fontana fab 3

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SoCalHoops Recruiting News

Fontana Gets 3 SCA Freshmen;
Not Everyone Is Happy--(Aug. 7, 1999)

In the last few weeks, there have been messages posted on the Message Forum concerning Trevante Nelson, who had been expected to enroll at Mater Dei this fall. Nelson reportedly decided not to play at Mater Dei since he was unhappy with his role and the amount of playing time he would receive. There were even rumors circulating that Nelson was going to be on the JV this year at Mater Dei. So, the rumors went, Nelson was looking around for a school to attend. And the other rumor we kept hearing was that Nelson was going to attend Fontana High with his SCA teammates, Travyon Williams and Westley Washington, who had been playing with Fontana all summer.

Well, evidently it's a fact and not rumor. One of our friends from the Inland Empire faxed us a story today which was published in the Saturday edition of the San Bernardino Sun. We checked their website to see if the story was posted, but all we could find was Friday's edition (a common problem with smaller papers, i.e., they don't always update their internet sites in a timely fashion), so we'll post some excerpts from the story below. The article is interesting, and if it seems like Nelson and two of his buddies are pretty cocky, well, they are. We're not sure we agree with the writer's perspective on all of this (i.e., that the three could be the "most promising group of basktball players ever to enroll at a San Bernardino County high school" ), but they are certainly promising young players.

We'll save our commentary, such as it is, for after the story. Here it is:

Fontana's Fab 3
Incoming Freshmen, two of whom live in Rialto,
expect to take the Steelers to the top immediately

By Andrew Baggarly
San Bernardino County Sun

Incoming high school freshmen are supposed to be intimidated. They are supposed to keep a low profile, surrender their place in the lunch line, accept the hazing of upperclassmen and generally, cower in fear.

Travyon Williams, Trevante Nelson, and Westley Washington seem to be exempt from this mode of conduct. The 14 year old, soon-to-be freshmen won't attend their first day of class at Fontana High School for five weeks. They haven't endured one day of basketball conditioning. They haven't made so much as the freshman B team. And yet they're issuing a warning.

"If everything goes right," Williams said, "we have a good chance of winning CIF this year. And we'll go undefeated in the (Citrus Belt) League, I think."

Nelson envisions himself running the point for the Steelers, with Williams and Washington filling the lanes. And did we mention Nelson sees this happening this year?

Here's the scary thing: He might be right.

Nelson, Washington, and Williams are Fontana's Fab 3, perhaps the most promising group of basketball players ever to enroll at a San Bernardino County high school. All three are seasoned competitors. They've won national titles and received attention in national publications. They have starred on sneaker company-sponsored elite teams since they were 11, and have more hardware than the local True Value. They're 14 and they already play above the rim.

The 6-foot-4 Williams has been dunking since he was 12. Washington (6'-2") catches major air, and his double-pump slam is a crowd favorite. The 5'-10" Nelson has had ample occasion to perfect the alley-oop pass. The three players were key contributors on the nine-player Southern California All-Stars team that won the AAU national championship at Orlando, Fla., on July 9, besting an elite 118-team field. It was the fourth consecutive AAU national title for Williams and Nelson who won as 11- and 12-year olds with the Torrance-based 4-D Stars, and as 13-year olds with the Nike-sponsored SoCal All-Stars.

Washington was a member of three of those teams. "It's unprecedented," said Nelson's father Ed. "The AAU people said the most anyone had won was two. To win four is a major feat."

That all three would play for a [San Bernardino] county school was another long shot. Today's prep basketball climate is revenue-driven down to the grammar-school ranks. Kids are recruited while they still have baby teeth. Those few who are decorated in national competition, such as the Fab 3, often don't attend their district high school. They shop around for the best one-- and the school they choose isn't always the one with the closest commute.

Case in point: 7-foot San Bernardino native Tyson Chandler is a junior at Dominguez High School in Compton, 70 miles away.

Nelson initially planned to attend Mater Dei in Santa Ana but was unhappy with the playing time he received while competing with the school's summer league team. "I never had the urge to go there anyway," he said. "I wanted to play with Trayvon and Westley, and the only school I wanted to go to was Fontana. It worked out perfectly."

Almost. The decision by Nelson, Williams and Washington to remain close to home might seem refreshing, but it is not devoid of controversy. Nelson and Williams live in Rialto. Nelson resides in the Eisenhower High School attendance zone. Williams in the Rialto zone. Washington lives in Fontana. And the fact that all of them will attend Fohi [Fontana High] is a sore point with Rialto coach Scott Perong.

"I'm not happy about it," he said. "But I'm not in the business of recruiting players. I just coach the kids that want to play for me." Perong said at last check, Williams was enrolled at Rialto, but he had played summer ball with Fontana and told friends he would enroll there. Williams has applied for an inter-district transfer that would allow him to attend Fontana.

Ed Nelson said he put down a security deposit three weeks ago on an apartment a few blocks from the Fontana campus and that he was preparing to move his family there before the school year begins.

Perong said he wouldn't put up a fight for Williams, but if the two players enroll at Fontana, he vows to ensure they will do so legally. "I'll see if Williams is still enrolled at Rialto and take it from there," Perong said. "It's not an issue in terms of what I do or don't do. If they want to go to Fontana, that's their business."

Fontana coach John McNally declined comment on the three players saying he prefers to wait until the school year starts and they begin attending classes. But Ed Nelson defended McNally saying the coach did not persuade the three kids to choose Fontana over their district schools. "He never called, never pressured us," Ed Nelson said. "Perong and (Eisenhower coach Steve) Johnson did, but not McNally, and I respect him for that. He did everything completely legal, completely by the book."

If the permits are approved and the three players enroll at Fontana as planned, McNally will have a core group that will be expected to contribute immediately--and dominate eventually.

Nelson has three-point shooting range, good court vision, a knack for passing in transition and can finish on the break. Washington is the scorer and slasher of the group, takes defenders off the dribble and might be the most athletic of the three. Williams is a miniature Kevin Garnett, lean with long wingspan, and might make the most immediate impact. He prides himself on his defense and can play outside or inside.

"(Former Georgetown coach) John Thompson saw them as 12-year olds at a tournament in Vegas and said he was impressed with their court sense," Ed Nelson said "He said Trevante reminded him of Jason Kidd at that age."

Ed Nelson claims the three players' AAU teams won more than 200 consecutive games before losing in a Memorial Day tournament. They went 31-0 in the national tournament over four years, playing in Orlando, Salt Lake City and Memphis, Tenn. Their fourth championship clinched with a two-point victory over a team from Akron, Ohio, came with will-known Nike coach Pat Barrett on the bench.

"It was a big decision," Williams said. "I lost a lot of sleep over it. But I'm glad I decided to stay here."

Said Nelson: "We're going to do some good things at Fontana. We're going to go as far as we can. So get ready."

Well, we're not certain that we'd agree with the assessment that Fontana, even with these three, will take a CIF Southern Section title this season. Fontana was considered a good team in a rebuilding year after most of their major contributors graduated this June. They lost their core group of players, including Gary Holmes (6'-7" F), who will be at Eastern Washington, Baron Baker (5'-10" PG) a great point guard, Joseth Dawson (6'-2" SG) who was a tremendous shooter, and Scott Anderson (6'-5" F).

But even without the three freshmen, the Fontana High team had some good returning players. Guys like Jordan Walker (6'-6" Sr. PG/C) who is, from what we saw of Fontana this summer, the best player on the team, a truly athletic scorer who can shoot from out to three or take the ball to the hole. Fontana has some others, including Corey McJimson (6'-2" So. SG/SF), Aaron Gipson (5'-8" So. PG) and Mark Mancha (6'-1" Jr. SG) but the addition of Washington, Nelson and Williams will definitely help.

Are they the "best ever" group of players to enroll at a San Bernardino high school? Maybe, as a group, but they are certainly not the most individually talented guys to ever enroll, and we can think of dozens of other players who would easily be considered better as freshmen. But there's no denying they're talented. Just how talented is something that only time will tell.