Article 331: Green is renewable

October 8, 2012

Two summers ago, Gabby Green, the region's top girl's basketball player in the 2014 class, broke her ankle in her first game with the Cal Storm club. The injury happened while she played in a summer Nike event in Chicago and ironically was her first game with that vaunted Southern California club. Green went for a left handed layup and was undercut by the defender, which caused her to land awkwardly and resulted in the injury.

The recovery time for Green was close to six months, as she did not make her season debut for St. Mary's Berkeley until the end of January against Piedmont. She ended up playing 15 games including the postseason. Green could have played earlier but made the decision to have the screws removed from her ankle before returning.

"Last year, [Gabby] came back early from her injury because she wanted to help lead her team to a third NorCal title," said St. Mary's Coach Nathan Fripp. "She performed well given the circumstances and I felt she played at about 70-75%."

The 6-foot-2 and 160 pounds shooting guard worked intently to be prepared for her junior year in Berkeley. During this past spring in 2012, Green was invited to the USA camp, but did not make the final team as she was still not fully mentally recovered from the injury.

During the summer, Green returned to play for Cal Storm and Chicago, where she came full circle and finally overcame her mental block regarding the ankle. Many college coaches commented that they could not tell that she had even gone through an ankle injury.

Green also worked on getting stronger and quicker on her feet with trainer, Anthony Eggleton. In addition, she worked on her various basketball skills with her father (Will Green) and basketball trainer (Donovan Blythe). Her father stressed working on her leg strength, quick cuts, and certain basketball moves.

Despite the ankle injury and the down time, Green is still one of the top girls basketball prospects in the 2014 class. Most of the major programs have contacted Green as she has not narrowed down her options and is still open to everything. Green plans to narrow her choices after her junior season and will likely be invited back to the USA tryouts in the spring of 2013.

Even with Green back in the lineup last season, the Panthers were unable to reach the state game. "This coming season I feel she is at 100% and ready to play at a high level," said Fripp. "We are planning to have Gabby continue to play on the perimeter at all three spots, leading the break, finishing, and in the decision making role. Her strengths for her physical attributes are her long arms, height, speed, quickness, and athleticism. She is very skilled as a scorer, shooter, ball handle, and defender."

The ankle injury was a temporary setback for this junior. Green has the proverbial chip on her shoulder to pay back her opponents for last season's postseason shortcoming. But watch in the upcoming season as Green is truly a renewable resource on the hard court in Berkeley, Calif.

Article 330: DII prepping for DI

October 1, 2012

For 2013 basketball prospects, the early signing period for NCAA programs is coming up in mid November. As a result, the onsite visits become important as these hardcourt prospects determine their college destinations. One recruit with a busy autumn travel schedule is Sheldon High point guard D'Erryl Williams II.

The NorCalPreps.com Division I Player of the Year as a junior has offers from Fresno State, Loyola Marymount, Long Beach State, Marquette, San Diego, San Diego State, San Francisco, and USC. His confirmed official visits comprise San Jose State (September 14), San Diego State (October 12), and Loyola Marymount (October 18).

Sheldon won the Sac-Joaquin Section title for the third consecutive year and made a trip to the state finals. At 6-foot-4 and 195 pounds, Williams II will be looking to man the point guard as a starter for all four years of his prep career. He will have the services of fellow four year starter wing, Dakarai Allen, and Franklin shooting guard transfer, Darin Johnson.

Williams II took his visit to San Jose State last month as his mother is a Spartan alum. He had a pleasant visit with the entire staff and roster. He saw himself fitting in the Spartans' basketball schemes.

The San Diego State coaching staff has been recruiting his Sheldon teammates with Allen committing last month. The Aztecs have a guard oriented set that would benefit a playmaker such as Williams in addition to the prospect of playing with one or more of his high school teammates as he has been playing basketball with Allen on every team together since the seventh grade. Another factor is that Williams is good friends with current Aztec, Xavier Thames. And the prospect of going to a football school that has its next two year's of basketball home games sold out is also a big plus. Aztec Coach Steve Fisher is a legendary coach who played five fab freshmen while at Michigan. As a result, the possibility of playing as a freshman is feasible for Williams if he were to attend SDSU.

Loyola Marymount recognized Williams' talent early on and felt that he was a perfect fit. He really likes the entire coaching staff. Chris Farr, who is the team trainer that trained Damion Lillard, is an x-factor as he could help mold DII into a prototypical point guard. The style of play is guard oriented which fits Williams' preference. Head Coach Max Good and Associate Head Coach Myke Scholl have elaborated their vision and game plan of what they would use with Williams as their combination guard. They like his ability to play/defend multiple positions and score in various ways. Despite current Lions guard Anthony Ireland being the starting point guard the next two seasons, Williams will have an opportunity as an incoming freshman due to his versatility.

Marquette is intriguing due to Buzz Williams and what he offers as a coach. Williams also likes their recent Sweet Sixteen success and ability to win despite being under the radar in Wisconsin and not having a football program. And the Golden Eagles have had a recent history of versatile guards that have been impactful.

At the end of the day, DII finds the aforementioned programs to have very similar styles of play. They are guard oriented systems, like to run the ball on the break, and play intense defense. When Williams takes his official trips and hosts in-house visits, he wants to make sure that he is able to bond with the coaching staff and the roster.

Williams' Sheldon teammates are ranked in many of the national polls. But certain intangibles he possesses cannot be computed in these subjective rankings. The will to win and one's internal fortitude are metrics that are hard to quantify and even to identify but college coaches have noted these attributes in Williams over the past summer. Sheldon's Allen has the length and Johnson has the scoring ability, but Williams' intangibles and leadership may put him over the top as the prime prospect on a loaded Sheldon team.

DII has received help from his father, D'Erryl Williams I, during the recruiting process. The elder Williams prepped in Detroit before attending Western Nebraska CC, which was the same junior college as current Sacramento Kings assistant coach Bobby Jackson. He then played as an athletic wing at Santa Clara where one of his highlight games was being the primary defender in limiting North Carolina Tar Heel Michael Jordan to only a game high 22 points in a 79-56 loss.

During the summer and into his senior year, Williams II has been working hard on his perimeter jump shot, being a leader by talking and motivating his teammates, improve his face up scoring, and managing the game. Coach Fisher was really impressed with this leadership aspect on a recent visit at an open gym in Sheldon. In addition, this point guard has an accurate perimeter game and is larger than most guards defending him. As a result, opposing teams will have matchup problems.

Highly touted high school teammates going to the same program is rare unless the pair are twin siblings. This Sheldon team has three prospects that are being nationally recruited by major programs. The possibility of two or even all three going to the same program could be intriguing and could shake up the college basketball recruiting landscape.

Williams likes the possibility of continuing play with his high school and Play Hard Play Smart clubmates as they all get along on and off the court. All three of the high profile recruits have no problem sharing the stage. In the end, they are just looking to win and can sacrifice for the team.

Ironically, one of the more high profile teammate signings was Mike Conley Jr. and Greg Oden of Lawrence North High in Indiana. The pair went on to Ohio State before being represented in the NBA by the agency run by Bill Duffy, who played at Santa Clara with Williams I.

Williams II plans to make his decision during the November early signing period. After that, the Sheldon guard will try to lead his Huskies to a fourth SJS title and another run at state. After that, DII will be getting ready for DI in the fall of 2013.

Article 329: Hot Prospects at ECHS

September 30, 2012

The Hot Prospects Camp had close to 100 Northern California basketball prospects that participated in the two day event at El Cerrito High, which was also a tryout for the Super 100 invitational event in late October. Here is a look at the top performers.

Ben Kone 6-foot-7 Post Salesian (2016): As an eighth grader, Kone played for the Oakland Soldiers 15 club. He has good bulk and moves well for his age and size. Kone elevates well and positions himself well on the court. He will be on the varsity team at Salesian. He should be in the rotation and could see more playing time as the season progresses.

Peter Hewitt 6-foot-8 Post St. Francis (2016): Hewitt is another promising freshman post prospect. He has good length and moves well for his size but can play above the rim as he also displayed an adept mid-range shot. Eric Morgan is ahead of him in the rotation, which may mean he starts on the junior varsity squad first.

Ryan Stewart 6-foot-9 Post St. Patrick St. Vincent (2015): Stewart saw time as a freshman but was still adjusting to the high school game and his size. In the drills, he looked more fluid and still has good length. He can complement forward, Jalen Canty, to help form an imposing post duo for his high school team.

Chiefy Ugbaja 6-foot-3 Wing Archbishop Riordan (2014): Ugbaja has good size for his position but stood out with his jumping ability and explosiveness. With cousin Jiday Ugbaja and Burlingame transfer Frankie Ferrari, Riordan should be moving up in the WCAL and will be a legit contender for the best high school team in the city of San Francisco.

Gabe Vincent 6-foot-3 SG St. Mary's Stockton (2014): Vincent looked very polished in all the skills drills. He has good size and speed for a shooting guard as his development has been trending positive over time. He confirmed that Boise State and Portland have been serious in their contact with him.

Trevor Dunbar 5-foot-9 PG St. Ignatius (2014): Dunbar has a tight and low to the ground dribble. The lefty guard uses his quickness to create separation and space for his shots. With Stephen Domingo leaving early for Georgetown, Dunbar will be the expected leader on his St. Ignatius team.

Damari Milstead 5-foot-9 PG Arts Christian Academy Middle School (2017): The eighth grader plays advanced for his age as he shoots well and makes good passing decisions. Milstead will likely play for Moreau Catholic, where his father is an assistant coach. He should have prototypical point guard size by the time he is well into his high school career.

Jordan Boddie 6-foot-5 F Central Catholic (2015): The sophomore has good length and athleticism but is still raw in his offensive game. With older brother Jonathan and Colgate commit, John Fenton, Central Catholic will have significant post player advantages in the upcoming year.

Johnathan Galloway 6-foot-9 Post Salesian (2014): The Salesian transfer looked very fluid in his drills and has good size and movement for a post player. One of his club coaches expects Galloway to have a breakout junior year as his work with the Oakland Soldiers during the summer and his work with the Salesian staff should payoff nicely in his development.

Rafie Herbert 6-foot-2 SG St. Joseph Notre Dame (2014): Herbert will be moving into the varsity rotation as the shooting guard displayed good ball handling and shooting touch. He is lanky and could add some weight. But his overall game and composure should translate well on the floor for the Pilots.

Alfred Hollins Jr 6-foot-3 SF ISA Middle School (2017): The San Francisco eighth grader already is displaying good scoring ability and finishes well at his age. Hollins will definitely be a prospect to watch in terms of the high school that he matriculates at.

Peter Chebi 5-foot-11 SG Hillsdale (2015): Chebi performed many of the skills drill well. He has good ball handling but displayed an adept shooting touch and basic fundamentals of the game.

Danny Mahoney 6-foot-0 PG Serra (2014): The Hillsdale transfer could crack the Serra rotation as the team may employ a multiple guard set. Mahoney uses his body well and can post up smaller guards. He displayed good ball handling skills and played fundamentally well.

Brandon Lawrence 6-foot-1 SG Moreau Catholic (2016): The freshman is expected to contribute immediately at Moreau Catholic. Lawrence displayed good footwork and movement. But his shooting and scoring ability is what will distinguish him.

Derek Johnstone 6-foot-6 F Benicia (2016): The freshman prospect could be another post player to make some noise. Johnstone displayed good footwork and body control for his age and size. He also had a nice midrange shot to keep the defender honest.

AJ John 6-foot-7 F Maria Carrillo (2014): John has good size but also was agile for that size. Those characteristics should translate well on his rebounding. He uses his body well for his post moves but the development of his perimeter game will help with his recruiting.