Westbrook Grows Into Real Prospect

Experiencing a growth spurt in high school is like winning the lottery. It changes everything.

Goals are revised, dreams are renewed, ambitions are refocused.

Russell Westbrook of Lawndale Leuzinger is a senior guard who is riding a wave of positive evaluations as he continues to benefit from a growth spurt of two summers ago.

What a difference a few inches can make in the performance of a basketball player. Feats he couldn’t accomplish when he was 5 feet 10 are finally within reach at 6-3.

Shots that were once blocked are going in the basket. Rebounds that were taken away are ending up in his hands. Centers who stood as immovable obstacles are mere distractions as he elevates over them.

“It’s exciting,” Westbrook said.

Last fall, Kent State, Creighton and Wyoming wanted him to sign a letter of intent.

“I didn’t feel I was ready to make a decision yet,” he said.

His patience has resulted in a growing number of schools, including some in the Pacific 10 Conference, expressing serious interest in offering him a scholarship. He has become one of the best unsigned senior prospects in Southern California.

“I just think I got better over the summer,” he said.

He scored 51 points in a game against Carson. He is averaging 25.9 points and 8.5 rebounds and is shooting 79% from the free-throw line.

“I always knew Russell was going to be a good player,” Coach Reggie Morris said. “He’s one of the hardest-working kids and one of the most coachable. And he’s tough.”

Westbrook said he knew he was going to grow because he wore size 14 shoes. The extra inches, combined with his jumping skills, have made him an effective rebounder at the guard position.

“I’m quick off my feet,” he said. “I think every rebound is mine, so I go get it.”

His father, Russell Jr., a former athlete at Los Angeles Jefferson, has worked with him on his shooting form.

“He’s tough,” Westbrook said. “When I miss shots, he gets on me. When I make shots, he still gets on me because there’s a release he wants.”

Westbrook already possesses the confidence of a good shooter. When he made only four of 13 shots in the first half of a game against Rolling Hills Estates Peninsula, he came out for the second half with no doubt about what he had to do.

“I just stay focused,” he said. “I knew it was going to fall in the second half, so I kept shooting.”

He made his first six shots of the third quarter en route to a 30-point performance. He has helped lead Leuzinger to a 21-3 record.

Westbrook is still improving, which makes him a hot college prospect.

*

Another basketball player whose game is blossoming with the help of a growth spurt is junior Austin Daye of Irvine Woodbridge.

Last season, Daye was listed at 6-5. He has grown to 6-9, and according to his father, Darren, he is a “legit” 6-9.

“He’s two inches taller than me,” said Darren, who was a 6-7 freshman in 1980 when he played on UCLA’s NCAA runner-up team and went on to play in the NBA and overseas.

Austin was considered a good ballhandler and shooter before his growth spurt. He has retained his guard qualities, giving him skills and physical makeup similar to that of Tayshaun Prince, the former Compton Dominguez standout who plays for the Detroit Pistons.

“The growth spurt has changed me as a player,” Austin said. “Being a guard all my life, it’s made for a great transition to forward.”

Others have seen the transformation.

“It’s changed the whole dynamics,” Darren said of his son’s growth spurt. “There’s not a lot of kids out there who have that size who can handle the ball and shoot it.”

Added Coach John Halagan: “He’s an eye-popping physical talent. He’s just scratching the surface. He’s a pup. He has the ability to put up big-time numbers.”

Daye is averaging 15.8 points and 8.7 rebounds. He has made 30 three-point baskets. He had 30 points and 22 rebounds against Escondido. He had 19 points and 15 rebounds against Santa Ana Foothill. And he had 20 points and 17 rebounds against Irvine University.

“I felt before he was going to be a good player,” Darren said. “You just never know how good. Now that he’s 6-9, the sky’s the limit.”

Eric Sondheimer can be reached at [email protected].