ALL-COUNTY BASKETBALL AWARDS : Two Keys to Winning : Philman Set the Standard for Edison Girls’ Basketball

A grimace flows into a smile in one smooth motion, just like the putback off the glass.

It has been an unusual season for Edison’s Marie Philman.

She set the standard for girls’ basketball at Edison, and is one of the greatest players ever to compete in Orange County.

She is a scorer and a rebounder, a terrific shooter, a proven leader.

It is too much to say she single-handedly made Edison everything it was, but only because she had to share the court with four teammates.

Her gift for scoring, and her ability to overcome serious health problems, make Philman The Times Orange County player of the year--bad back and all.

It has been a long time since one team had so much riding on one person. Sure, Brea Olinda had Jody Anton and Nicole Erickson, and Mater Dei had Melody Peterson the last few seasons when they were players of the year. But those players also had help.

Philman wasn’t nearly so lucky.

She was surrounded by teammates who were not basketball players as much as they were athletes learning to play the game.

They shouldn’t be offended, because they played a critical role in the marvelous career of Philman, who became the fourth player in county history to score 2,000 points. She finished with 2,186 (fourth-best all-time), and a county-record 1,154 rebounds. For good measure, she added 291 steals and 237 assists.

Her teammates recognized a bread-winner when they saw one. They were willing to give the ball to Philman, who was self-assured enough to do with it what needed to be done. In 29 games, she took 505 shots--more than anyone in the county--and made 49.1%.

That’s despite being double- or triple-teamed, because every opposing coach knew that to beat Edison, they had to beat Philman.

And yet, most couldn’t.

She averaged 21.7 points--the second-best average in the county--though her coach tried to save her from wear and tear by giving her as many breaks as he could afford.

But there weren’t a lot of times he could afford it. Not in the toughest league in the county.

And yet, Philman’s Chargers shared the Sunset League title with an 8-2 record, winning the last seven in a league that had four top-10 teams.

On the night her coach told her she needed 37 points to reach 2,000, she scored 35 in a 67-63 upset of fifth-ranked Fountain Valley. The next game, she scored 26 in a 66-57 victory over fourth-ranked Marina.

She plays the game better than most 5-foot-11 forwards.

She is one-fourth of UCLA’s recruiting class, which is considered the second-best in the country.

Basketball may be a team game, but it is composed of individual efforts. There are few who would dare dispute the cold, hard truth:

Without Philman, Edison is not a top-10 team in Orange County. It does not tie for the Sunset League title. It does not get past the first round of the playoffs. And it surely doesn’t reach the Division I-A semifinals.

The bad back that prevented Philman from matching her totals from her junior season (24.5 points, 12.3 rebounds) was as much from carrying her team on her back as it was her “strained sacroiliac.” Since December, she suffered severe spasms in her lower back, which is out of alignment by 30 degrees.

To correct it, the doctor said she needed two weeks’ rest. She compromised--no rest, no full-blown practices.

She hardly practiced with her teammates. After her performance against Fountain Valley, she said, “It’s amazing what 500 shots a day will do for your game.”

There’s the strong move to the glass. The straight-up 10-footer on the baseline. The jumper from the top of the key. The 78.9% average from the free-throw line.

She averaged 9.6 rebounds, fewer than she had as a junior, but her team won two more games, went 22-8 and had the kind of season that average teams don’t have unless they’ve got a superstar.