Mayde Creek junior guard Angel Sonnier got a late start in basketball, but he's quickly climbing the ranks of talent in the Class of 2023.
Sonnier was one of eight boys from the south region to advance to the Bay Area championships of Stephen Curry's Underrated tour. Curry, star of the Golden State Warriors and a three-star recruit as a high school senior, started the tour in 2019 to provide a platform for underrated players.
"It's all about the toolkit that you can take from the tour, take it to your school or your AAU teams, your travel teams or your school teams and and hopefully they'll be like, 'Yo, where'd you learn that from?' Be like, 'Yo, I got it from the Underrated Tour," Curry told SLAM magazine in an interview about the tour.
Sonnier, a 6-foot guard who averaged 13.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 1.8 assists per game for the Rams last year, competed at the regional in Dallas on Aug. 13-14. In a field of 75 boys, he survived cuts the first day and then impressed the second day to move to the Bay Area championships, which will be held in April.
Eight boys and eight girls from the Dallas regional moved on to the tour's April stage. Sonnier played point guard and showed intangibles that coaches appreciate, such as being a leader and communicating, coming off screens, and setting screens.
"Being an on-the-ball player, playing off the ball was one of the most important things you could show at the camp," said Sonnier, who was recommended for the camp by his Houston SuperStars AAU coach. "I feel really blessed to say I'm in the top (8) in the region. I went there, I competed and I accomplished something. That feels good, but I feel like I've still got more work to do."
Sonnier, 16, only started playing basketball in the eighth grade. He played football until his parents had him quit following an injury.
Sonnier played in eighth grade, and then played varsity his freshman year at Katy Taylor before transferring to Mayde Creek. Boasting raw, natural athleticism and a deft shooting touch (he made 38 percent of his 102 3-point attempts last season), Sonnier has worked tirelessly to catch up to players who've been hooping since their elementary years.
"It's been hard work. Just being dedicated," Sonnier said. "I know I'm starting late, so I've got to work 1,000 times harder than the next guys. There's thousands of guys that have years of this and are in the spotlight. I'm just trying to get one of their spots, coming out of nowhere and being an unknown."
Sonnier is ready for a larger role this season as he's now one of the leaders of what will be a young, but talented, Mayde Creek team.
"I'm going to be 100 times better," he said. "I'm working on breaking down defenses, getting into those small creases and finding ways to get my teammates open. Everyone knows I can score the ball. Now I'm going to show I can pass, make people better and play defense. I want to guard the other team's best player every single night."
It'll be a good test as he awaits learning under Curry and Curry's professional trainer, Brandon Payne, in April, when 64 finalists (16 boys and girls from four regions) compete for two spots in the Curry Camp.
"I just want a better grasp of the game," Sonnier said. "I know I still have a lot to learn. Being able to learn from a Hall of Famer like Steph Curry, I know he'll teach me things. That's what I'm most excited about."