Edgar Melik-Stepanyan
Frank Arthofer knows his role.
As the starting point guard for the Flintridge Prep boys'
basketball team, Arthofer realizes he's in a perfect position.
He's not required to shoot a lot -- which can be beneficial
because Arthofer's admitted that he's isn't a pure shooter.
He has strong teammates like Tim Mercer, Ramses Barden, Mike Simon
and Andrew Beck who complement him in the starting lineup.
And he has a coach in Garrett Ohara, who asks Arthofer to make
smart decisions on the floor, adjust to defenses and know how to
distribute the ball.
But for a few seconds during Friday's CIF Southern Section
Division IVA second-round playoff game against visiting Oxnard Santa
Clara, Arthofer briefly stepped out of his role to rescue his career
and the Rebels' season.
It wasn't supposed to be his shot, but he took it. Some thought
the last-ditch three-point attempt didn't have a prayer because,
well, Arthofer took the shot.
But if his basketball career was going to end, it would end on his
terms and the pressure put squarely on him.
The situation unfolded like it would in a player's dream.
Flintridge Prep trailed the Saints by three points with less than
10 seconds remaining, and it had one final opportunity to salvage its
season.
Arthofer dribbled to half court, where he fumbled the ball and
recovered without losing his dribble. As Arthofer crossed the
half-court line, Santa Clara's Gabe Flores trailed the play after he
failed to steal the ball.
Then came Arthofer's big decision. He had the option of passing to
Beck, a sharp-shooting freshman, but he thought otherwise, despite
being stuck in a game-long slump in which he had already committed
seven turnovers.
"I felt a little off that game, and in a second-round playoff
game, you don't want to feel off," Arthofer said. "For one of the few
times this season, I thought we might lose.
"I guess I just played scared for the first 31 minutes and 50 seconds."
The lone senior in Flintridge Prep's starting lineup stopped
inches behind the three-point arc and attempted a shot that seemed to
take forever to sail through the air.
"I don't think it registered that if I missed that shot, my career
would end," Arthofer said.
The ball went through the net and the fourth-quarter buzzer
sounded as Arthofer raised one finger to the air -- mainly because he
was relieved. He was briefly mobbed by his teammates as the Rebels'
season had been extended for at least another four minutes.
