Siva standing out in 2009

At last month's Arizona Cactus Classic, Peyton Siva was one of the few players that had a magnet effect. As word spread about the 5-foot-11 point guard from Franklin High School in Seattle, it became clear that Siva was ready to put himself on the national map.

Siva, a four-star prospect from the class of 2009, was the third leading scorer at the Arizona Cactus Classic and hit over 50 percent of his three-point attempts.

"I had a chance to start there and I stepped up in that opportunity," Siva said. "I knew a lot of scouts were going to be there and since no one really comes out to the West Coast, that was a great opportunity for me to play well. I felt like that was my breakout tournament to show what I have."

There was little doubt that Siva broke out nationally in Tucson. Already a good looking high-major prospect on the West Coast, Siva said his recruitment welcomed a couple of national powers, including Louisville and Kansas. But the Pac-10 powers beat everyone to the rush.

Washington has already offered, he said, while Arizona and Oregon State has been in to see him recently. UCLA has also recently inquired. With schools turning up the heat, Siva said he isn't too caught up yet in all of the recruiting attention.

"I'm not to focused on that. I'm focused pretty much on high school and whatever game we have coming up," Siva said.

He does know what he is looking for though.

"I like a fast-paced team that gets out and plays. I don't mind sitting back and watching a good point guard for my first year so when I come in, I'll be ready to play and contribute. The team that will stand out will be a fast-paced team like Arizona and Memphis. Those guys get out and run."

In back-to-back classes of marginal point guards, Siva said he sees an opportunity to step up.

"I feel like I'm one of the elite level point guards in my class. I know I have to continue to step up over the next couple of weekends and months," he said. "It's real important to show that I can keep improving and keep working hard. For example, after Arizona I didn't really have a good week in the midrange so I wanted to come in the gym and work on my ball-handling and my midrange pull-up. There is always room to improve every week and every tournament."