REVISITED OPPORTUNITY DUBOIS OPTS FOR MASTER'S.

Byline: Ramona Shelburne Special to the Daily News

Ken Sugarman knew second chances like this didn't come around very often. Lesley DuBois was on the phone.

Sugarman, the coach of The Master's College women's basketball team, had pursued DuBois out of Rincon Valley Christian High a year earlier, in 1997. The first time, the 6-foot-3 DuBois declined Sugarman's offer and instead accepted a volleyball scholarship at the University of Arizona.

Now she was thinking of transferring. She was homesick and wanted a smaller school. She had liked the idea of going to The Master's out of high school but opted for a high-profile Pacific-10 Conference school instead.

Sugarman wasn't going to let this second chance pass. He asked her to play at The Master's and this time DuBois accepted. She transferred in the fall of 1999 to the Santa Clarita school with all four years of eligibility remaining.

``After recruiting her the previous year I knew what kind of player Lesley could be,'' said Sugarman, now in his seventh year as coach. ``I knew we'd be getting a special player, that she had All-American potential.''

Sugarman didn't expect her to be an All-American right away. But after injuries decimated the Mustangs' starting lineup, DuBois became the focal point of the offense as a freshman. She responded by averaging 18.1 points and 9.3 rebounds on her way to earning NAIA third-team All-American recognition.

Her numbers during her sophomore season were down a bit: 15 points and six rebounds a game. But that was largely because the Mustangs added NCCAA Player of the Year and NAIA first-team All-American Erin Buescher, which took some of the scoring responsibilities away from DuBois.

When Buescher graduated last year, DuBois again became the focal point of the offense. And with a shooting stroke Sugarman calls ``The most natural I've ever seen,'' she is poised to lead the Mustangs far into the NAIA national tournament this March and break a handful of school scoring records in the process.

Playing small forward this season, DuBois is averaging 19.2 points and 6.7 rebounds a game while draining 36 percent of her three-point shots. She ranks third in total scoring in the school's record books (1,194) and third in career scoring average (17.1).

If she keeps at her current pace, she will move into second place in total scoring by the end of the season and could break the mark as a senior.

With a soft shooting touch and a much-improved post game to complement her height, DuBois is a tough match-up for any defender.

``I think it shocks people sometimes when I step outside to shoot 3-pointers,'' DuBois said. ``I'd like to think of myself as a three-guard, though, not a forward.?''

And yet, with all of these accolades, DuBois is most comfortable speaking about her teammates and their team goals.

``I'm so excited about our team this year,'' she said. ``I'm so impressed with our freshman, like Becky (Bracelin) and Amy (Van Doesburg), who have just stepped right in and become leaders. I think we've got the team to do well at nationals this year and we're really focused. Last year kind of scarred us.''

The incident she is referring to from last season is the Mustangs' disappointing first-round upset loss to Dillard University in the NAIA national tournament. The Mustangs went into that game seeded fourth nationally but didn't respond well to their near-three-week layoff before the tournament.

DuBois knows she will get a chance to avenge last season?s early-round exit.

``I think about that game all the time,'' Dubois said. ``I'm not going to let that happen again.''

She knows all too well that second chances like that don't come around too often.

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Arizona transfer Lesley DuBois has earned NAIA All-America honors at The Master's.

Phil McCarten/Staff Photographer