Versatility is Fillmores ticket
When was the last time a team's biggest player was also its most versatile? Such is the case with Jordan Fillmore of Acalanes High. At 6-foot-7, 220 pounds, Fillmore is by far his team's 'big man' but the Acalanes offense runs through him whether he is down low in the paint or out on the perimeter.
But this plays to Fillmore's strengths which he describes as: "Good fundamentals, seeing the floor, getting my teammates involved, scoring inside and outside and playing the 1 through 5 positions."
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He is equally proficient playing with his back to and facing the basket. No Shaq at the free throw line or elsewhere, Fillmore is a solid perimeter shooter. In fact, his Oakland Soldiers club coach, Lou Richie, calls him "our best three-point specialist on the team this summer."
The Lafayette (Calif.) product is working steadily on developing his athleticism, noting that he will be playing both the power forward and small forward/wing positions in college and he understands what is necessary to defend on the perimeter against top athletes in college.
"Jordan has transformed his body from two years ago and will have a Wendell McKines-type frame in a few more years," Richie added. "Then his athleticism will have caught up with his skills."
"Jordan could contribute right away [at the Division I level] because he is a very intelligent player, with good vision and passing skills," said Acalanes head coach Russ Scheibley. "He is working to upgrade his athleticism and ability to score off the dribble."
Richie also praises Fillmore as a coach's dream. "He will do anything you ask, you tell him what to do and he'll do it with a 'yes sir'," said Richie. "The most important talents for a player are the ability to listen, being able to follow directions and applying what's being taught."
Fillmore is interested in a smaller school and the three institutions currently in the mix are Portland, St. Mary's and San Diego. The Dons standout is most familiar with St. Mary's, playing on campus there many weekends. He sports a 2.7 grade point average and will be taking the SAT soon.
First aware that he possessed Division I potential as a sophomore in high school, Fillmore came to basketball as a seven-year-old. At that age "we moved to a new neighborhood where kids were playing a lot, plus our house was near a gym," Fillmore said.
He credits friend Lamont Gilbert. "He's like a mentor to me," said Jordan referring to Gilbert's contribution to the positive developments in his life and in basketball circles.
Those developments should get even more interesting and rewarding in the next few months.