Article 285: Fireside Chat: Darin Johnson

February 7, 2012

At the recent MLK Classic in Berkeley, Franklin High of Elk Grove pulled out a 54-51 victory over Deer Valley. A major contributor to the win was junior Darin Johnson who is the No. 13 ranked prospect in his class according to NorCalPreps.com. The wing prospect has helped his Wildcats to an 18-5 record and his team is likely the league favorites in the Delta Valley Athletic League.

At 6-foot-5 and 188 pounds, Johnson is an athletic wing who can slash or play above the rim with ease. But in the MLK classic, he hit several perimeter shots to make him a truly versatile offensive threat. Playing with the local Oakland Soldiers Blue 17U club during summers, Johnson is getting national attention.

Here were some comments from Johnson about the schools that have expressed interest and their conferences.

Atlantic Coast (Virginia Tech): Johnson says, "I love the way Virginia Tech recruits big guards that have a dream of going pro. Especially being on the east coast, this is a reason why it is my favorite. They play big time schools like Duke and North Carolina."

Big West (Pacific and UCSB): Johnson says, "Pacific and UCSB are cool schools. My sister goes to Pacific. UCSB lets you play your game, and Coach Williams is outgoing with his players."

Mountain West (UNLV): Johnson says, "UNLV is a school you go to, to make things happen. Especially being in Vegas that have an upper hand. They have an up tempo style and they get after it."

Pac-12 (Arizona State, USC, and Washington State): Johnson says, "Washington state is amazing, great campus, and wonderful coaching staff. I would be glad to play in their system. They get buckets and play good D. I also have taken an unofficial to Washington State. Arizona State is a school you want to be at. Players like Eddie House and James Harden have came out of ASU. Plan on taking a visit soon to check it out. USC is a Pac 12 powerhouse that I am really interested in. Great coaching, I love coach O'Neil's personality. He's a funny guy. I see myself fitting in at USC."

SEC (LSU): Johnson says, "LSU is in the SEC, pros come out of LSU, and coach Trent Johnson loves his wing players. They have an up tempo style which is crazy - that's something I want to be a part of."

WAC (Fresno State, Nevada, and San Jose State): Johnson says, "Fresno State is a school where you go to compete, they are moving up the charts in rankings, a great option. Nevada is a school that produces pros, for example Armon Johnson, Will Mcghee, Kurt Snider. San Jose State is a school of talent. A very big school that also has a big time schedule."

West Coast Conference (San Francisco and Santa Clara): Johnson says, "San Francisco is a school that wants players to go pro. Coach Rex is straight up and says 'you won't fit in if you don't want to go pro.' Amazing quote, they also love to compete and win. Santa Clara is an amazing school with great education and has the best library in the country. Coach Keating also is a straight up guy, and that's what I love about his program."

As the regular season ends, watch for Johnson leading his Wildcats in the postseason in Elk Grove, California. Then watch for this high flyer to be on the national recruiting spotlight.

Article 284: Crosthwaite crossing over

February 3, 2012

Northgate High ran the table in league play last season but this season has not been as smooth for the Broncos as they are 12-8 overall while 4-2 in league. But the drop off cannot be attributed to the play of senior wing Jonny Crosthwaite.

At 6-foot-4 and 180 pounds, Crosthwaite is averaging 14 points and 10 rebounds, as Northgate is still very much in the battle for the Diablo Valley Athletic League.

Earlier in the season, Crosthwaite had set his career game highs in points and rebounds as he had 35 points in a win against Richmond and 19 rebounds in a loss against Skyline. In addition, he has had two other 20 plus point games and nine double digit rebound games.

Crosthwaite has the ability to slash to the basket in addition to hitting the perimeter shot. He considers his defense to be his best skill as he can guard any perimeter player as well as post player. On an undersized team, this Bronco is expected to multi task in all aspects of the game.

This ability does not go unnoticed by Northgate High Coach Steve Mitchell. "First of all, Jonny is the most improved player that I have ever coached. He has gone from a good solid player to someone that the other team has to game plan for on offense and defense. Jonny has many strengths, but to me his number one strength is that he loves to challenge himself and has the utmost confidence that he will succeed. At 6-foot-4, he is extremely versatile, able to defend all positions on the court. On offense, he has worked very hard this summer to become someone who can score inside or out and has become a huge weapon for us. He is a true senior leader, vocal when he needs to be, but primarily leads by example."

During the past summer, Crosthwaite played for his Lakeshow 17 team. Crosthwaite worked hard on his ball handling skills as he believes that will be a skill needed on the college level. But his versatility in defense may be his calling card for the next level.

Lakeshow Coach Joe Fuca assesses his player. "Jonny is one of the most tenacious defenders I have coached in many years. Jonny loves the challenge of holding the other team's best offensive players to way below their season average. Jonny is an excellent rebounder and 3 point shooter. Jonny was very strong from the arc in the summer where he helped his team to a winning record." Adds Lakeshow Coach Terry Ahern, "I always put Johnny on the other team's best scorer and he did a great job of limiting their scoring. Because of his defense, I found myself playing him more and more in crunch time."

Cal Lutheran College, Chapman, Chico State, Emery Oxford, La Verne, Occidental, Willamette, and William Jessup have expressed interest in this 3.10 GPA and SAT eligible student athlete. He wants to play for a fast paced transition style but also has a huge emphasis on defensive play. Watch for this Walnut Creek, California prospect to cross over to the next level in the fall of 2012.

Article 283: Fireside Chat: Gokul Natesan

January 31, 2012

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.