Albright recruitment is open

James Albright, a 6-foot-5 junior forward from Fremont High in Oakland (Calif.), had a look of relief on his face minutes after he willed the Tigers to a 58-53 victory over their Oakland Athletic League rival McClymonds.

Albright scored 31 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the victory, helping his team get into the OAL playoffs.

"He told us during the end of the game he was not going to let us lose," said Frank Knight, the head coach of Fremont High. "And he was true to his word, as he came up big in the end."

With the game tied, Albright took his man off the dribble and scored in the lane giving his team a two-point lead and the victory.

"Albright is a 4-man in high school that is in the process of making the transition to a three-man," said Knight. "Early on during the season, we tried to make him transition to playing the two, but he struggled with that transition and this hurt us as a team."

Right now, Albright is a combo forward with a college-ready body and the ability to rebound against anyone. He has nice post moves and a nice inside game and the ability to hit the mid-range jump shot consistently. When asked about his recruitment, Albright said he preferred to stay on the west coast, but he was open to the various schools that are looking at him.

"I would prefer to go to a school close to home like a Cal, UCLA, Fresno State or Pepperdine," said Albright. "But more important than location is the style of play for me."

Schools taking an interest include Pepperdine, Memphis, UTEP, Arizona State, Colorado State, Northeastern, TCU, St. Mary's, San Francisco and UC Davis. Pepperdine, Davis and TCU have already offered scholarships according to Knight.

"Academically, Albright has a core 3.0 grade point average and a passing SAT score, but he is in the process of taking the test again," said Knight.

On the basketball court, Knight continues that Albright is a hard worker, who is very coachable and always looking to improve. Albright reminds him of former NorCal prep standout Dior Lowhorn.

Lowhorn was the No. 1 ranked prospect in the class of 2005 by NorCalPreps.com, who played his freshman year for Bobby Knight at Texas Tech before transferring back to the University of San Francisco this year.

"The thing that Albright brings to the table is that he is a big wing, who can shoot the ball and really play inside," continued Knight. "He causes match-up problems."

On the eve of the OAL playoffs, various college coaches who come to the East Oakland school to get a good look at Albright will notice the mismatches he causes on the court with his play.