Follow the Bouncing Ball

The caller was persistent, so even though Oscar Abreu was tired, he agreed to come to the soccer field that Saturday eight years ago to watch his buddy’s fourth-grade son play.

Abreu, a youth basketball coach and Placentia convenience store owner with three young children, was awed by an athletic, extremely quick defender who towered over the rest of the boys.

When the game was over, in a move that would change the lives of both people, Abreu approached the youngster and gave him some advice.

“I said, ‘I think you’re playing the wrong game,’ ” Abreu said. “ ‘You should be playing basketball instead.’ ”

Zamiro Bennem took that advice and through hard work and determined practice has emerged this season at Magnolia High as one of the county’s best point guards. He was selected the most valuable player at two holiday tournaments and has led the Sentinels (16-3, 3-0) into first place in the Orange League by averaging 22.7 points.

Last week, Bennem scored 54 points, had 21 rebounds and 24 assists in two games, including a 34-point, 11-rebound, 12-assist effort in a 79-70 upset of then third-ranked Brea Olinda, ending the Wildcats’ 24-game league winning streak.

“I’d say he’s as good a guard as there is in the county,” Brea Coach Gene Lloyd said.

Bennem’s effort against Brea, witnessed by several college scouts, led to a scholarship offer from UC Irvine Coach Pat Douglass. College coaches are prohibited from discussing recruits until they sign a letter of intent, but Brea’s Lloyd compared Bennem to the Wildcats’ Chris McMillian, also one of the county’s best point guards, who has committed to Wyoming.

The sudden accolades are new for Bennem. He posted good numbers as a sophomore shooting guard (17 points per game), but struggled with the switch to point guard last season and his scoring average dropped to 15.

He didn’t help himself when he was unwilling to participate in off-season all-star basketball camps--he said they made him feel uncomfortable--where he might have been seen by more college coaches.

Magnolia, which entered the county rankings at No. 10 this week, has never been considered a basketball power.

Brea has won three of the last four league titles, while Magnolia (30-25 in Bennem’s first two seasons) has finished third the last two seasons.

Magnolia Coach Al Walin had an inkling this season would be different, however, after his team won a major summer basketball tournament in Palm Springs. But he was disappointed when few people noticed.

“I don’t understand,” Walin said. “We were 28-4 in the summer and won that tournament. I thought, ‘Wow.’ ”

Abreu has a makeshift practice facility in the driveway of his Fullerton home, where Bennem spent hours perfecting his ballhandling and shooting.

But Bennem knew it would take more to get the Sentinels on track.

“We had a lot of good players in the past, but things just didn’t work out,” Bennem said. “The chemistry wasn’t right. Magnolia basketball had a lack of leadership. A lot of players didn’t play their roles.”

Bennem persuaded seniors Paul Cabico and Eric McGhee and backup guard Ge Moua to join him and Abreu’s son, Robert, a Sonora freshman, on a team in a fall basketball league that was coached by Abreu. The experience helped them define roles more clearly.

Abreu spent countless hours over the last two years, calling college coaches, newspapers and scouting services to drum up interest in his protege. He taped Bennem in games and mailed the tapes to coaches around the country. He followed those up with letters and phone calls.

“This kid is special,” Abreu said. “He’s a hell of a kid with a big heart. He has speed, athleticism. His will to succeed and win and work at it cannot be denied. He just never quits.

“When he switched to point guard he would be at my house every day,” Abreu said. “I’m telling you, this kid was driving me nuts. He’d work into the darkness and keep going on the driveway. The kid is a workaholic.”

Had it not been for Abreu, Bennem says, his life would most likely have taken a different path. “I probably would have gone the wrong route,” he said. “My parents had to work a lot and there was nothing for me to do around the house but watch TV each day. Sooner or later, I probably would have gotten in trouble.”