In the most recent NCP 2012 boys basketball rankings, Trevor Priest of Santa Teresa High debuted at No. 6. He is the only currently active player from the South Bay on the list. At the DJ Frandsen Memorial at Bellarmine in December, Priest showed his versatility as a wing player.
At 6-foot-5 and 170 pounds, Priest can run 4.90 seconds in the 40-yard dash as he averaged 13 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2 assists per game last year to help the Saints to a 21-5 record. Priest started playing basketball when he was five years old and has been a varsity starter since his sophomore year.
Priest considers himself to be a slasher who is effective in transition. He has the ball skills to go to the rim and has the perimeter shot to pull up for the open shot. In addition, he is comfortable using a spin move to create separation to utilize his height to shoot over the defender. As a result, he compares his game to Texas Longhorn Kevin Durant because he is tall and lengthy who can shoot from the outside as well as go to the paint. During the offseason, Priest plays for his Silicon Valley Vipers club team where he works on his ball handling, perimeter shot, and weight training.
Silicon Valley Vipers Coach Todd Petersen says, "Trevor is long and deceptively athletic and at 6'6 is very skilled. This combination of size, athleticism, and skill gives him a great ability to get to the basket and create shots for himself. He is an excellent finisher in transition. He has nice range and a high release point on his jumper making him tough to guard as a shooter. If you play him tight though, his quickness and handle allows him to easily get to the basket. We (Vipers) felt very comfortable also having him handle the ball, and despite him being more of a scorer than anything else, he is also a very capable passer. At the high school level, he poses a myriad of match up issues for opposing coaches."
Priest hopes that his offseason work will allow him to be the best player that he can be from all aspects that will help the Saints to a CCS Championship. He will team with talented senior point guard Denzel Copeland in trying to achieve that team goal. The Saints are currently 10-3 while Priest is averaging 14.2 points and 6.2 rebounds.
Coach Petersen says, "Trevor has a quiet, assassin's demeanor on the court. He steps on the court and goes to work without all of the demonstrative displays that current culture comes to expect from a good player after making a good play. Trevor has also never met a shot he doesn't like. He plays with a scorer's mentality and confidence. He believes every shot is going to go in. Trevor plays basketball in attack mode and doesn't back down and is constantly probing for weaknesses in the defense. As with most scorers, he is always trying to find a way to get the ball in the basket, even when the shots aren't falling."
The South Bay has a reputation of not getting enough exposure for basketball. As a result, Priest has not had that much exposure yet. He is in contact only with San Jose State. Priest is looking for a fast paced offense as well as a pressing defense in college. He has a 3.00 GPA as his favorite subject is History. He does not know what he wants to major in but wants to receive a good degree for life after basketball.
"Trevor is a sleeper," continues Coach Peterson. "Because of his slight frame, some higher level schools may hold off on him for now, but he is a legit low to mid major prospect. If he gets stronger, both physically and mentally, and develops some more consistency with his perimeter jumper, I could see him have an excellent career at the next level. He also needs to really focus on improving his perimeter defense, particularly keeping players from attacking him with the dribble, and rebounding outside of his zone. He has good genes, as both of his parents were college athletes, and that always helps. He is still growing and I could see him ending up as a skilled 6'7 or 6'8 small forward. Trevor's best basketball will be a few years down the road after he physically matures and adds size and strength to his long frame. He is one of those players that will end up at a school like UOP, or a Santa Clara, and we will all forget about him until his senior year in college when he becomes an all-conference player. I hope that some of the better college talent evaluators get a chance to see him play because his greatness is almost quiet and subtle. A good college assistant coach who sits down and really evaluates his game, and projects his development, will be certainly making that call to his head coach to add a player to their recruit list."
Priest's father played basketball for San Jose State while his mother was on scholarship for the San Jose State volleyball program. Priest's father, Mitch Priest, is also the Santa Teresa High basketball coach. Priest says about playing for his father, "I love playing for my dad. He's always pushing me to be the best player I can be. But as far as on the court, he treats me as he treats every other player."
Priest will be representing the South Bay as the highest rated 2012 basketball prospect. Expect Priest to make a saintly impression as he takes to the basketball pulpit in San Jose during the next two years.
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