Crowned in middle school, Roschon Prince avoids becoming precautionary tale

Roschon Prince was pegged for basketball greatness in middle school. Before ever playing a high school game he was touted as Southern California's next hoops superstar. He enrolled at Long Beach Poly in the fall of 2009 as perhaps the biggest name nationally in the Class of 2013.

Here comes the precautionary tale, right?

Nope. Instead, Prince has become a model for managing athletic expectations at a young age.

Wrapping up his junior year at Poly, the 6-foot-5, 210-pound wing has solidified his standing as one of the nation's elite prospects this spring in Nike's highly competitive Elite Youth Basketball League while playing with his ICP Elite club team.

Prince, ranked No. 32 in the MaxPreps Class of 2013 Top 100, is the EYBL's third-leading scorer entering the final weekend of play in Oakland, Calif., averaging 18.1 points per game to go along with 4.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists. He's displayed an incredible knack for getting to the free throw line, attempting 23 more free throws than anybody in the league through 14 games.

He was a State Player of the Year candidate during a dominant junior year at Poly, posting 21.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.1 steals per game as the Jackrabbits went 29-3.

Between middle school and the present, opinions on Prince's game have varied wildly between recruiting analysts and high school basketball observers. He has "played up" against older competition for much of that time, masking his talent to some degree but also helping him realize what it would take to be successful at the highest level.

"It all started my seventh grade summer going into eighth grade," Prince said. "I kind of entered a new stage of AAU basketball and went from playing against seventh graders to playing against 11th and 12th graders."

He found out quickly that the competition on the club circuit would be eager to challenge his reputation.

"I had to prepare every day and play every game hard," Prince said. "People would hear that label and want to go at me. My job was to try and bring my 'A' game and attack people before they could make a name on me. I had to prove myself."

The transition at Long Beach Poly wasn't quite as rough as talented upperclassmen like Ryan Anderson (now at Boston College), Alexis Moore (USC), Shelton Boykin and Alex Carmon carried the load for the Jackrabbits and partially shielded Prince from the massive expectations.

"At Poly, it's a tradition-rich school and that kind of eased his transition," said Poly head coach Sharrief Metoyer, who also heads Prince's ICP Elite squad. "His mom went to Poly, a lot of family members went there, so that helped out a lot."

"The day I graduated from eighth grade I practiced with Poly right after because the next day we had a tournament," Prince said.

Metoyer has been a huge part of his life ever since. With Prince on the roster, the Jackrabbits are 88-10 over the past three seasons. Poly has been nationally ranked the last two years, won three league titles and the Southern Section Division I-AA crown in 2011.

"I've been a kid playing around the neighborhood for a long time," Prince said. "He (Metoyer) was keeping up with me before high school and we had a relationship before high school. He has taught me a lot."

"I think over the last three years, I've learned a lot about his motivation, likes and dislikes, and I think he knows exactly what I want as a coach," Metoyer said. "Roschon is not real vocal, but he has a quiet understanding of what we are trying to accomplish."

Prince's transition from middle school prodigy to rising senior star has also been aided by his mother, Letitia Williams, and Marcedes Lewis, a tight end with the Jacksonville Jaguars and former Long Beach Poly and UCLA standout.

Prince is actually following in his mother's footsteps as a hoops star at Poly. She also played at Pepperdine.

"My mom pretty much tells me don't let the hype get to you and carry yourself like a man," Prince said. "Treat people with respect because you never know when you are going to need somebody and how they can help you.

"Marcedes Lewis, he is my mentor. He gives me advice on how to carry yourself in sports, how to treat the media, things like that. Those two, along with coach Sharrief, those are my top role models."

It's an inner circle that has helped the prized recruit remain humble, polite and driven.

"Roschon is not just one of the most respected kids in our program, but one of the most respected kids on the entire campus," Metoyer said. "He was crowned at such a young age, I think he learned to be humble and how to sacrifice and those qualities come out when you meet him."

Big things are ahead this summer for Prince. ICP Elite could play its way into the EYBL finals in South Carolina with a big weekend in Oakland. He may also have the opportunity to meet his basketball idol as he has been selected to participate in the LeBron James Skills Academy in Las Vegas.

Football and a college commitment are two things that won't be on Prince's plate in the coming months.

After a successful youth and high school career as a wide receiver, Prince is hanging up the cleats to concentrate on hoops beginning this fall.

He expects to wait until the late signing period in April 2013 to select a school and hopes to add to his offer list that includes Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, Gonzaga, Oregon, San Diego State and Washington.

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