July 24, 2010
At his basketball games, Robert Garrett stands out from the other players. The reason is that this center has the body to be playing college ball already. At the inaugural NCAA-sanctioned NorCal Summer Tip Off at City College of San Francisco, he was on the radar of many NCAA coaches and was one of the top performers in the event. One NCAA coach said, "Can't teach athletics and length. Flashes of brilliance. Not heavy footed, light on feet."
Garrett averaged seven points and eight rebounds per game this past season for Sacramento High in the Metro League where he assisted the ragons to a 26-8 record and NorCal Division III regional final appearance, where they lost to Bishop O'Dowd.
The team's offense was led by guards Travon Abraham and Josiah Turner. Abraham has graduated and is now at Rice while Turner is entering his senior year as the overall No. 12 prospect nationally according to Rivals.com. In order for the Dragons to exceed last year's performance, Garrett will need to average beyond a double-double and become a leader. Sac High coach Derek Swafford says, "Garrett is the team captain/team leader. He always is encouraging the younger players to work hard."
At 6-foot-11 and 235 pounds with a 29-inch vertical, Garrett plays the center position with force. He models his game after Shaquille O'Neal as Garrett likes to play aggressively. At the NorCal Summer Tip Off, Garrett showed good post presence and attacked the basket. He is a good free throw shooter, goes after rebounds with a "mean streak" and is not afraid to take contact.
Garrett started playing basketball since 2nd grade and considers his best basketball strength to be his drop step move. He is currently at the Las Vegas Fab 48 with his Sacramento-based summer club, Play Hard Play Smart.
The big man is working to improve his ball-handling and mid-range shot. Swafford says, "Garrett is the best 5 player in northern California. He is very physical, rebounds well, and plays harder than most opponents. All of the top college programs in the country also feel he has a great upside at the next level. He will only get bigger and better in college."
It should come as no surprise that both local and national schools have heavily recruited Garrett, who has been in contact with Cal, Colorado, Connecticut, San Diego State, Santa Clara, Stanford, St. Mary's, and UCLA. He has received offers from Cal, San Diego State, and Santa Clara. At this point, he plans to make an official visit to San Diego State while he considers his current favorites as Santa Clara and St. Mary's because he has attended both schools' basketball camps.
Garrett has a 3.0 GPA and scored 1500 on the SAT, which makes him NCAA eligible from an academic standpoint. He would like to major in Psychology in college and his favorite subject is Math.
Garrett is open to any college from a geographical perspective, but he wants to attend a college basketball program that can develop his skills into NBA talent. This should be no problem as Garrett prides himself with his strong work ethic.
Called "Big Rob" by his teammates, look for Garrett to make a big impact both in his senior season at Sac High and thereafter at the NCAA level.
No comments:
Post a Comment