Imagine the childhood.
A young kid grows up in a suburb of Honolulu, on the beautiful beaches of Kailua, Hawaii. He, like other locals, spends lots of time on the nearby beach. It becomes like the local playground; he learns to bodysurf, bodyboard and to ride a surfboard. He even wins a local age-group bodyboarding contest when he's 9.
Sounds pretty normal for a local Hawaiian kid.
| |  | | | Julian Sensley |
But Julian Sensley, aka "The Jewel," is anything, but normal.
He's already the greatest player ever produced in the Islands, and he's considered among the greatest high school players in the country.
The surf might have been up, but Sensley learned early to put the bodyboard down and pick up the basketball. At a very early age.
"I was around 10 years old when I started playing with high school guys," said Sensley, currently a 6-foot-9, 235-pound senior. "I was always pretty big for my age, so they didn't always know that I was so young. I was always the youngest. But I could play, I could always play.
"It's pretty good living on Oahu, you can always find a decent run," Sensley continued. "Now, when I'm home during the summer, I play with all the University of Hawaii guys. Yeah, believe it or not, we get some pretty good runs in Hawaii. And Paki Park in Honolulu has some strong runs with former UH players and guys playing pro overseas.
"And then, there's the Marine Corps base in Kaneohe, which is the neighboring town to Kailua. That's where I really went to improve my game," disclosed Sensley.
"Playing against grown men when you're only 13, 14 or 15 is going to make you better. (The Marines) play hard, they don't cut you any slack and there are some great athletes on the base," Sensley said. "It was hard when I was younger, but that's what you've got to do, to get better."
And getting better, is something that Sensley is always working on. He even moved several thousand miles to attend St. Thomas More School (Oakdale, Conn.), one of the country's top prep school basketball powerhouses, to become a better student, a better person and yes, a better basketball player.
But for Sensley, he made the move for many reasons. While a standout high school player for Kalaheo High School in Kailua (he was a multiple All-State selection), Sensley wasn't taking care of his academics. The move to Connecticut meant much more emphasis on school -- smaller class sizes, mandatory study hall, SAT tutoring -- and Sensley's grades have markedly improved.
"The move to prep school helped me grow, mature into a young man," Sensley said. "I've never been so far away from home before and being here in the woods, all you can do is concentrate on school and on basketball. It helped me get my act together academically.
"There's no distractions here, so you have to study. Living in Hawaii, I had girls, the beach, friends, lots of distractions. Here, I'm forced to buckle down. They demand more academically here at St. Thomas More, they don't allow you to fail. I've written more papers in one semester at St. Thomas More than I ever did in Hawaii during all my years at Kalaheo."
While some might question the level of play during Sensley's previous years in Hawaii, there is no question regarding St. Thomas More's schedule; it is among the toughest in the country. St. Thomas More plays in the New England Prep School Athletic Conference's Class A division, which is the most talented league in the country.
And with Sensley's play last season, St. Thomas More won the Class A championship. Many have stated that Sensley was the most talented player in the Class A last season.
"Other than playing AAU with the Rockfish or the adidas ABCD Camp or the NBA Camp, this is the best competition I've faced," said Sensley. "At my old school in Hawaii, we got to play some really good teams in the Iolani Classic during the holidays, but here at St. Thomas More, we play that level of talent or better, all season long.
"It's made me a better, more physical player. Before in Hawaii, I sometimes paced myself because scoring was easy, but here in the Class A, I've learned to play hard all the time. I have to, because if I let up, the competition will get me."
"It was a big culture shock at first. It's helped me mature as a person. Sure there was plenty of homesickness, but this was the best move for my future."
Regarding his future, Sensley made that decision a while ago. He made a verbal commitment to the University of California over a year ago, despite plenty of interest from most of the nation's more established collegiate powerhouses.
"It was the right decision then and it's still the best decision," said Sensley. "Cal's program is really starting to blossom. My club team is located in California and I've got plenty of friends there. I have some good friends on the Cal team and it's a great academic institution. We're going to be really good. And, for the mainland, the Bay Area is relatively close to Hawaii."
Just how big an impact will Sensley make as a freshman?
"He'll impact right away at Cal. Julian is as well-rounded a 6-9 player as you'll see," says Mark Berokoff, one of the coaches with the Los Angeles Rockfish, Sensley's club team. "Jewelz has got great perimeter skills, he's deadly from 3-point range and if you overplay his jumper, he's also got some of the best first step moves around. And when he goes to the bucket, I wouldn't want to be the man who tries to contest him when he decides to take it upstairs, you're liable to get posterized by a Sensley dunk."
And getting posterized by Sensley, happens quite often. Less than two weeks ago at the 10th Annual Gym Rat Midnight Madness in Cherry Hill, N.J., Sensley was the dominant player in a game chock full of All-Americans.
Displaying a soft jumper from behind the 3-point arc, it was Sensley's slashing to the basket that nearly brought down the packed house of nearly 100 Division I coaches and 1,500 fans.
Guarded by North Carolina-bound Jawad Williams, Sensley used a jab step, blew by Williams and took off from a two-foot plant from just outside the paint as 6-11, 270-pound Nick Vandersluis (Oak Harbor H.S./Oak Harbor, Ohio) came over to help on defense. Vandersluis jumped, trying to block Sensley impending dunk, but "The Jewel" just seemed to rise higher and then he unleashed a tomahawk dunk. Sensley's right arm seemed to develop elasticity, as he extended and dunked all over the Ohio big man. The dramatic athleticism coupled with the thundering speed and power of the dunk had fans screaming, and caused several to leave their seats in laughing delight.
If that wasn't enough, Sensley had another slash and dunk over traffic on Vandersluis later in the game, from the other side of the floor. His third thunderous dunk, fortunately, was on another player.
"Julian should have been arrested tonight," said Darren Matsubara, the head coach of the EBO club team, after Sensley's Midnight Madness performance. "He assaulted that big kid on those vicious dunks. And he did it twice!"
"Wow, he was sensational," said Clark Francis of the Hoop Scoop after the game. "Sensley is tremendous. His game speaks for itself. He's terrific."
Will there be basketball after college for Sensley?
"No doubt, Sensley (who won a game MVP award and also received the Kobe Bryant Pro Prospect award) is a future lottery pick," said Rick Barrett, the organizer of Midnight Madness. "He's got so much talent, and he was just dominating tonight."
While he won't be the first major college player from Hawaii, it looks like he'll be the first Hawaii-raised player to make it to the NBA.
Gym Rats Midnight Madness
Every year, for the past 10 years, Rick Barrett, who runs the highly successful Gym Rats club team out of New Jersey, holds his Midnight Madness event, which draws some of the country's top players and college coaches to South Jersey.
Notables such as Kobe Bryant, Stephon Marbury, Tracy McGrady and Antoine Walker have all played in the Gym Rats' Midnight Madness, making it one of the must-see stops during the fall evaluation period.
Barrett's Midnight Madness is actually an evening slate of six games, whose participants have spent the morning in an SAT workshop, sponsored by the Princeton Review. While Sensley stood out head and shoulders above the rest, there were some other good performances at Midnight Madness.
And the coach with the biggest grin at Midnight Madness was Iona's Jeff Ruland. The former NBA star was there to watch his latest verbal commitment, 6-1 point guard Solomon Brown (St. Thomas More Prep/Oakdale, Conn.). A native of Southern California, Brown is a classmate and close friend of Sensley. Brown made coaches around the gym sit up and take notice, as he calmly drained four long-range 3-pointers on consecutive trips upcourt. Brown, who is exceptionally fast and quick, was also impressive with his ballhandling, dribble penetration and decision making.
UNC-bound Williams was also impressive. He's quick, is very athletic, and showed quickness to the basket. He's an athlete with skills, who'll be even better at the next level, once he starts to add more muscle.
The 6-2 senior shooting guard Ernest Turner (Sterling H.S./Somerdale, N.J.) also played very well. A fixture at Midnight Madness, Turner, who was known for his shooting ability, has continued to extend his game and showed improved ability off the dribble. Turner is leaning strongly towards UNLV.
Duke commit, 6-4 senior Daniel Ewing (Willowridge H.S./Sugarland, Texas) looked sharp in New Jersey. He's athletic and has very good skills. He'll be able to step in next year in Durham and get immediate playing time. Ewing's high school teammate, 5-11 senior point guard Terrance Ford was also at Midnight Madness. Ford is extremely athletic, with quickness and unusual verticality. Ford is down to Cincinnati, Texas and Louisville, and he'll be taking his official visits shortly.
A 6-5 swingman, Barry Elder (Madison County H.S./Madison, Ga.) had the evening's best dunk, taking off on a drive down the middle for a monster two-handed jam. Elder is strong and also knocked down a couple of 3-point jumpers. Elder has committed to Georgia Tech, as has 6-6, 220-pound senior Is'mail Muhammad (W.D. Muhammed H.S./Atlanta, Ga.), who also made the trek up from down South. Muhammad is a tough-as-nails slasher, who plays big.
Another All-American who made it out to New Jersey was 6-7 swingman Dijon Thompson (Redondo Union H.S./Redondo Beach, Calif.). He used this event to showcase his outside jumper and his ability to create his shot off the dribble. Thompson has narrowed his recruiting down to two schools, Arizona and UCLA.
Aside from the two Sensley dunks, Vandersluis had a good showing. He's a big, thick post player with wide shoulders. He's got good hands, good fundamentals and should be a good collegiate player.
A 6-9 senior power forward, Demarshay Johnson (Oakland Tech H.S./Oakland, Calif.), looked his usual live-legged self at the New Jersey event. He's a runner-leaper of the first order, who has displayed an improved shooting touch around the basket since the spring. He's still hovering around 200 pounds, but should be able to add weight and muscle for the next level.
Also looking good were a couple of lightning quick point guards, 6-foot senior Ricky Morgan (Northern H.S./Pontiac, Mich.) and 5-9 senior Brian Swift (Warrensville Heights H.S./Warrensville, Ohio). Morgan, who has committed to Iowa State, displayed excellent speed, while Swift, another speedster with excellent quickness, made good decisions and distributed the ball well.
Among the more impressive underclassmen at Midnight Madness was 6-5 swingman Matt Walsh (Germantown Academy/Fort Washington, Pa). A heady ballplayer with great legs, Walsh shot the ball well, but was more impressive with his takes to the bucket.
A crowd favorite was 6-4 junior wingman Antonio Lawrence (Jackson H.S./Jacksonville, Fla.). Lawrence lives for the dunk and he caught several lobs to the fans' delight. He's very athletic and has good skills with a streaky outside shot.
The 6-8 junior combo forward Harrison Schaen (Mater Dei H.S./Santa Ana, Calif.) was solid with his ability to put the ball on the deck and go to the basket. A sophomore to watch was 6-7 power forward Leon Powe (Oakland Tech H.S./Oakland, Calif.), who made several big time moves in the paint. Powe is a very strong inside player, who attacks the boards, similar to Donnell Harvey, and makes power moves in the post, often punctuated with rim-grabbing dunks.
A 6-3 junior out west, Tim Drisdom (Calvary Chapel H.S./Downey, Calif.) and 6-2 sophomore John Winston (Salesian H.S./Richmond, Calif.), two of California's finest underclassmen point guards, were both on display. Drisdom is a big point guard, who penetrates with ease, but his biggest talent is superb vision and excellent passing skills. Winston, another power point like Drisdom, is more of a scorer off penetration.
Mark Mayemura and David Benezra cover the national college basketball recruiting scene, both high school and junior college recruiting, at their Recruiting USA (www.recruitingusa.com) website. Call (818)783-2244 for subscription information.
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