Porter’s Always Pushing It : Century League: Persistence pays off for senior guard, who led Santa Ana Valley to share of league title last year.

SANTA ANA —  During the week, Anthony Porter works out with the Santa Ana Valley High School basketball team. The practices are grueling, with lots of running and pushing, not to mention diving for those loose balls.

Had enough, Anthony? Hardly.

It’s off to the park for some pickup games. Lots of running and pushing there. Especially, the pushing part.

Tired yet, kid? Nope.

Time to head home now to do a little homework. Then--that’s right--he slips out back to shoot some more hoops on the court his grandfather helped him build.

Meet Anthony Porter, the consummate gym rat. If there’s a game, he’s there. Even when there’s not a game, he’s there, shooting until it’s too dark to see.

“He’s always playing,” Falcon Coach Rich Prospero said. “They should rename Mile Square Park, Anthony Porter Park. He lives there. Those type of kids are fun to coach.”

And the Falcons had a ball last season.

Porter’s persistence in the sport has paid off, as he helped the Falcons to a co-championship in the Century League. They finished tied with El Modena, their first title since 1981.

Porter, a 5-foot-8 senior guard, averaged 11 points and 5.3 assists--numbers that should improve this season.

“I definitely expect a lot more out of myself this season,” he said. “I’ve been working in the weight room and running. I really worked hard to improve.”

That meant a lot of playing. A lot of it. But for Porter, that’s mixing business and pleasure.

“I just go out and play,” he said. “It doesn’t matter where or when.”

His love for the game began in the fourth grade, when Porter and some friends were looking for something to do during recess.

As luck would have it, there was a ball and basket handy. It wasn’t even a basketball, just your basic all-purpose rubber ball.

“One of my friends said, ‘Can you dribble?’ ” Porter said. “I said, ‘Yeah,’ then picked it up and drove past them for a layup. I thought, ‘Hey, this is all right.’ ”

An obsession was born.

Porter began playing everywhere, wherever there was a playground. When he couldn’t find a game, he played at home alone.

His grandfather helped him build a court on a slab of cement in the back yard. They used a piece of plywood for a backboard and a rim that Porter got from a coach, which they attached to a telephone pole.

“I get home, do my school work, then go outside and shoot,” Porter said. “I’d shoot until I couldn’t see anymore.”

By the sixth grade, Porter was good enough to make a traveling team. By his sophomore year, he was on the varsity.

“He loves everything about the game,” Prospero said. “He not only plays, but he’ll go to college practices just to watch.”

Porter’s sophomore season was cut short by a knee injury. He returned last year and earned a starting spot at point guard.

It was a bumpy ride for a while. The Falcons started slow and Porter felt pressure to produce.

“I tried to do too much,” he said. “They needed me to score, which is not the point guard’s job. I’d get frustrated on the court.”

Porter and the Falcons got their act together by the time league play rolled around.

They beat Foothill for the first time in 13 games. Porter had 10 assists in that game.

“He became a point guard that night,” Prospero said. “He was running the team.”

The Falcons finished 8-2 in league play. It left Porter wanting more.

During the off-season, he added weight lifting to his busy basketball schedule. It cut into his time for pickup games a bit, but it was worth it. Porter is nearly 20 pounds heavier.

“I’d say Anthony is about four inches away from being a Street and Smith-type player,” Prospero said. “He’s just a hard worker. He put in a lot of time preparing for this season.”

But Porter still found time to pursue those pickup games, from Fountain Valley to Santa Ana.

“I have to,” he said. “I was playing with those guys when I was a little guy and they used to push me around. Now I’m bigger and I can push back.”

Said Prospero: “If there’s an open gym, you can bet Anthony will be there. It’s great that he loves the game, but sometimes I wish he would put that much energy into other things, like doing the lawn.”