Boobies Future is All-Bright

James Albright, a.k.a. "Boobie", is entertaining some enticing offers. Six different schools have made scholarship offers to Fremont of Oakland's (Calif.) Albright. Schools are noticing that the 6-foot-6 senior post/wing is having a very nice season.

The Fremont Tigers have a respectable 13-11 overall record, along with a 3-4 league record. Albright, however, is putting up some big numbers this season, averaging 22 points and 11 rebounds.

According to Albright, the six schools that have made an offer are UC Davis, Idaho, Wyoming, Portland State, Montana, and Montana State. Other schools showing interest include San Diego, Pepperdine, Colorado State, Tulsa, TCU, Fresno State, Idaho, and Idaho State.

An unofficial visit to UC Davis allowed Albright to meet the coach and some of the players. He said that he really liked the campus at Davis, also. After his senior season is over, Albright plans on taking visits to Idaho and Wyoming. At that point, he should be well on his way to finalizing his decision on where he will attend college.

If he were to make the decision right now, his top three choices would be Wyoming, Idaho, and UC Davis. Distance from home is not so much a factor for Albright. He explains, "My mom wants me to stay close to home, but she said I can make my choice. I want the best school for me academically and as far as me playing." In late January, Albright qualified academically via his SAT scores and the sliding scale.

Kansas' Brandon Rush and UCLA's Josh Shipp serve as two players that Albright enjoys watching play. He says that he tries to watch their games on TV and pick up moves or playing tendencies from the two of them.

Fremont High's coach Frank Knight gave us his thoughts on Albright.

On what Albright is like as a person: "James is a bright and caring individual. James puts team goals before his personal goals, which makes him that much more of an outstanding person to coach. He is a quiet leader who leads by example and his competitiveness is unmatchable on and off the court."

On what Albright is like as a player: "James is a prototypical 3 guard. He rebounds with the big boys, but has the ability to shoot from 20-25 feet. This causes match up nightmares. Over the summer he worked hard on his guard skills and now has the ability to put the ball on the floor for a few dribbles which also adds to his offensive repertoire. He plays hard and is naturally strong, but James plays his best basketball in tough situations. That's when he plays decent defense, rebounds the ball, runs the floor, shoots the 3 and attacks the rim. Outside of running a team (playing point) he can do it all."

On where he sees Albright playing in college: "I see James playing at a mid-major D-1 program. That's where he can maximize his abilities to the fullest. If he goes to a low-major D-1 program he will find himself buried in the post playing power forward and center. If he goes to a high major D-1 program, because of his size will only play the 3 or 2 and his improving guard skills will put him a step behind all the blue chip guards. I think the mid-major D-1 would be the best bet, where they can take advantage of his rebounding ability, and at the same time his shooting ability and match up problems."

For now, Albright is concentrating on his last three games of his career in the Oakland League (against Skyline, McClymonds, and Castlemont). In the near future, though, we should know where "Boobie" is going to be spending the next four years of his life.