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Thursday, November 6, 2008
Freshman Phenom
Central Kansas, KS
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By: Kollen Long, VYPE Central Kansas
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Photo(s) By: Peter G. Aiken
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Recruiting analysts say Heights High freshman Perry Ellis is a top national prospect, but remember, he’s still just a kid
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Young, his AAU coach, says that Ellis is the best player he’s ever coached. Better than Maurice Evans and Taj Gray. In fact, Young says Ellis could be as good as CL legends Antoine Carr and Darnell Valentine.
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Proceed with caution, Wichita. He’s just a kid.
Granted, young Perry Ellis has already earned national attention as a rising basketball star, and he is considered a hotshot, sure thing, can’t-miss prospect by the recruiting websites so en vogue these days.
Yes, the Heights High School freshman has attended – and made quite a name for himself – at the big-time summer basketball camps, where college coaches and shoe company executives gather to uncover the up-and-coming talent.
All the top Division I programs in the country have the 6-foot-8 Ellis on their wish lists, according to his AAU coach, and he’s expected to be the Next Big Thing in the Wichita City League, which has produced so much talent through the years. (Listen to some observers, and you’re convinced he’ll be not only the latest, but the greatest star the league has produced.)
Clearly, then, it’s time to gather ourselves and breathe deeply before basketball season starts in November. After all, he’s only a kid – a ninth-grader who just turned 15, who hasn’t yet played a minute of high school basketball.
Exhale, Wichita.
But then again …
You’re level headed, skeptical by nature, so you tell yourself that you won’t, under any circumstances, get caught up in the Perry Ellis mania. If he’s got “next” when it comes to being the City League’s dominant player, he’ll have to prove it first.
A sound approach, but then you start Googling, and you find out – in breathlessly worded scouting reports – that Ellis has “exploded onto the scene.” That he’s impressed coaches from all over the country. That he can score from anywhere on the court. That, for a big man, he handles the ball like a guard.
Scout.com has him ranked as the No. 2 player in the Class of 2012 – yes, they rank freshmen – behind a guard from Texas named J’Michal Reese.
A website called bballspotlight.com places Ellis as No. 6 on its list of Top Performers of the Class of 2012, based on recently completed summer play. And check out the site’s description of Ellis: “He runs the floor like a deer and won’t hesitate to flush one on your head if you are in the way.”
(You resolve not to get in Ellis’ way.)
You talk to Steve Young, who knows youth basketball and is as familiar with Ellis’ game as anyone. The friendly, outgoing Young has coached Ellis since he was 6 and is his current AAU coach.
Thankfully, Young says all the right things to temper expectations a bit: Ellis is still a youngster, he has room for improvement, the sky’s the limit, but he hasn’t proven anything yet at the high school level.
And you feel yourself regaining some much-needed perspective.
Then Young says that Ellis is the best player he’s ever coached. Better than Maurice Evans and Taj Gray. In fact, Young says Ellis could be as good as CL legends Antoine Carr and Darnell Valentine.
How special is Ellis?
“It’s really a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” Young says.
Jamar Reece, Young’s assistant coach on the AAU team, is similarly impressed. He saw Ellis play at the Reebok camp and the KU Elite Camp.
“I’ve watched him play against the best players in the country, against 17- and 18-year-olds,” he says. “When you see him catch the ball down low, spin and dunk on people… when you see him overpower people inside but still have the ability to shoot the 3… it’s unbelievable. He does things kids his age just can’t do.”
And so you relent, give in to the hype, and make a mental note to be in the stands when Heights opens the season on Dec. 5 at home against East High. So you can say you were there.
The Big Fundamental
The future of City League hoops is a typical teenage boy who likes playing Halo on X-Box, drawing and hanging out with his friends.
“He’s a homebody,” his mother, Fonda, says with a smile. “And that’s fine with me.”
He’s successful in the classroom – all A’s in his first nine weeks of high school – and doing so well in drafting class that a teacher asked him to take an engineering course next school year, mom says.
You look closely, as the lanky Ellis answers questions, but there are no signs of overconfidence or arrogance. In fact, it’s a challenge to get Ellis to talk about himself.
“He’s quiet as a church mouse until he gets to know you,” Young says.
Not that Ellis doesn’t display some well-earned confidence. After a recent fall league game at Sunrise Christian Academy, he relaxed in the gym and critiqued his performance.
He ran the floor well, and he was dominant at times. But he was especially annoyed about getting the ball stripped when he attempted to step through a double team.
“I can dribble, shoot,” he said. “I do it all, really. But that wasn’t really a good game I just played. I missed easy shots, and I could have had way more rebounds.”
Ellis was, of course, a dominating player at Brooks Middle School, and the local die-hard basketball fans have followed his game for years. But it wasn’t until the summer, according to his mom, that he enjoyed true breakthrough performances.
“He really got on the radar,” she says.
In June, Ellis attended the Reebok Breakout Underclass camp in Chicago – an invitation-only event that bills itself as a showcase for the nation’s top freshmen, sophomores and juniors. The camp’s website described Ellis as “the best overall young prospect in the camp.”
At the completion of the camp, Ellis was one of five players selected to play in the high-profile Reebok U All American camp in Philadelphia in early July.
“He’s just real smooth,” Young says. “The game is almost effortless to him. He does the little things and he’s like a quiet scorer. If you watch him, you’ll say he could do more, but at the end of the game he has 20 points and 15 rebounds.”
Perspective, People
What’s needed here is an unbiased viewpoint from someone with historical perspective, so you go to Duane Frazier, a well-respected sports writer who handled the prep beat for the Wichita Eagle for more than 20 years. He has seen the great ones, the near great ones, and the ones who missed.
Frazier, who left the Eagle last year, has a ready list of the most-hyped freshmen he covered: Korleone Young (East), Rashad Washington (Southeast), Greg Dreiling (Kapaun), and DeAngelo Evans (Collegiate).
The expectations placed on these prodigies are often too high, bringing undue pressure, Frazier said.
“You hear all these amazing things about these kids, but when they actually get to high school you tend to see flashes of greatness, but there are also a lot of struggles,” says Frazier.
Frazier said that Young is probably the best comparison for Ellis, given their size, ability and tremendous exposure. He views Young as a cautionary tale of sorts.
“I think Korleone struggled because of all the expectations,” Frazier said. “People were expecting him to come in and be all-world and all-state and lead his team to an unbeaten record. He wasn’t ready for all that, and that’s certainly not a knock on Korleone.
“What happened with him was really kind of sad. People followed him around like he was LeBron James or something. He didn’t really have the chance to grow up as a high school student.”
Phil Daignault, head coach at Wichita West, is also wary of over-hyping incoming freshmen. The emphasis, he said, should be on the team, not the individual – no matter the star quality.
“We have the premier league in the state and have had many of Kansas’ best athletes come through the City League,” Daignault said. “If Perry Ellis reaches the level that we hope he does, it will bring more attention to our league and some really exciting games. I am looking forward to trying to stop him, but he is not yet No. 1 on my list. The league is loaded with talent this year, and I have my hands full.”
Ellis, who said he already gets asked frequently where he plans to attend college, admits he sometimes feels the pressure.
“The more attention I get, the more players are gonna come at me,” he said. “They probably want the spotlight, too. And if I have a bad game, people are gonna think I’m not that good.”
Both Fonda Ellis and husband Will, an imposing 6’9” former junior college basketball player, work at the Wichita Children’s home. Fonda is obviously proud of her son’s accomplishments – on and off the court – but she is also intent on keeping her son “grounded.”
So far so good, in that regard. Ellis is low key, modest. During a 15-minute interview, the only time he became animated was when the topic of his CL debut came up.
“I’m ready, I’m excited,” he said. “I think it will be fun, playing in front of the big crowds and stuff.”
Frazier’s advice to local basketball fans: Relish the chance to see such a rare talent play, but don’t expect too much too soon.
In other words, remember, he’s just a kid.
“In middle school, he was a man among boys, but he’s not going to have that same advantage in high school,” Frazier said. “He’s going to be a freshman going against juniors and seniors. Some will have more physical ability and a lot more experience.
“I’m sure people are going to line up to see him play, and that’s great. But don’t expect him to have great games every week. Enjoy the moment, and enjoy watching him get better every year.”
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