Ryan’s Song: Have Impact as Freshman at Berkeley

Ryan Jamison will never have to worry about being overlooked. After all, he is 6 feet 11.

For Jamison, a Mar Vista resident who is headed to UC Berkeley on a basketball scholarship, the question is how much will he contribute to the Golden Bears’ quest for a Pacific 10 Conference title during the next four years.

Jamison was the starting center at Loyola High for three years. He began as a cautious sophomore, surrounded by a senior-dominated lineup that handled the scoring duties. By his senior year, he blossomed into an All-CIF first-team selection.

He set school career records for field goal percentage (61.6%), rebounds (714) and blocked shots (194). He averaged 18.9 points and 11.5 rebounds a game last season and set school season records for field goal percentage (65.3), rebounds (323) and blocked shots (89). He also set single-game records of 28 rebounds and 11 blocked shots.

“I think my progression has been in confidence,” Jamison said. “As a sophomore, I could have played a lot better if I had confidence in myself.”

Bill Thomason, the boys’ basketball coach at Loyola, saw a change in Jamison’s physique as well as a more aggressive attitude.

“He got stronger physically and took more responsibility for scoring and rebounding,” Thomason said. “In his senior year, he was the player we’d look to for scoring. He was never a project, he simply had to get to the point where he felt he could be a force.”

Thomason noticed a major breakthrough in December when the team was playing in the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, S.C. It faced Archbishop Shaw, the Louisiana state champions who were led by All-American center Melvin Simon. Early in the game, Jamison got the ball in the low post, faked, dribbled once and dunked over Simon.

“It showed he knew his place, that he wasn’t going to back off against anybody,” Thomason said. “More than just the two points, it was the feeling he gave me of how far he had come since his sophomore year.”

Jamison will have to make even more progress if he wants to be a factor in the Pac-10. California Coach Lou Campanelli said he would like Jamison to add 25 pounds to his current weight of 215. But he is willing to wait for Jamison to develop.

“When we recruited Ryan, we were looking at a few years down the line,” Campanelli said. “If he works hard he could be a fine player. He has good hands and a soft touch.”

Jamison looks as if he belongs at the beach, not in the gym. His short blond hair, tanned skin and soft-spoken demeanor fit the stereotypical Southern California image. It’s no surprise, then, that the Mar Vista resident also plays volleyball, the unofficial sport of the beach.

He played for Loyola as a sophomore, when the team won the mythical national championship. Jamison did not play during his junior year due to off-season basketball conflicts, but returned as a senior to help the Cubs win the Del Rey League. A few colleges were interested in Jamison for his volleyball skills, but he was intent on playing basketball.

“We were very interested in him,” USC volleyball Coach Jim McLaughlin said. “But his coach told us he was going to play basketball, so we called off the dogs. I think he had the potential to be a great middle blocker.”

Jamison said: “Not to put the sport down, but volleyball sometimes gets a little boring to me. You don’t get to run all the time, and you’re not involved in all the plays.”

But he did choose volleyball over baseball, with the seasons running at the same time. Jamison, a pitcher, denied the Del Rey League the unusual sight of seeing a 6-11 player standing atop the mound.

Jamison said that playing volleyball has helped his basketball game by improving his coordination and lateral movement. Of the three sports, Jamison has been playing basketball the longest, having first picked up a ball 10 years ago.

By making basketball his No. 1 pick, Jamison also chose to play the sport with the most intense recruiting process. The summer before Jamison’s junior year, Thomason met with him and his parents to tell them what the coming year had in store. Jamison said this, along with the coach’s periodic advice during the season, helped him keep things in perspective.

“Overall, (being recruited) was a positive experience for me,” Jamison said. “A lot of people think of it as being a real burden. But I seemed to control it.

“I learned about people and what they’d try to do when they want something. Everyone was trying to be my friend, so I looked out for those types of people.”

Loyola Marymount, UC Santa Barbara and New Mexico were among Jamison’s final choices, but California’s combination of coaches, academics, location and a challenging conference won out.

Jamison’s hopes for a high school basketball championship ended when Loyola lost the Southern Section 5-A Division championship game to Mater Dei, 83-57. Jamison, who had lost 20 pounds during a weeklong bout with the flu, scored only six points and grabbed six rebounds.

“I don’t know about beating Mater Dei even if I was healthy, but I would have loved to have been 100%,” Jamison said. “You always want to imagine yourself playing in front of a big crowd and doing well. It was a big letdown.”

Perhaps the memory of that disappointment will drive Jamison to work harder in college. He won’t be playing against high school boys anymore, and California is a team on the rise. The Golden Bears went to the NCAA tournament last season, and defeated Indiana in the first round.

Thomason said Jamison’s improvement is only a matter of putting in enough effort.

“He has the skills, he has the talent, he just has to keep working and he’ll improve,” Thomason said. “And you can’t put a premium on a 6-11 guy with his versatility.”

Jamison had an active role both offensively and defensively in Thomason’s up-tempo style of play.

“He’s not the type of big kid who just plops down in the low post,” Thomason said. “He can run the court, fill the lane (on fast breaks) and hit the jump shot.”

Campanelli knows he’s getting a multiskilled player.

“He’s got the ability to score and he’s a very good passer for a big man,” Campanelli said. “Once he gets stronger, he’ll be able to rebound better. He’s got the potential to be a solid player in the Pac-10.”

The consensus between the coaches is that only Jamison will determine how effective he can be. You can add Jamison’s name to the list.

“I think it all depends on me,” Jamison said. “Cal never promised me anything, they’re just willing to give me a fair shot. I’m just going to give it 100% and whatever comes out of it, I can live with it. Either way, I’m prepared.”