Jabari Bird is ready to soar

RICHMOND, Calif. - A new Jabari arrived at Salesian (Richmond, Calif.) High School in the fall and boys basketball coach Bill Mellis doesn't know whether to laugh or cry.

The recent arrival is one of the nation's top sophomores, Jabari Bird, a long 6-foot-5 wing who plays well above the rim and possesses a Grade A mid-range game.

He leads the state's No. 9 team, which entered Monday's Martin Luther King Classic at Cal's Haas Pavilion with a 15-0 record.

The Pride hopes to repeat the feat of the 2009 Salesian team that won the CIF State Division IV championship thanks largely to another sophomore named Jabari (Brown), who has since transferred twice and is a senior at Oakland (Calif.).



Brown, also a 6-5 wing, is the nation's No. 14 recruit according to MaxPreps Basketball Editor Jason Hickman and headed to Oregon. He played a half-season at defending mythical national champion Findlay Prep before transferring to Oakland.

"What are the chances of that?" Mellis said of the double-Jabari infusion. "We're just very happy to have (Bird) in our program. He's as fine a young man as he is a player and that's saying something."

His former coach Al Attles III was feeling a little melancholy Friday, and who could blame him?

The Rodriguez (Fairfield) boys basketball coach and son of the former Golden State Warriors' great was watching Bird warm-up before Friday's nonleague game with visiting Salesian. 

"He's good enough to be one of the best talents in the Bay Area the last 25 years," Attles Jr. said after Bird scored 18 in a 60-58 Salesian victory. "I'm going to miss coaching him but I'll be there to support him as his young life continues to soar."

And, as his already well-gawked YouTube highlight reels attest, this Bird can fly.



With big hops, the 16-year-old plays well above the rim and loves to slash to the basket. He's the son of former Cal standout Carl Bird, a 1976 fifth-round draft pick of the Warriors who played professionally overseas.

"(Jabari) can hang and he can float and he can definitely dunk," Mellis said.

Said Attles: "The apple obviously didn't fall far from the tree."

But there's much more to this five-star recruit than flash and flush.

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Opposed to his game, Bird is grounded off the court and fundamentally sound on it. That's why Washington coach Lorenzo Romar was at Salesian's shoot-around Friday and why Kansas coaches are planning to fly out later this month to watch him.

He's on everyone's radar. 



"Before he could dunk, he developed a really strong mid-range game," Attles said. "The best I'd ever seen at that age. He's also an excellent offensive rebounder."

Attles coached Bird at Benicia High last season, but then left – "the school wasn't ready for a big-time basketball program" – so did Bird, who transferred to Salesian, which won its first state title in 2009 before being upset in the NorCal finals last season.

Brown was the team's leading scorer on the 2008-09 team, but was also a superb passer, as he proved by assisting on the game-winning basket, a last-second layup from Kendall Andrews in a 65-64 win over Bishop Montgomery-Torrance at Arco Arena in Sacramento.

"(Brown and Bird) are very similar in how advanced they are as players and scorers," Mellis said. "(Brown) was a better shooter and passer at that stage, and (Bird) is more athletic and active around the basket."

Bird leads the undefeated Pride in scoring (17.5 per game) and rebounding (8.5).

Last year, according to Attles, Bird averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds.



"Had he transferred to a less balanced system, I'm pretty sure he would have broke the state career scoring record," Attles said. "He has that rare type of ability."

But thankfully, Mellis said, Bird isn't into numbers. His transition to the team has been fluid, fast and natural as a Salesian fastbreak hoop.

"He's extremely coachable, hungry to learn and has meshed in beautifully with the team," Mellis said. "He really didn't want to ruffle the dynamics of the team and the kids accepted him right away. He's one of the most popular kids around school. He's always got a smile on his face."

Bird, who wears No. 23 - his idol is Michael Jordan - said he knew many of the Pride players from AAU basketball.

"It's been a great fit," Bird said. "The guys are great. The team is great. I couldn't be happier."