3-Sport Athlete Shiller Says He Prefers Basketball

In an era where the multi-sport athlete is becoming a rarity rather than the norm, Drew Shiller of Burlingame High School (Calif.) not only competes at a high level in three sports but is receiving recruiting interest in all three. Notwithstanding all the attention, the 6-foot point guard/shortstop/quarterback says hoops is his preference.

Shiller is hearing from Yale, Santa Clara, Pacific, and Loyola Marymount, all of which visited his high school. San Diego St., and Cornell are also very much in the picture. In addition, unofficial visits were made with Stanford and Cal recently.

Drew is wide open right now and there are no early favorites. However, when asked what he was looking for in a school, Shiller replied, "Solid academics, good athletics environment, student spirit, and commitment to success." He is slightly more inclined to stay on the west coast, but says he is open to reconsidering if he takes visits to any out-of-area schools that have expressed interest (i.e. Ivy league).

Shiller is a member of the Oakland Soldiers I club team that competed in the Pump Easter Tournament recently. He will also man the point for his team in the Patrick Dennehy Rumble in the Bay Memorial Day, Reebok Big Time, and Summer Tsunami tournaments this summer.

In addition to the interest he is receiving for his ability on the hardwood, Drew is hearing from several Ivy League football programs. He plans to participate in the Stanford Nike Football Combine and Elite 11 Quarterback Camp scheduled for May 22 and 23 respectively.

In baseball, Washington St., Santa Clara, and Arizona St. are calling.

Which sport will he pursue in college? "He was asked that question (hoops vs. football) by virtually every coach with whom we met last week," said Barry Shiller, Drew's father. "He told them all the same thing: basketball is at the top of his priority list."

With such a busy schedule and the dedication it takes to compete at such a high level in three sports, one would think Drew's academics would suffer. Not so. The scholar-athlete maintains a 4.3 GPA and scored 1160 on the SAT.