Wake-up Call

It didn’t take long, five or 10 minutes tops, for Damaris Hinojosa to realize she wasn’t in Moorpark anymore.

When her eyes returned to normal size and her head stopped spinning, Hinojosa had one question after her first practice with the Pepperdine women’s basketball team.

Who turned up the speed?

One of the top players ever from Ventura County, Hinojosa had her way in high school, scoring at will for Moorpark High.

But this is different. Very different.

The guards at this level are there one moment, gone the next. The forwards are more apt to skillfully drop-step than drop the ball.

And the defense these people play? Pleeease.

“You can’t take minutes off like you can in high school,” said the Times’ Ventura County player of the year in 1998 and 1999. “I was blown away by the intensity out there.”

The 5-foot-10 freshman was equally floored by the quality of the Waves’ opponents.

In the third game of the season, Pepperdine played at No. 1 Connecticut. There were 10,927 people in attendance. Hinojosa was matched against sensational guard Shea Ralph. To no one’s real surprise, Connecticut dropped the youthful Waves, 101-58.

“You can’t help but to be in awe,” said Hinojosa, who scored three points on one-of-12 shooting. “I know it probably affected the way I played, but you can’t help it. It’s a whole lot different than watching it on TV.”

Hinojosa has had some highlights.

Earlier this month, she scored 24 points, the most by a Wave this season, in a 90-80 loss to Mississippi State, currently ranked No. 20.

She scored 18 points against San Francisco last week, lifting her average to 13.1 points, second-best on the team.

Hinojosa also has made freshman mistakes.

She did not get a rebound in 39 minutes against St. Mary’s, much to the dismay of the Pepperdine coaches.

“We got on her for that,” Coach Mark Trakh said. “The odds are good you’re going to get a rebound--the ball will bounce off somebody’s head and into your hands.”

Hinojosa pulled down a combined 10 rebounds in the Waves’ next two games, a solid sum for a shooting guard.

“Obviously, the message was received,” Trakh said. “She responded to criticism.”

Pepperdine coaches also addressed Hinojosa’s shot selection.

Hinojosa, who once attempted 36 shots in a high school game, attempted 18 and made only three in an 86-67 loss to UCLA.

That’s a no-no, said Trakh, who asked Hinojosa to be more selective.

In the Waves’ next game, against Florida, Hinojosa took the other extreme and passed up shots within her range. Trakh talked to her again.

“If you have 30 good shots, you should take them,” Trakh said to Hinojosa, who is getting closer to the middle ground.

She made five of nine shots last week against San Francisco. Two weeks ago, she was seven of 15 against San Diego. Against Mississippi State, she was 10 of 17.

Her performances of late remind many of her high school days.

In a playoff game last season against Fountain Valley, she had 26 points, 17 rebounds, 14 steals and 10 assists.

Against Paso Robles, in another playoff game, Hinojosa had 23 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.

Another adjustment she is learning to make is how to deal with losing. At Moorpark, Hinojosa’s teams went 97-12 in her four seasons.

About halfway through her first college season, she has experienced nearly as many losses. Pepperdine was 10-7, 3-1 in West Coast Conference play, heading into a game Friday against San Francisco.

But Hinojosa is happy.

“The basketball team is the main reason I came here,” she said. “The education and everything is great, but the coaching staff and the team chemistry are what I want.

“We’re a young team that’s on the rise. We’re getting over that hill. That’s what I wanted to be a part of. I wanted to play a significant role my first year.”

If she ever wants to return to those days at Moorpark, it’s not difficult. Her family, an active part of her life, still lives there.

“I can’t say I miss it because I’m there a lot,” Hinojosa said. “And if I miss home cooking, I’ll go there and have a meal.”

No matter how hectic college life may get, on or off the court, Hinojosa knows one thing for certain.

“A part of me will never leave Moorpark.”