Team Sage-Truth had a phenomenal summer this past season winning 26 out of 34 games, only dropping 3 games to NorCal teams. This year’s schedule included Blueprint (NV), Lakeshow Elite 17’s, Lunardi’s 17’s and Oakland Soldiers 17’s Blue.
In the three Southern California and Las Vegas tournaments played, games against teams from Colorado, Utah, Oregon, Southern California and Texas were all close and competitive. Team Sage was 8-4 over the last three weekends of the season in the NCAA viewing period San Francisco, Anaheim, and at Las Vegas Fab 48 2013, winning games by 32, 16,12, 3, 3, 4, 4 and 2. Their season ended with a 59-58 loss to the Texas Tigers 17’s in the Fab 48. Their last four losses were by an average of 2 1/2 points per game!
What was so unusual about this team is that most of the boys have been playing together since the eighth grade. Led by Coach Wornel Simpson, Team Sage-Truth is a hard-working group of young men who have continuously improved into a cohesive unit and proved on the court over the past two years that it could hold its own against quality teams from around the nation including teams from Pennsylvania, Texas, Arizona, Colorado, Utah and others.
Although only one Team Sage player is ranked among the NorCal Top 40 in the class of 2014, prognosticators and coaches are missing the boat with these kids. For the most part, they (as a group) are long, lean, defend, rebound and can run. Recently, two separate college coaches remarked that watching Team Sage was like watching clones! They were referring to their athleticism, length, defensive ability and unselfishness.
* Benson Osayande 6-foot-7 wing Franklin HS, is the only Team Sage player ranked in the NorCal Top 40 and deservedly so. However, he should be a Top 10-15 player. Benson’s athleticism, motor, defensive ability and inside-outside offensive potential has many colleges vying for his services. Having coached DJ Wilson (Michigan commit) for two years and having had Malik Pope (San Diego St. commit) in the Team Sage program in the past, Benson’s upside potential is on par with these highly touted recruits. College coaching and the weight room will do wonders for Benson.
* Terrence White 6-foot-1 guard Inderkum HS, is arguably the most athletic guard in Sacramento. Terrence also excels on the gridiron and is receiving Division 1 notice, having scored 10 touchdowns in his first four games. He can handle, defend and score in bunches and is a four-year varsity starter. I’ve coached Terrence since the sixth grade and he has never missed a game! I call him our Iron-man because of his reliability, tenacity and toughness. He has man-handled many of the guards in the NorCal Top 40. As a junior, Terrence was named All-Metro Honorable Mention and All-League for the third consecutive year as well as his league’s player of the year.
* Mo Britten 6-foot-4 wing Del Campo HS, is an unsung hero and the anchor of our team. He scores, rebounds, defends and can effectively play 3-4 positions depending on the match-ups. After starting as a junior, look for big things from Mo at Del Campo this year.
* Kellen Simpson, 6’2 Point Guard Sacramento HS, If Mo is our anchor, Kellen is our heart and soul. Kellen is a tremendous ball handler and passer and runs our offense. He keys our defense from the top and consistently displays poise, intelligence and a winning attitude. Kellen’s minutes were limited on last year’s talented Metro League title team and looks forward to contributing more in his senior year. One Division 1 college coach remarked that “in the last two minutes of a game, Kellen makes all the right decisions, gets the ball to the right people, plays lock-down defense and makes his free-throws.”
* Cameron Graham 6-foot-4 wing Natomas HS, is a shooter deluxe who showed in Anaheim he can consistently hit threes averaging double figures and rebounding effectively. His quickness and length allows him to get his hands on a lot of balls.
* Jalen Davis 6-foot-6 wing River City HS, has really developed over the past year and is getting looks from several Division 1 programs. He’s a lefty, can shoot threes, drives the basketball and on the defensive side has a long wingspan. His upside is incredible.
* Brandon Thompson 6-foot-4 wing Christian Brothers HS, is another multi-sport standout. He is an outstanding receiver/defensive back and recently scored four touchdowns in one game, two on both sides of the ball. Brandon is very athletic, shoots from the perimeter well and can go inside effectively. A good rebounder, Brandon’s versatility on the defensive side allows Team Sage to often utilize him as the point person in our 1-2-2 defensive alignment.
* Forrest Johnson 5-foot-9 guard Bradshaw Christian HS, is one of the hardest working kids I have ever had the pleasure to coach. He is smart, plays great defense and will surprise you with key baskets when you least expect it. He is the ultimate team player and his future success on or off the court is evident.
* Leondre Lintz 5-foot-9 point guard Monterey Trail HS, is a dynamic scoring guard who also leads the break well. His uncanny ability to put the ball in the basket sometimes over- shadows other aspects of his game. On the defensive side, he takes chances and creates turnovers. Once he improves on remaining in the play when he doesn’t get the steal or cause a turnover, his stock will rise tremendously. Leondre will have a big senior year after being named All-Metro Honorable Mention last year and All-League as a junior.
* Jamaryion Simmons 6-foot-5 wing Independent Study, has not played one minute of high school basketball, but is one of the most highly recognized players on the summer circuit. He is big, strong, can handle the ball, has a soft shooting touch, rebounds and throws accurate laser-like outlet passes. Jamaryion has a good attitude and his maturity level has increased every year. At the very least, look for Jamaryion to be a major contributor on a northern California junior college team next year.
* Dominic Fountain 5-foot-10 guard Sacramento HS, is a tremendous athlete and hustler. He goes hard 100% of the time and causes the tempo of the game to increase tremendously while he is on the court. He’s also a smart kid and a hard worker. Inserting Dom in tandem with Forrest gives us a burst of energy and defensive intensity that picks the whole team up.
The measurement of these kids can’t be gauged by rankings, statistics or even playing time on their high school teams for that matter. They all play hard, unselfishly, have high skill levels, and are predisposed to concentrating on the defensive end of the court and rebounding. In addition, they are high character kids who have all utilized the Team Sage educational concepts, resources and services available to them. The majority are academically UC-eligible and are ready to step on a college campus and compete immediately both in the classroom and on the court.
Realistically projecting out to their sophomore years in college:
* Kellen Simpson will be a 6-foot-4 point guard with great ballhandling, passing, defensive skills and an innate ability to lead and win. His ability to get anywhere on the floor with the ball in his hand, length and defensive anticipation will not go unnoticed.
* Jalen Davis will be a 6-foot-8 point forward with the ability to handle the ball, shoot threes, go inside and rebound effectively. His versatility will have college coaches scratching their heads, wondering how did we not see this coming.
* Cameron Graham will be a 6-foot-5 shooting assassin. His length, quickness, active hands and nose for the ball will allow his defensive presence to be an asset in key situations.
* Mo Britten will be a 6-foot-5-6-foot-7 utility player who will be strong in all facets of the game and an excellent teammate with a strong work ethic.
Terrence White and Brandon Thompson will probably be on the gridiron playing college football, but if not, both have the athletic ability and skill level to play and contribute to a top-flight program on the court.
The others are not omitted because of lack of ability or motivation. However, based on the basketball acumen of former Columbia great and Team Sage Coach Alton Byrd (15-year professional playing career in Europe), former Sacramento State stand-out Byron Williams (five year Team Sage coach), and numerous current college assistant coaches, the above has a good likelihood of occurring. The question is “who’s brave and smart enough to give all these kids an opportunity to play the way they have projected through Team Sage-Truth utilizing their mental capacity and skill level?”
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