Matthews Wants to Stand Out at Tustin, Not Be a Sitting Duck : Sea View League: Lost in a sea of talent at Mater Dei, versatile senior is being counted on to lead the Tillers.

The burden of production has been placed squarely on the shoulders of Dejuan Matthews. As he goes, so goes the Tustin basketball team.

Pressure? You bet.

Worries? Not in the least.

“It’s going to be fun,” Matthews said. “I’m going to get to do a lot more things on the court.”

Which is all he has ever asked or wanted. It’s the reason he walked away from Mater Dei, the State Division I runner-up, in June and enrolled in a smaller pond.

Behind him is the frustration and the injuries that prevented him from standing out in the crowd. Ahead of him is a sensational senior season, or so he hopes.

But whatever the result, Matthews knows he made the right decision.

“I was never going to realize my full potential at Mater Dei,” he said. “I was never going to get into the playing rotation. I decided it was time to leave.”

His choice couldn’t have been better, not for what he desires.

Matthews wanted to be the go-to guy, not a no-play guy. He had enough of watching others last season.

So he transferred to Tustin, which won the State Division II championship in 1991 and reached the semifinals of the Southern Section II-AA playoffs last season. It’s an established program, with no returning starters.

The possibilities were mind-boggling.

“Dejuan can rebound and shoot and plays great defense,” Tustin Coach Andy Ground said. “We will use him at small forward, off-guard and point guard. Basically, anywhere we need him.”

That’s music to Matthews’ ears.

“I want to do more then just shoot the ball,” he said.

Matthews always considered himself a complete player. He worked to become that, beginning in youth leagues when he was in the third grade.

Al Matthews, his father, coached his son’s traveling teams and tutored him at home.

“We would be watching a game on TV and someone would do something spectacular,” Matthews said. “My dad would show me how the guy read the defense. He is always talking basketball.”

The lessons stuck, and Matthews excelled. In the eighth grade, he was part of a traveling team that included Marmet Williams and Kamran Sufi. All three landed at Mater Dei.

Matthews made the varsity as a sophomore and even started a few games. He averaged 3.8 points, but showed his ability with a 16-point performance against Santa Fe Springs St. Paul.

He appeared to be on track to become another in a long line of standout Mater Dei players.

“He had spurts where he was brilliant,” Monarch Coach Gary McKnight said. “I think he would have been a very good player for us had he stayed healthy.”

Matthews’ injuries began his sophomore season, when he was slowed by a stretched Achilles’ tendon. Last season, his problems multiplied.

He sprained his ankle before the season and got off to a slow start. He started 10 games, then re-injured the ankle during practice.

By the time he returned, the Monarchs, who were loaded with talent, had already established a playing rotation. Matthews could only sit and watch as his teammates rolled through the section I-A playoffs and reached the State final.

It added up to a frustrating season.

“They just wanted me to be a shooter,” Matthews said. “I wasn’t expected to dribble or rebound or play defense. I like doing those things. Then I got hurt and I wasn’t playing at all.”

Matthews could handle being a one-dimensional contributor. But a hanger-on? No way.

After school ended in June, Matthews’ family moved into the Tustin attendance area.

“All I knew about Dejuan was he played at Mater Dei,” Ground said. “That meant he was a pretty good ballplayer.”

Matthews spent the summer attending basketball camps to hone his skills. He was away so much that Ground didn’t get to see him play until the final three summer league games.

Three was enough. Actually, one was plenty. Against Capistrano Valley, Matthews outplayed Cougar point guard David Sedgwick in a Tiller victory.

“Even when he’s not hitting his shot, he can control things with his defense,” Ground said. “And if he hits his first two shots, he’ll be on all night. We were very lucky to get him.”

PREP BASKETBALL ‘92-’92 / SEAVIEW LEAGUE

1991-92 IN REVIEW

Team League Overall Tustin 9-1 22-8 Woodbridge 7-3 18-7 Saddleback 6-4 14-11 Corona del Mar 3-7 10-16 University 3-7 9-17 Newport Harbor 2-8 11-15

League MVP: Jentry Moore (Tustin).