Eagles Soar to New Heights on Well-Grounded Theme

Scott Long of Chaminade High played the Southern Section Division III-A basketball final Saturday as if he were protected by body armor.

Elbows, arms, hands, fingers, nails--they bounced off his 6-foot-5, 200-pound frame like a fly swatted to the ground.

“This guy has been waiting for this ever since he stepped onto a gym floor,” Chaminade Coach Jeff Young said.

Long scored 35 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and left no doubt he’s tough enough to join the Naval Academy after leading the Eagles (27-1) to an 80-66 victory over Bishop Montgomery at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim.

“He played an awesome game,” said teammate Scott Borchart, a 6-7 freshman.

At one point, Bishop Montgomery’s 6-5 Lamar Lawrence had one arm draped around Long’s neck and the other resting on his back as the two muscled for position inside. Long couldn’t be stopped. He made 10 of 13 shots and 14 of 17 free throws. Between the third and fourth quarters, he scored 15 consecutive points.

“I try to go into every game like this,” Long said. “Today, [shots] were falling. Lamar plays physical, and I’m not going to back down.”

About the only thing Long did wrong was shout, “What?” to an official after a foul call in the third quarter. Soon, he was smiling at the official.

It would have resulted in 20 push-ups and latrine duty next fall for questioning a superior. But Long was focused on perfection Saturday, and no one was going to stand in his way.

Four years ago, he showed up at the West Hills campus hoping to become a big-time player. He cared about winning, but he also wanted to score. Sometimes, he’d erupt into a temper tantrum when he suffered a bad game.

All that began to change at the beginning of last season when a hip injury sent him to the sideline and made him think about his love for the game.

“I took it for granted,” he said. “All I wanted to do was get back on the court. Once I got back, I learned to enjoy the game for what it was and be grateful to have the opportunity to play.”

On a Chaminade team filled with unselfish players, Long set the example. Whether playing good teams or weak teams, he and his teammates haven’t cared who finished as the leading scorer or rebounder.

Give credit to Young, their boyish-looking 28-year-old coach, for the Eagles’ rise to the top in Valley basketball. He was hired out of Cal Lutheran at a time when Chaminade couldn’t compete with Mission League rivals Crespi, Notre Dame, Harvard-Westlake or Loyola. Month by month, season by season, Young lifted the program through his teaching and enthusiasm.

“I never thought it would get to this point,” Long said. “Coach Young said, ‘Work hard and good things would happen.’ And it did.”

Young said he kept 16 players this season “because it was impossible to cut one.”

It’s a rare group. From Justin Beach and his 1350 Scholastic Assessment Test score to Robby Tanouye’s 4.5 grade-point average, these are more than just athletes.

“It’s real good chemistry based on things outside of basketball,” Young said.

Borchart, a little more than a month past his 15th birthday, is destined to replace Long as one of Chaminade’s greatest players. He scored 16 points against Bishop Montgomery. But it was how he reacted to adversity that left a lasting impression.

Borchart missed four consecutive shots in the second quarter, almost as many shots as he missed in three earlier playoff games. Lawrence blocked one of his shots. The attempt to intimidate Borchart was under way.

“I just forgot about it,” Borchart said. “It doesn’t faze me at all.”

Borchart scored seven consecutive points to start the second half as Chaminade surged into a 42-27 lead. Like Long, Borchart was unafraid of the competition and undaunted by the championship atmosphere.

In the end, Chaminade replaced Harvard-Westlake as Division III-A champion because it learned what it takes to reach the top.

“Everyone wants to see each other’s success more than their own,” Young said.

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Eric Sondheimer’s local column appears Wednesday and Sunday. He can be reached at (818) 772-3422.