Schools waiting on Albright

With the early signing period just weeks away, one of the more coveted forwards in in the region's class of 2008, James Albright has a list of schools waiting on his SAT score before pulling the trigger.

The schools on the list for the 6-foot-6 combo forward from Fremont of Oakland (Calif.) include Tulsa, Colorado State, Montana, Montana Sate, Portland State, UC Davis, Washington State and Cal Poly.

"They are waiting on Albright to get a qualifying test score," said Ray Young of the Oakland Rebels. "He is in the process of taking the test in the next few weeks."

Frank Knight, Fremont's head coach, believes Albright will be a qualifier, based on a solid core grade point average and Albight is scheduled to take the test several times to improve his score.

"Albright will end up being a late signee," said Knight. "He had four offers in the past, but his recruitment strangely tailed off. However, he had a good summer with the Oakland Rebels and many schools are still interested. With him signing late, that will boost his recruitment as he should have a good season and have his academics and everything else in order."

A four-year varsity player at Fremont, Albright has been one of the best players in the Oakland Athletic League during his time there. Last year, he averaged 20 points per game and helped lead the Tigers to an 18-9 record. Fremont however lost in the OAL playoffs to Skyline.

"This season, I want to try and win it," said Albright. "I am practicing hard everyday and getting ready."

Albright will have to pick up a bigger load on the team, as Fremont lost its leader in 6-foot point guard Gabe Kindred, who left the school in the summer and is now attending prep school at Worcester Academy in Massachusetts. While the loss of Kindred will be crucial, the Tigers still have Josh O' Neal, a 6-foot-4 senior wing and Chris James, a 5-foot-11 junior guard along with Albright.

"He has been working on his skill development and he is getting better," added Young. "He has gotten more powerful and he is even more explosive around the basket."

"This year, I am a better all around player," continued Albright. "I have worked on my ball handling, rebounding and conditioning. I have been lifting everyday to try and get stronger. "

His commitment to getting better has impressed Knight, who is upbeat about the Tigers' chances as the 2007-08 season is set to begin.

"Bo-Be has worked on his deficiencies as a player," continued Knight. "His ballhandling was a deficit, but he has worked on it all summer long with Ray Young. I am interested to see what he does against some of the top players he will face this season."