Prince's show nearing end

Time is running out for basketball fans to catch a glimpse of the Prince, if they already have not done so.

Keenan Prince, a 6-1 senior guard, and the rest of the Marysville High boys basketball team have just five regular-season games remaining, as well as possible playoff contests. After that, he will wait until next season, where he could be playing as far away as Villanova back East.

"I think he's the most skilled offensive player to come from the Sacramento area in a long time," Marysville coach Brian Lowe said, noting for him to be able to get his teammates in the game and also score himself with at least two players defending him is pretty amazing.

Prince is second in the state in scoring, averaging 31.4 points a game behind Eric Jimenez of Elizabeth Learning Center of Cudahy in Southern California, who is averaging 33.5 points.

While Prince is an explosive offensive talent, it's how he scores that boggles the mind.

"Yeah, I even amaze myself sometimes," Prince said.

Take for instance his 14-foot baseline jumper on Jan. 15 against Lindhurst. He launched the off-balanced shot from behind the backboard and still managed to hit nothing but the bottom of the net.

"That shot was pretty amazing," Prince said, although he admitted he routinely practices shots like that in case the opportunity ever presents itself to attempt it in a game.

"You have to put just the right arc on the ball," Prince said of his awe-inspiring shot, which broke a 56-56 tie with 25 seconds left, giving the Indians a 58-56 triumph over their rivals.

That's just one of the many unique shots that Prince regularly works on in practice. Another shot that he often attempts are drives to the basket, whether they are in the lane or along the baseline.

"I work on going up and over or around defenders," Prince said, adding he prefers to play the ball off the glass because it's a higher-percentage shot.

While Prince can hit from virtually any spot on the court, he said he is most comfortable taking a shot straight on.

"I like to pull up at the top of the key," he said, just outside the 3-point line.

One reason why Prince is so successful on the basketball court is because he works so hard at it.

"He has a great work ethic," said his father, Gerrard.

Gerrard told his son all the great players - like Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers - pick one part of their game during the summer and work on it. It could be anything, including working on using the off-hand - like the left hand for Prince.

Just because it's the offseason doesn't mean Prince doesn't work to get better. Before the current season began, Prince used to run after school with a couple of teammates.

"We'd run a couple of laps around the track and then I'd go run a couple of times around Ellis Lake," Prince said, before hitting the gym to perfect his game.

On weekends, Prince would work out with a shooting machine.

"It has a huge net and I have to put a lot of arc on the ball," Prince said.

Prince normally practices a minimum of 500 shots daily, although he routinely takes 700 or more.

Prince draws a lot of inspiration and passion for the game from two sources.

One is his father, Gerrard.

"He's always been there for me," Prince said. "Me and my dad always hit the bleachers and hit the weights."

By bleachers, Prince means he runs the football bleachers at Yuba City High, wearing a vest with 30 pounds of weights.

Prince's other source of inspiration is his cousin, Tayshaun Prince, a 6-9 forward with the Detroit Pistons who has been in the NBA for five seasons.

"I want to get to the level where he is," Prince said.

Prince said he has seen his cousin play "lots of times," every time the Pistons come to Sacramento to face the Kings or Oakland to take on the Golden State Warriors.

"Last year, I visited Michigan and got to see him in three home games," Prince added.

Watching his cousin play, Prince said he's learned to "play smart and play under control. He's a real smart player. Coaches are always saying his basketball IQ is really high."

When the two talk, Prince said its mostly about the next level - college. Prince said Villanova, which is located 12 miles out of Philadelphia, Santa Clara, the University of the Pacific in Stockton, UC Santa Barbara and UC Riverside have expressed interest in him.

When his high school season is over, Prince will make a few recruiting trips before deciding where he will go next fall.

A West Coast school would be nice, Prince said, "but I'd also love to explore new states."

Prince isn't thinking about that at the moment, preferring to concentrate on Marysville's team.

"Before we lost Friday (to Capital Christian, 58-52), we were the No. 16 seed" in the Sac-Joaquin Section Div. II power ratings, Prince said. Sixteen teams qualify for postseason.

"So now, we've got our backs against the wall," Prince continued.

Against Capital Christian, Prince said the Indians were in control before they let the Cougars back in game with "with silly turnovers."

While most people only see Keenan Prince the basketball player, there is another side.

"A lot of people don't know it but Keenan's an outstanding person," Gerrard said. "He gets good grades in school. And I'm disabled and he's always helping around the house."

"He's a better person than a basketball player, and he's a great basketball player," Lowe said.

Contact Appeal-Democrat sports reporter Richard Myers at 749-4714 or rmyers@appealdemocrat.com