Brash Talk Before the Big Game : Basketball: Berkeley High coach says his team is the underdog, but he is “not awed” by two-time defending state champion Morningside.

In a town known for radicals, Gene Nakamura fits right in.

The Berkeley High girls’ basketball coach is brash, outspoken and loves to challenge his superiors, athletically speaking.

Last year, Nakamura drew the ire of Morningside with his comments before the State Division I championship game. Among other things, he said Berkeley was “not awed” by the favored Lady Monarchs and that Yellowjacket center Jualeah Woods was fully capable of outplaying Morningside’s Lisa Leslie, the national player of the year.

It was quite a different story on game day. Led by the 6-foot-5 Leslie (35 points, 12 rebounds, seven blocked shots), Morningside successfully defended its state title with a 67-56 victory at the Oakland Coliseum Arena.

Afterward, Morningside Coach Frank Scott (now an assistant at USC) said Nakamura’s comments in a Times’ South Bay section article had motivated his team.

With that in mind, don’t you think Nakamura would take a more conservative approach as the teams prepare for their Division I rematch?

Not a chance.

“We’re the underdog, of course, but I think our chances are better this year,” Nakamura said. “We’re not awed by them.

“We’re at a definite disadvantage because we are a short team, but I think our skill level is very high. Our all-around team depth and quickness will hurt Morningside.”

The moment of truth will come Saturday, when Morningside (32-2) goes after its third consecutive state title in a 4:45 p.m. game against Berkeley (29-2) at the Oakland Coliseum Arena.

It will be the third meeting between the teams in a year.

In December, Morningside defeated Berkeley, 71-60, in the championship game of the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions to knock the Yellowjackets out of the state’s No. 1 ranking by Cal-Hi Sports. Morningside has been in the No. 1 spot ever since.

“We had to beat them to retain our status as No. 1,” Morningside Coach Ron Randle said. “Now it’s a different situation--we have to maintain our No. 1 status.”

Nakamura says that won’t be easy. One of the reasons is that Tanda Rucker, Berkeley’s All-American point guard, is healthy and playing her best basketball of the season. Nakamura said Rucker, who averages 24 points, 10 assists, eight rebounds and five steals, was sick with the flu when the Yellowjackets met Morningside in the first month of the season.

“I had to keep taking her out of the game,” Nakamura said. “She was so weak, she had no stamina. We could not run our transition game like we normally do.”

If Saturday’s performance is any indication, Rucker seems to be fully recovered. The 5-foot-10 senior had 26 points, 10 assists and eight steals as Berkeley defeated San Jose Archbishop Mitty, 69-53, in the Northern Regional final.

Nakamura expects Rucker to have another big game Saturday. She scored 25 points in last season’s state final.

“The tougher the game, the better she plays,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen her in a championship-type game where she didn’t play well.”

Rucker may be fine, but there is some question concerning the health of Morningside’s top player--All-American center Janet Davis. The 6-4 junior suffered a hip pointer last week in the Southern Regional tournament, an injury that forced her to the bench late in Saturday’s 52-40 victory over Fresno Clovis West in the final.

Randle, though, says the injury won’t be problem.

“She’s going to play Saturday,” he said. “And she’s going to play well.”

The Lady Monarchs figure to need a big game from their front line of Davis, 6-2 sophomore Tina Thompson and 5-8 senior Akiba Flanagan. If Morningside controls the inside as it did last week against Clovis West, it could be a long night for Berkeley. The Yellowjackets’ tallest starters--Rucker and forward Alexandra Kay--are 5-10.

“We have to use our quickness and hustle to try and offset that height,” Nakamura said. “Athletically we overmatch everyone (in Northern California). I can’t say that about Morningside.”

The backcourt duel between Lady Monarch point guard Princess Murray and Berkeley’s Rucker figures to be one of the game’s key individual matchups. Murray signed early with Loyola Marymount and Rucker will decide among Virginia, Stanford and USC, Nakamura said.

Aside from Rucker and Kay, who signed early with California, standouts for Berkeley include 5-9 junior forward Tammy Holmes and 5-6 junior guard Linda Robinson. All four have scoring averages in double figures.

Nakamura said Berkeley might be able to gain an advantage if it gets its running game going. The Yellowjackets regularly use between eight and nine players a game. They beat opponents during the regular season by an average score of 82-46.

“We have a lot more depth than Morningside,” Nakamura said. “We work on conditioning so much, we’re always ready to play. We usually wear teams down in the fourth quarter.”

Whether Berkeley can wear down Morningside remains to be seen.

But Nakamura promises to make it interesting.