Heading into the 2008-09 season, few knew what to expect from La Costa Canyon High's boys basketball team. After all, the Mavericks had graduated four starters from a team that reached the CIF San Diego Section Division I semifinals a year earlier.

On the eve of this year's postseason, it would be safe to say that the Mavericks have surprised even themselves, and senior guard Jake Ducey has been a big part of their success. La Costa Canyon finished the regular season 21-5 and earned a share of the Avocado League title with a 9-1 league mark, and enters the playoffs as the No. 3 seed in Division I.

La Costa Canyon hosts Chula Vista in a first-round game Wednesday night, and the Mavericks will be counting on Ducey to help them get the playoffs off to a good start. Whether guarding the opposing team's best player, leading LCC in scoring or dishing off to his teammates, Ducey has been a focal point for the club all season.

"He's a leader for the team -- I think he's going to be crucial," Mavericks coach David Cassaw said. "As we've developed roles on the team, he's really stepped up. He's become a scorer and a defensive stopper, and he can be a facilitator on the offensive end. He's crucial to us because he gets everybody focused."

Q: Are you surprised at all by your team's success this season?

A: No, not really. Some of the guys and I have talked about this. Before the season started, we knew we had the potential, and we knew we had the talent. I don't think anyone inside the team is surprised by how we've done. We have a lot more balance, a lot more guys who are ready to perform. We have a very well-rounded team.

Q: You're playing a bigger role this year than you did last year. Do you enjoy being counted on to lead your team?

A: Yeah, definitely. It's definitely more fun playing all 32 minutes of the game.

Q: You've progressed throughout the season and became more of a scorer once you guys got into league play. What changed?

A: I guess there's a little more of a comfort level. We all have a lot of confidence, and once we came into league play, I just thought, we have 10 more games left, and I knew I could do it. It was just a little bit of a confidence booster coming into league, because I had a couple big games leading up to that. I had five 3-pointers in a big win over Hoover that was a big win for us.

Q: Do you think this is a team that can go deeper into the postseason than last year?

A: Yeah, that's what we're striving for. We're trying to get better every day and hopefully win that CIF title. Personally, and I think everyone else on our team will tell you the same thing, it will be disappointing if we don't win it. Last year, we weren't really sure what we could do, but we know we can do it this year.

Q: What's the best aspect of your game?

A: My outside shooting and my defense. Shooting's pretty easy, and every night I'm guarding the other team's best guy.

Q: Playing defense isn't as glamorous as scoring. What do you enjoy so much about playing good defense?

A: I've always been like that. I'm a competitor. If I'm going against the other team's best guy, I don't want him scoring on me. I want to have a positive point differential. I guess it's just my competitive nature and knowing that if I can shut down the other team's best guy, it's going to give us a lot better chance to win the game. I just want to win.

Q: Your older brother Cole was a standout football and baseball player at La Costa Canyon. Have you ever felt like you needed to live up to the athletic standards he set at the school?

A: No. He played baseball and football, and I play basketball. I quit football and baseball going into high school to focus on basketball. They're different sports, and we've had different coaches, so I haven't felt that type of pressure.

Jake Ducey

School: La Costa Canyon

Sport: Boys basketball

Position: Guard

Height: 6-foot-2

Year: Senior

Quick hits

Favorite food: Carne asada burritos

Favorite TV show: "SportsCenter" or "The Office"

Favorite movie: "The Boondock Saints"

Favorite book: "A Long Way Gone"

Favorite class: History

Career goals: "I want to major in international relations and then help people in Africa. I might like to do something with a company like Invisible Children, which helps kids in Africa."

Favorite team: Lakers

Favorite player: Kobe Bryant

Can the Lakers return to the NBA finals and win this year?: "Yeah, they will. Kobe wants another ring. It would be even better if they beat the Celtics, or the Cavs, so everyone will stop saying that LeBron is better than Kobe."