want to play,’ ” she said.

And play she did. But not with girls on the block or in a girls’ league, but with her brother in pick-up games.

Gilbert Zavala Jr., 19, is the junior varsity coach at Los Amigos, and throughout their lives, Gilbert was his sister’s coach and teammate.

“He has helped me a lot with my game,” Zavala said. “We play against each other and he’s always telling me the things I need to work on.”

Zavala’s playing experience mostly comes from playing against boys, something she said has made her better.

“There was never really anybody telling me I couldn’t play with the boys,” she said. “My brother would take me with him and I would play.”

Zavala said the experience has made playing against girls easier.

“With boys, the game moves a lot faster. You have to react quickly and the level is just so much better,” Zavala said. “So when I get on the court with the girls, I have an edge.”

1993-94 / IN REVIEW

Standings

League Overall School W L W L Rancho Alamitos 13 1 21 7 La Quinta 13 1 19 6 Kennedy 10 4 18 9 Garden Grove 9 5 11 13 Pacifica 5 9 9 14 Santiago 4 10 8 15 Bolsa Grande 2 12 4 17 Los Amigos 1 13 2 20

Highlights

Tied with La Quinta for first place in the Garden Grove League, Rancho Alamitos proved to be the better team during the playoffs. Behind the shooting of six-foot center Akilah Rodgers, a two-time Times’ all-country first-team selection and first-team all-league, the Vaqueros defeated San Dimas, 60-57, in a first-round game of the Southern Section Division III-AA playoffs. Although Rodgers had a great playoff series, she and her teammates were unable stop a tough Estancia team, losing, 51-44, in the quarterfinals. Rodgers finished the season averaging 19.5 points, 15.4 rebounds, 3.7 blocks and was dominant inside, shooting 56.4% from the field. . . . La Quinta, despite the presence of first-team, all-league guards Linda Rodriguez, who averaged 21.5 points, and Rhonda Gondringer, who averaged 18.5, was unable to advance to the quarterfinals in the Division III-A playoffs, losing to El Dorado, 57-39. . . . Kennedy, which has since moved to the Empire League, finished a disappointing third, but produced two first-team all-league standouts in guards Karin Kitagawa and Damia Williams. . . . Although an inexperienced Garden Grove team finished better than its coach would have thought, it was primarily because of the one-person show of Michol Murray, who averaged 19.8 points, was the top rebounder in the county with an average of 15.5 and was named Player of the Year in the Garden Grove League. . . . Pacifica guard Pilar Surch finished the season with a 16-point average and was a first-team all-league selection. . . . Cari Remmel was the outstanding performer for sixth-place Santiago and was a first-team all-league pick. . . . All-league player Theodora Bryant was the top-scorer for Bolsa Grande, which finished in seventh place. . . . Though Los Amigos finished last, there were good performances from junior Carmela Zavala, a first-team all-league selection, who averaged 16 points and was the team’s leading rebounder.