• Long Beach Poly back among the elite

  • By Joel Francisco, ESPN Recruiting | June 25, 2010 11:34:01 AM PDT
Long Beach Poly, under the guidance of Sharif Metoyer, has slowly risen to the upper echelon of California basketball, yet again. The 2010-11 version of the Jackrabbits may not resemble the powerhouse teams of the late '70s and early '80s, or have a player the caliber of Chris Sandle (80-84) or Tyus Edney (88-91), but they're ultra-talented.This spring and summer Poly has been steamrolling opponents even though they have not had their entire arsenal (Ryan Anderson is out attending various elite camps) at their disposal. However, 6-foot-2 Alexis Moore -- a recent USC commit -- is swiftly moving up the West Coast point guard ratings and 6-3 sleeper Alex Carmon is on the cusp of a Division I offer (Colorado, Fresno State, and Portland State have shown interest). While Moore and Carmon excel from the 1 and the 2, the 6-7 and still growing Anderson can light up opponents inside and out due to his maturing offensive game. Anderson, who is an ESPNU 100 recruit, has been offered by Washington State, San Diego, San Jose State and Portland, according to Metoyer, while Gonzaga, Colorado, Utah and Cal have shown serious interest.Cal may pull the trigger (on Anderson) depending on what fellow ESPN 100 recruits Kyle Wiltjer (Portland, Ore./Jesuit) and Jabari Brown (Oakland, Calif.) do with their decision.As the senior trio winds up their respective careers, Metoyer will have to turn to a couple of underclassmen to carry on the tradition. He'll have to look no farther than 6-5 Roschon Prince. The ESPNU Terrific 25 prospect has a versatile game but needs to polish his perimeter skills as he heads into his sophomore campaign. Although Prince gets most of the notoriety, Metoyer is very high on another sophomore in 6-7 Jordan Bell. "He isn't as offensively skilled as Anderson (Ryan) at the same stage, but he's much longer and bouncier," Metoyer said. In other words, with Metoyer at the helm, Poly appears to be heading back to the days where CIF championships were expected and not just wishful thinking.

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