Point guards who have a pass first, score second mentality are priceless. The reason being is that the offensive flow of a team is often dictated by the point guard. As a result, to the extent a point guard can get his teammates involved on the offensive end, the more fluid and effective the team offense will be.
For the Santa Teresa High Saint Bernards of the Mount Hamilton Basketball League, Denzel Copeland has been the point guard running the offense. As a junior last year, he helped Santa Teresa go 21-6 that ended with a playoff loss to Bellarmine 58-49. Last year, he averaged 13.2 points, 3 rebounds, and 10 assists.
At 5-foot-10 and 165 pounds, Copeland is in his third year as a varsity starter. He considers himself to be a finesse player as he plays with grace on the court but can be powerful at the same time. He compares his game to Wake Forest star Chris Paul because he feels that his best basketball skill is his court vision and decision making.
During the offseason, he plays with his Silicon Valley Vipers club team. He works extensively on his shooting and his dribbling because those are two attributes that will make a point guard successful along with his leadership and court vision.
Santa Teresa High Coach Mitch Priest says, "Denzel's strengths are that he is a tremendous leader and is very cool under pressure. He has the ability to stay very calm under pressure. This leads to the team staying very strong when times get tough on the court. He really is a 'floor general' on the court. He is like a coach on the court. Off the court he was voted homecoming King and is very personable with all of the students and athletes. Has a great ability to mesh with all."
Bethany University, University of Puget Sound, UC Santa Cruz, and Whitman College are in contact with Copeland at the four year college level while Cañada and De Anza are in contact with him at the junior college level. Copeland has taken an official visit to the University of Puget Sound where he really enjoyed the campus and coaching staff. He would like to stay close to home but will not let geography limit his basketball options. He wants to play for a fast paced basketball style that utilizes full court pressure offense and defense because that can take advantage of his speed. Copeland has a 4.00 GPA and would like to major in computer engineering as his best subject is Math.
Coach Priest says, "At the NCAA level, he will be very good if he finds the right program. He needs to find a program that uses his leadership abilities and needs someone to run the team, rather than a scorer. With the right program he will do very well. I have coached Denzel for 3 years- he has been my starting point guard for all 3 years. He is different from a lot of other student-athletes in that he is very coachable. He follows directions and very rarely makes the same mistake twice. We will definitely miss him after this year."
D-Zee, what his teammates call him, has encountered hardships both on and off the basketball court. In his freshman summer, Copeland slid backwards and caused a head injury that required 18 stitches and an ambulance ride to the hospital. As a junior, his step-father died of a heart attack at the age of 55 years old. Copeland was very close to him and had to inform other family members of his death. Both of these experiences have helped Copeland to be more mature as a high school student. Going into his senior season, he wants to see his team meet its potential by winning the CCS championship. Expect D-Zee to be turning some heads in San Jose in this current season.
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