Defense Mechanism

Nobody ever said Charles Woodard should stop shooting the basketball.

No one from the Ventura College men’s program tried to handcuff him, and no one asked him to become a playmaker instead of a scorer.

But on a squad with more sharpshooters than a SWAT unit, Woodard wanted to contribute with more than just his sweet left-handed jumper. He wanted to keep the other team from scoring.

“I’ve really worked hard on my defense,” Woodard said. “I’ve tried to become a stopper. . . . They usually put me on the [opponent’s] best guy.”

It’s a new role for Woodard, a 6-foot-6 sophomore forward who was never trigger-shy at Canyon High. In his senior season in 1993-94, Woodard averaged 20.6 points, second on the team behind Greg Minor’s 23.1 average.

At Canyon, Woodard had no choice but to share the offensive load with Minor in order for the Cowboys to win. Ventura, though, wasn’t going to sink if Woodard didn’t score. The Pirates have plenty of guys who can do that.

Ventura (29-2), the defending state champion, has a 17.9-point margin-of-victory average going into a home game tonight against Trade Tech (16-14) in the second round of the Southern California regionals.

The Pirates average 88.5 points and have scored 90 or more points 17 times. They have hit the century mark six times.

Woodard averages only about eight points in Coach Virgil Watson’s scheme that rotates two five-man units every few minutes. But his value is measured by more than hard numbers. Even though his quickness and tenacity don’t show up in box scores, their significance is clear. Woodard spearheads much of Ventura’s success on defense.

“We wanted him to be a more complete player,” Watson said. “He has sacrificed some of his personal desires for this team. He could be selfish but he’s looking to help us be successful.”

Ventura, which often has been top-ranked in the state the past few years, finished 37-1 last season under Coach Phil Mathews, who then moved on to the University of San Francisco. Under Watson, a former assistant, the Pirates fell briefly from their perch this season after dropping consecutive tournament games in late December. The losses, Woodard said, were a shock.

“It was a wake-up call,” he said. “I was upset. Those two losses go on our record. . . . It’s like last year, when we lost to Cuesta.”

If not for the loss to Cuesta, 89-81 in a Western State Conference game last February, the Pirates would have been the third undefeated state champions since the tournament started in 1952. Woodard, who averaged 7.5 points and whose 60.6% shooting mark was second on the team, chalked the loss up to the inexperience of a predominantly freshman squad that became foolishly cocky.

The two losses this season were harder for Woodard to take because this is a veteran team, filled with gifted players, that had a reasonable chance at a perfect record and another state title.

“Last [season] we played hard from the beginning,” Woodard said. “This [season] we started kind of slow. The team wasn’t clicking.”

The Pirates didn’t ignore the warnings. Ventura is riding a 14-game winning streak and has rarely been challenged during that stretch. Last Saturday, the Pirates routed Golden West, 92-69, in the first round of the playoffs.

That’s the prosperity Woodard expected when he chose to play at Ventura.

“Originally, I was supposed to redshirt at Utah, but I didn’t think I was ready for the university level. I was too immature,” he said. “Plus I didn’t want to sit out. . . . I wanted to go somewhere where there was a winning program.”

Woodard, who grew up in Pacoima, didn’t start playing organized basketball until high school. He later joined a traveling team and has been refining his skills since.

“I think of Ventura as an awesome travel team,” Woodard said. “I’m glad I came here. Everything has worked perfectly.”