Cantrell Worms Way Into Position : Ventura Forward Emulates Rodman With His Defense and Rebounding

Forget the orange, pink or green hair. Don’t even think about the tattoos that blanket the muscular body. And going AWOL would be a suicide mission, so scratch that, too.

Those antics might be fine for Dennis Rodman, the San Antonio Spurs’ nonconformist, but Ventura College forward Damian Cantrell is willing to copy only the Worm’s style of play and not his shock-jock persona.

“I’ve been watching Rodman,” Cantrell said. “He lets you know like it is and I’ve tried to pattern myself after him. He won’t take any (garbage). He’s all business.”

Cantrell has paid close attention. While Rodman is the best rebounder in the NBA, Cantrell is definitely the Chairman of the Boards at Ventura.

The 6-foot-6 freshman from Santa Clara High is not afraid to stake his territory under the basket and wrestle anyone for a rebound. He would never dream of doing those other Rodmanesque things--it’s not his personality and Pirate Coach Philip Mathews would never allow it--but playing with ultra-intensity is his calling card.

Every team Ventura has faced this season could vouch for that. After tonight, Fresno City might be added to that list. Ventura (34-1) will face the Rams (26-10) at 8 p.m. in the quarterfinals of the state championships at UC Irvine. It will be the fourth consecutive appearance in the tournament for the Pirates, who won the title in 1987.

Cantrell’s play is one reason the Pirates are in the tournament again. He led the team with 7.6. rebounds per game during the regular season and averaged 9.0 points, although he seldom shoots from outside. Most of his scoring comes inside, on putbacks after errant Pirate shots, or layups after driving around his defender.

“Coach has given me the green light (to shoot), but I’d rather grab the rebounds and put it up,” Cantrell said. “I like to work inside.”

Sometimes, that means going against guys much taller, but Cantrell won’t back down. In a second-round game against Irvine Valley in the Southern California regional last Wednesday, Mathews assigned Cantrell to guard 6-11 center Keon Clark. The five-inch difference in height seemed like a mismatch but Cantrell frustrated Clark with his quickness and relentless pressure.

Clark averaged 22.6 points and 20.1 rebounds during the regular season but Cantrell, with help from teammate Curtis Ganes, held him to nine points as the Pirates romped, 96-57. Cantrell finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

“Damian is our blue-collar worker,” Mathews said of Cantrell. “He’s a hard worker and a very versatile player. He’s also a very smart player.”

Three nights later, Cantrell was asked to repeat the effort against Chaffey’s 6-11 Avondre Jones, the former USC center. It didn’t quite pan out. Cantrell tried to muscle Jones but got into quick foul trouble and contributed little in Ventura’s 83-75 victory that sent the Pirates to the quarterfinals.

Jones took Cantrell to school, making 10 of 13 shots in the first half, mostly on baseline hooks and turnaround jumpers his undersized defender couldn’t stop.

Cantrell knows he was outplayed, but don’t think he wouldn’t accept the challenge again.

“I don’t like to look like a wimp,” Cantrell said. “I like to dominate.”

If they didn’t know him before the game, they certainly remember him afterward. The snapshots are numerous: There’s Cantrell, battling for a rebound. There he goes, scrambling after a loose ball. There he is again, stepping in front of a driving opponent to take a charging foul. He thrives on being aggressive, on giving the complete effort, and pity the fool who gets in his way.

“Most people will (go for rebounds) for a little while, but they don’t want to bang bodies the whole game,” Cantrell said. “After a while, they get tired and that’s when I feel I can get the upper hand. . . . A lot of people don’t like that contact, but I like being physical.

“I look at the other team as the enemy. For 40 minutes, they are the enemy. Afterward, everything is cool. I leave everything on the floor.”

Despite his style of play, Cantrell is never abrasive or bellicose. He does his job quietly and doesn’t get concerned about loudmouths who try to intimidate opponents with verbal salvos.

In fact, he takes a pragmatic approach when dealing with trash-talkers.

“If they are talking trash, they are worried about me instead of the game, so that’ll help me take (an opponent) out of his game,” Cantrell said.

“Instead of grabbing a rebound, he’s talking and I can hit the boards.”