Bramlett looking to step forward

Every so often, there is a prospect who seemingly appears out of nowhere. It's the case of someone who, for a bevy of reasons, didn't make a vivid impression in his first few high school years but really comes on as late as an upperclassmen. To some degree, Josh Akognon (first team all-league as a junior, Northern California Division II Player of the Year as a senior, fits the bill. Angelo Caloairo, who became USF's steadiest performer after departing Archbishop Mitty, is another. Will Jordan Bramlett of King's Academy be the latest in this category?

The answer will be on display both this spring and summer and then over the winter for the senior-to-be.

Here's a Fall 2013 description from a southern California evaluation event: "Jordan Bramlett is a guard with good ball-handling skills. He passes the ball well and can finish at the basket. He has scholarship potential if he continues to improve his game. We would like to see him get physically stronger."

He currently stands 6-foot-1 and 160 pounds. After transferring to King's Academy (Sunnyvale) in late December, illness interrupted his playing but he did get on the floor some for Coach Drew Petiti.

"Jordan's a fabulous kid, very coachable," Petiti said. ""He made our practices more competitive and he's a pretty good point. Against Woodside Priory (a 61-56 victory on January 24), he gave us a big lift with nine points and his runner sealed the game for us. He made good passes and critical shots."

In a 53-48 loss to Menlo, Petiti added, "he made some nice shots after our point fouled out in the third quarter."

Petiti added, "Jordan has a very natural jump shot, has nice quickness and can take people off the dribble. He has a lot of potential but needs to get bigger."

Bramlett has the mental composition of a leader, something he transitioned to throughout his high school tenure. "From my freshman to what will be my senior year, my biggest change is becoming a team leader."

Whether he is playing high school or club ball, "my role doesn't really change. It's figuring out the strong suits of my teammates and trying to use them to our team benefit."

What he especially appreciates "is when the game is close and we score, then everyone goes extremely hard to get the final stop at the end of a game for a win."

Bramlett's goals for this spring and summer include "becoming stronger and I want to be worthy of a leadership role. To him, that means being in front in our workouts and setting an example. I have to communicate with my teammates that we can push through anything." He will be playing for the West Valley Basketball Club on the AAU circuit.

Sporting a 3.2 grade point average, Bramlett has interest in computer science and marketing and business as majors.

King's Academy finished 15-11 overall this recently concluded season. The Knights took down Pacific Grove High 39-36 in a road game on February 27 in the Central Coast Section Division IV playoffs before falling 61-42 on March 1 to Sacred Heart Prep.

Bramlett has high expectations for his final prep go-around come next November.

"We should do pretty well. We have lots of experience with eight guys returning."