Lien Is Rancho Santiago’s Center of Attention

There have been times when Matt Lien thought his dreams of playing Division I college basketball would remain just that--a dream.

He often thought about college ball during his high school days at Whittier Christian. And, at 6-foot-9, he drew interest from scouts.

But once they saw him play, their interest ended.

He played well in practice, but games were a different story.

“I was nervous and lacked a lot of confidence at that time,” Lien said.

Lien landed a spot on Rancho Santiago’s roster, and after a red-shirt season in 1987-88, he began to improve.

He again attracted a lot of interest from Division I colleges, and this time it was legitimate. When scouts talked about him, words such as “project” were replaced by “prospect.”

Lien signed a national letter of intent with Cal in early November. Washington State, Baylor and Fresno State also recruited him.

“In high school I only dreamed of going Division I or ever playing in the Pac-10,” Lien said. “Other guys would say that they were going Division I and we would all laugh. I had dreams like that, but it wasn’t something I told anyone else. It wasn’t a goal I could see.”

Lien played sparingly at Whittier Christian, and came to Rancho Santiago in the fall of 1987. He didn’t plan to redshirt, but Rancho Santiago had already started Alonzo Jamison, the eventual state player of the year, at center so Lien could afford to sit.

Lien said he was disappointed when he found out he wasn’t going to play, but continued to work out with the team until the fall semester ended.

Lien then quit school to work full time.

“I felt it would be the best thing to do,” he said of leaving school. “I needed some time to think about what I wanted to do with my life.”

Lien returned to Rancho Santiago last season and was ready to play.

Again, he started slowly, but by mid-December, he was playing more than before. His confidence was building and his work in the weight room started to show benefits.

Rancho Santiago Coach Dana Pagett said: “Strength-wise he just wasn’t capable of playing well his first year. He’s added about 15 to 20 pounds, but he has a lot of wiry strength so he doesn’t have to add much muscle. He could always run the floor and had good touch from the time he got here.”

Lien got his first start in the Rancho Santiago Holiday tournament late last December. He scored 26 points and pulled down 14 rebounds.

He started the rest of the season, averaging 11.1 points and 4.8 rebounds a game, and was named to the All-Orange Empire Conference team.

Although he gained strength and confidence last season, Lien still lacked one thing. “I wasn’t consistent,” he said. “Sometimes I was hitting everything and other times nothing would fall. This year I wanted to be more consistent.”

Lien didn’t play much basketball during the summer, and he started slowly this season.

“I was disappointed with the work he did over the summer,” Pagett said. “He got out of shape. But our weight training and running program got him back in a hurry.”

Lien agreed.

“I worked all summer, and basketball sort of went downhill,” he said. “Coach is right, I could have at least stayed in shape. I stuck basketball away for a while.”

Lien got back in shape and has helped Rancho Santiago to a 15-0 start and the No. 1 ranking in the state.

Lien is averaging 18.6 points and six rebounds a game and is shooting 81% from the free-throw line. He is shooting 55% from the field and has 17 blocked shots.

He also was voted most valuable player of the College of the Desert, the Grossmont and Pasadena tournaments.

“Signing early (with Cal) was a relief,” Lien said. “But I still have to work hard to improve more this season . . . It’s hard for me to believe how far I’ve come to just get here.”

Men’s basketball: Rancho Santiago plays host to its 13th annual Holiday tournament starting Wednesday.

Rancho Santiago and Santa Monica, the 14th-ranked team in the state, are the favorites. The tournament opens with Mt. San Antonio vs. Marymount at 3 p.m., Santa Monica vs. Walla Walla at 5 p.m., Rancho Santiago vs. LA Trade Tech at 7 p.m. and Saddleback vs. Long Beach at 9 p.m.

Women’s basketball: Fullerton will play host to the largest women’s basketball tournament in Orange County this season.

Sixteen teams, including Fullerton and Golden West, will participate in the four-day, double-elimination tournament that starts Wednesday.

The tournament opens at 8:30 a.m. with Mt. San Antonio playing at Yakima Valley.

The rest of the opening-day schedule: Chaffey vs. College of the Desert, 10:15 a.m.; San Bernardino Valley vs. Los Angeles Valley, noon; Riverside vs. Bakersfield, 1:45 p.m.; El Camino vs. College of the Canyons, 3:30 p.m.; Long Beach vs. Ohlone, 5:15 p.m.; Fullerton vs. Santa Barbara, 7 p.m.; and Golden West vs. Citrus at 8:45 p.m.

The tournament continues Thursday and Friday with the championship game at 4 p.m. Saturday.

Community College Notes

Andy Strouse of Orange Coast was voted a second-team All-American by the National Soccer Coaches Athletic Assn. Strouse, a freshman from Edison High, was picked as a midfielder, but he also played forward. He was the Orange Empire Conference player of the year, scoring 21 goals and getting five assists. OCC was 18-4-2 this season and won the state title. . . . Sean Ramos, who batted .365 with four home runs and 27 RBIs, will not return to Rancho Santiago this spring. Ramos, who was the designated hitter, has moved to Texas with his family, Dons Coach Don Sneddon said.