McKeever Turns Out to Be a Late Bloomer

RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA —  The late afternoon practice was winding down for the Santa Margarita boys’ basketball team, which is fine-tuning its game plan for tonight’s state Division II title game.

Coach Jerry DeBusk’s drill had players scurrying around the mid-court, taking a pass and then shooting from between 15 and 19 feet.

Senior center Dekker McKeever took his pass at the free-throw line, pivoted and fired at the basket. His high-arching shot bounced off the front of the rim.

“Dekker, you’re not getting any lift on your jump,” DeBusk barked. “You’re just using your arms. Come on, you’ve been short most of the day.”

McKeever, 6 feet 7 and 215 pounds, stood in the middle of the court, looking at and listening to his coach. His face was expressionless as he chewed his gum. He appeared to be mentally storing DeBusk’s comments. Seconds later, he rejoined his teammates.

The next time McKeever got the ball, he pivoted and jumped a little higher. The ball glided past the rim and through the net.

When DeBusk ended practice for a quick team meeting, McKeever was the last player off the floor, taking a couple of final shots from close range and making sure they went in.

It has been that devotion to detail and willingness to work, DeBusk said later, that has turned McKeever, 17, into one of the top players for the Eagles (31-2), who will appear in their first state final game at 8 tonight against Santa Rosa Montgomery (26-7) in Sacramento’s Arco Arena.

“From last year to this year, he has made himself into a top-flight high school player,” DeBusk said of McKeever. “His biggest improvement has been his efficiency in the paint. He’s been shooting at a 63% rate from there, and that’s about 15 percentage points higher than last year.

“He is under more control and has more confidence. Plus, he has a great desire to win.”

McKeever would smile if he heard those words. He’s more used to critical analysis from DeBusk.

“He’s the only guy I know who yells from the jump ball to the final buzzer,” McKeever said. “His heart’s always pounding. I had to learn that all he’s tried to do is make me and the team better; that he always tries to make you better.

“Coach expects everybody here to do great things. He’s made it known he expects a lot from me because he considers me an integral part of the team.”

That’s exactly what McKeever is for Santa Margarita. He scores mostly from inside, about 10-12 points a game. His .632 field goal percentage (115 of 182) leads the county.

McKeever is also the team’s leading rebounder, averaging 9.2. And he is responsible for the dirty work down low, throwing forearms, legs, hips and shoulders to keep opposing post players in check.

He does it all without ego.

“I still don’t think I’m that good,” McKeever said. “I never feel I’ve done enough. I’m still very hard on myself. I’m never satisfied.”

Some of McKeever’s self-doubt stems from the fact he did not get serious about basketball until his junior year. The scholarship offer he received and accepted from Holy Cross motivated him as well.

“I started playing seriously last year, when I got my first letter from a college coach,” McKeever said. “Before that, basketball was something to do because I was tall and my friends encouraged me to play. But getting that first letter . . . I began to think I could be good.

“I did not anticipate getting offered a scholarship when I started playing. But when I started getting calls from coaches, my confidence went up. I chose Holy Cross because everything fit, especially the academics.”

McKeever paused, then chuckled. “My friends predict I’ll be back in a year because of the cold. I’m a real Southern California kid.”

But not a soft one. McKeever couldn’t be, if he and Santa Margarita were going to survive a postseason run that included two victories over Compton and wins against Inglewood, Redondo Beach Redondo Union, Katella and Fresno Edison.

During the playoffs McKeever has raised his scoring average to 13 points and rebounds to 11.

“I’ve been really focused,” McKeever said. “This is what you play for. This is why you lift all those weights in the summer, why you work out every day, why you go to the summer basketball camps--to get to this point.

“We’ve played some great teams, but no one has scared us. We’ve been eager to prove ourselves. Inside our hearts, we knew we were good. But we wanted to get our shot.”

Lately his best contributions have come on defense. Only one opposing center has had a big game against Santa Margarita. Compton’s Dave Hamilton, who is headed to Auburn, scored 27 points and had 12 rebounds in the section Division II-AA championship game won by the Eagles, 71-57.

Redondo Union’s center, highly regarded sophomore Andrew Zahn, was his team’s leading scorer at 20 points per game. In Santa Margarita’s 68-60 victory, McKeever held Zahn to nine points, and only three in the second half.

“He’s one of the most unheralded centers we’d seen,” Redondo Union Coach Jim Nielsen said. “Athletically he’s not the best, but he’s extremely strong. Andrew said he was the strongest guy he played against all year. And McKeever is fundamentally sound; he knows how to play the game.”

McKeever gave DeBusk an assist for his play against Zahn.

“Coach had said before the game that Zahn will get his points and ‘if you can keep him a couple points below his average, that would be fine,’ ” McKeever said. “It dug the knife a little deeper in me. I took it real personal.”

Now, McKeever and his teammates will try to conclude their fantastic season on a winning note. After tonight’s game, McKeever will take time to think back on what he and the Eagles have accomplished.

“It really hasn’t hit me yet,” McKeever said. “When I put that championship ring on my finger, then it will hit me, and it will be one of the greatest things to have ever happened to me. But I haven’t allowed myself to think about it.”

He might also realize he was good enough after all.