It's Velasco in the middle for CRC

 photo courtesy of Chico Enterprise Record

In another life and another body, Jaycob Velasco would be directing his basketball team as a point and his football squad from the quarterback position.

That's because he is the thinking man on the court and field. But at 6-foot-6 and some change and 250 pounds, he has utilized his analytical skills in the paint and on the offensive line to very good effect in high school.

Now his focus is exclusively basketball and he's a freshman member of Coach James Giacomazzi's Cosumnes River College (CRC) Hawks.

With his gridiron days behind him -- the constant collisions and pounding as an offensive tackle left him with back spasms that placed limitations on his football participation and off-the-field life -- Velasco is now adapting to participating in and facing the skill level of some of the best community college basketball in the country.

"I love basketball just as much and I don't have to be cautious," he explained.

He's also bringing some old friends with him as asked what are his best basketball skills, Velasco said,"I have extremely high motor. I'm extremely active. Plus, I have a high IQ and I work on reading what my teammates and opponents are doing." Playing down low as a prep center required reading the court as did surveying the opponent directly opposite him on the line as well as linebackers, cornerbacks and safeties in football.

His weight conditioning work at CRC has already resulted in the dropping of 20 pounds.

So why CRC?

Velasco played at Pleasant Valley High in Chico but spent time earlier in Sacramento.

"I've known Tony Gill (6-foot-9 former CRC player now at Pacific) since middle school and I've known Ryan Salmonson (6-foot-10 former CRC player now at North Dakota) from playing AAU ball." Gill, Salmonson, JJ Mina and others graduated, leaving a hole in the Hawks frontcourt.

He has already noticed a major contrast.

"It's a lot different from high school," Velasco observed, "where the center stays down low, wings are on the sides and the guards are outside."

Here's Coach Giacomazzi on his new man in the middle: "Jaycob will be an effective player for us this season. The better he gets conditioning-wise will allow him to do more on the court for us and he will not only be productive inside but from the perimeter as well.  We really like Jaycob's skill set and look forward to seeing him progress week by week."

Velasco's ultimate goal is earning a degree in criminology and becoming a police officer. His thinking and moving will come in quite handy in that competition too.