Gokul Natesan is the No. 29 ranked prospect in the Class of 2012 according to NorCalPreps.com as the Cupertino High senior has led his Pioneers to a 13-6 record in the current season. He is averaging 23.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 3.1 steals per game.
At 6-foot-4 and 170 pounds, Natesan is being sought after by UC Santa Cruz, Colorado School of Mines, and MIT. The shooting guard is a prolific scorer who has had to play big for an undersized team. His length and versatility should prove to be useful at the next level.
Natesan's basketball statistics are impressive but his academics probably put him in the 99 percentile of high school basketball prospects as he goes to the overly hyped Cupertino school district. Natesan has a 4.38 weighted GPA and 2170 SAT score. "Academics for me are very important in college," he said. "What you do in the four years of college determines the rest of your life. Being raised in a family which stresses the value of academics, I am very serious about the education opportunities I will have in college."
Academics is, therefore, naturally high on his list of criteria for selecting a college. "I am looking for a school which can offer me a good education as well as a chance to pursue playing the game of basketball at a high level. In terms of location, it would be nice to go to school close to home, but I am definitely open to going anywhere given the right opportunity."
During this past summer, Natesan played for his Bay Area Ballers club. The team had a successful run in Las Vegas at the Fab 48.
Bay Area Ballers assistant coach Creighton Lane has this to say about his pupil. "First off, he's a basketball junkie! Loves the game and wants to do whatever it takes to improve and help teammates succeed. Has a tremendous work ethic while he searches how to increase his basketball IQ. Off the court, he is very friendly and down to earth. His core values are in place and have his priorities in order. Family oriented and keeps his perspective clear. Coaches dream I will take a team of him any day. Has to get a lot stronger to play at the next level, become a more tenacious perimeter player. Great upside in that he wants to learn."
The exposure on the road has piqued the interest level from some colleges. Here are Natesan's thoughts on those schools.
UC Santa Cruz: "A very solid academic school, which has been interested in me since my sophomore year. I know a few old basketball players who played there, and they have told me good things about the school. I have talked to the coaches, and I plan to check out the campus out in the future."
Colorado School of Mines: "A really good division II basketball school, they are currently ranked 9th in the nation. The program started recruiting me over the summer, as they came to see me play in Las Vegas. They play in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, one of the toughest division 2 conferences in the nation. I feel that the school is a good fit since it's an all-engineering school as I plan to major in engineering, and it has a good basketball program. I am going to take a visit once basketball season is over."
MIT: "MIT is a highly competitive division 3 school, which is very well known for its academics. The school recently became interested in me, and I have built a good relationship with Head Coach Larry Anderson. The school is well known for its engineering program, but the basketball team is currently ranked 3rd in the nation. It's a very intriguing option that I have."
"Gokul has improved a great deal on both ends of the floor," says Bay Area Ballers coach nelson Washington. "He has improved his mid-range game and he can create his own shot better. He doesn't settle for 3's anymore. Defensively he has become a nightmare for guards who try to bring the ball up the court against him and his extremely long arms makes it very difficult to pass against. He here his hands on a lit of passes."
As a South Asian, Natesan has no role models in the sport. But that has not deterred him from pursuing his goals.
"Even though I didn't really have a South Asian basketball role model growing up, I still continued to have a high level of interest due to my passion for the game," says Natesan. "The household in which I was raised, wasn't really familiar with the sport, meaning that I had no relatives who ever played organized basketball. However, I fell in love with the game once I started to play it. My South Asian background affects how I approach the game in a way. Due to my ethnicity, I often get overlooked at certain times. Consequently, this has made me mentally stronger and more determined to succeed on the court. I am also very lucky to have two great AAU Coaches, Nelson and Creighton, who were able to see my talent, and be willing to work with me despite my ethnicity."
"His being Eastern Indian has hurt his recruiting," said Washington. "He's not looked at the same way by Division I schools as other players who have a different ethnicity. He can score. He can defend and with a 4.5 GPA he has the grades. He just needs someone to not judge him based on the fact that he's Indian but that he's from Northern California."
Watch for Natesan to continue his high level of play as his Pioneers battle for the De Anza League. Then watch Natesan make the move to the next level in the fall of 2012.
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