MAKING IT ON VARSITY : A Trend With Some Class : Nine Ninth Graders Have Made Their Varsity Basketball Teams This Season

They’re big and talented and have a couple of summers of experience on all-star traveling teams. But not all coaches believe in promoting talented players to the varsity level in their first year. After all, outside factors can make life difficult for a freshman.

The trend, if you will, is to put freshmen on the varsity--if they’re ready.

In years past, basketball coaches would bring a talented freshman along slowly, allowing him to play a year on the junior varsity team to become acclimated with the program and campus life.

No longer. There are nine Orange County freshmen on varsity rosters, and for good reason. They all have certain characteristics that make them eligible:

- Experience. Freshmen are entering high schools with a strong basketball background. In most areas, there are summer traveling teams for junior high athletes and younger. Coaches seem more willing to promote freshmen with such experience.

- Maturity. Most of the county coaches who have freshmen on their rosters said the players are able to handle the enormous pressure, which is asking a lot of youngsters between the ages of 13 and 15.

- Natural ability or size. These two usually go together. A big player with an aptitude for the sport is the most likely freshman candidate to play varsity. - Team player. Often the focus is on the freshman player himself, which can cause intrasquad problems. If a freshman is starting on varsity, that usually means that there is a resentful junior or senior on the bench. In such cases, the freshman has to be careful not to be abrasive among his older peers.

There are no special similarities, however, that bind the schools who use freshmen on varsity. Freshmen can be found starting at Westminster, where first-year Coach Dick Katz is rebuilding the program. They also can be found learning the system at top-ranked Mater Dei, a team loaded with stars.

Here’s a look at freshmen who are expected to play varsity the entire season:

MARK AUSTIN, Westminster, 6-1 forward: When you consider that Austin is the second tallest player on the team at 6-foot-1, it’s easy to see why he’s on varsity. Katz expects him to grow to about 6-foot-4, but until then will have to rely on good positioning to get rebounds. The left-handed Austin also is one of his team’s better outside shooters. The Westminster freshmen team is 6-2 without freshmen Ray Smith, Marland Love and Austin, so by the time they all are seniors the Lions should be tough.

STEVE GUILD, Marina, 6-5 forward: Guild already contributes to his team as much as any other county freshman. Marina Coach Steve Popovich said Guild has played as much as anyone on the team. Guild has been the team’s leading rebounder, and inbounds the ball to start the Viking offense. Thus far, Guild, the first freshman Popovich has ever had on varsity, is averaging nine points and six rebounds per game.

GRAYLE HUMPHREY, Sonora, 5-8 guard: Physically, Humphrey might not be ready for varsity, but his skills have helped carry him. Humphrey, the son of Sonora assistant coach Brian Humphrey, has spent many an hour practicing in Sonora’s gym. If this had been an up year for Sonora, however, Humphrey might have played junior varsity.

ADAM KEEFE, Woodbridge, 6-4 center: Woodbridge Coach Bill Shannon hesitated in moving the 14-year-old player backup center to the varsity. But the absence of transfer center 6-10 Marco Baldi of Italy, who is playing for a New York high school, required more size underneath for the Warriors, so Keefe got the call. Shannon said Keefe is a quick learner and an honor student in school. At 155 pounds, Keefe will have to put on some weight to be an effective Sea View League center.

MARLAND LOVE, Westminster, 6-0 forward-guard: Katz expects Love to grow to 6-foot-4 or 6-foot-5 by the time he’s a senior. Katz calls Love his best defensive player because defense is a function of intensity and not necessarily ability. Offense takes more practice and work, and Love will get his work at the varsity level. Katz says Love is the team basketball junkie.

KEVIN REMBERT, Mater Dei, 6-4 1/2 forward: With Mater Dei’s difficult preseason schedule (Tournament of Champions and Orange Tournament), Rembert hasn’t seen much action, but he figures to get more playing time once Angelus League play begins in January. Mater Dei Coach Gary McKnight describes Rembert as a player with great natural ability, but is on the varsity more as a learning experience. “I want him to see how the veteran players act on and off the court,” McKnight said. “I want him to see how hard they work and how they got to be as good as they are.” Also, it never hurts to practice with the likes of Tom Lewis and Mike Mitchell. According to McKnight, two other Mater Dei freshmen, Char Ruppel and football star Todd Marinovich, have the ability to play varsity if there was more room.

RAY SMITH, Westminster, 6-0 forward: One of three freshmen on the Westminster varsity, Smith is described by Katz as the best athlete of the three. A fullback and linebacker on the sophomore football team, Smith doesn’t mind the contact at the varsity basketball level and will likely be the team leader when he’s an upperclassman. All three Westminster freshmen have started at least one game and all have enough playing time to make it worth their while.

STEVE STOLZOFF, University, 6-2 guard: University coach Steve Scoggin said that Stolzoff will make freshman-type mistakes, but by the time he’s a senior--if he grows to 6-foot-5--he should be the kind of dominant player that other teams will gear defenses around. Currently the sixth man off the bench for the Trojans, Stolzoff became varsity material when Scoggin saw him score 59 points (24 of 27 from the floor and 11 of 11 at the free throw line) during a summer traveling-team game.

GREG WILBER, Fullerton, 6-1 guard: Wilber averages only four-six minutes per game, but Fullerton Coach Randy Forgette thought it would be best for Wilber’s development to be on varsity with the idea of learning the system, but not being a major contributor until the future. Forgette said that Wilber is a fundamentally sound player and one of the team’s better defenders.