Respect Grows for Housman’s Talents

What are the odds a boy could enter high school at 5 feet 3 and end up playing NCAA Division I basketball?

Drew Housman of Calabasas is the 1,000-to-1 longshot who’s going to make it.

He was so small three years ago that his jersey reached his knees when it wasn’t tucked in.

“I was swimming in it,” he said.

He would enter gymnasiums and would be greeted by snickers, smirks and laughter, with fans wondering whether Housman had missed the junior high bus.

At one road game, students chanted, “Oompa Loompa” when he shot free throws, comparing Housman to the diminutive workers from “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.”

“I guess it took some strength and inner courage to stand in there and play,” he said.

His coach, Russell White, believed so much in Housman’s skills that he started him as a freshman.

Now, in his senior year, Housman has grown to 5-10, is a four-year starter, has committed to Harvard and ranks among the best point guards in Southern California.

In the opening week of play, Housman scored 29 points in a one-point loss to Clovis West and 30 points in a double-overtime loss to Long Beach Poly in the Huntington Beach Ocean View tournament. He also scored 26 and 39 points in victories over Fontana and Laurinburg (N.C.).

“It wasn’t until after he fouled out we could breathe a sigh of relief,” Long Beach Poly Coach Sharrief Metoyer said. “Offensively, he’s as good as they come. We threw a variety of defenses at him. He’s very clever.”

A year ago, in the Southern Section Division III-AA championship game against Santa Margarita, Housman earned respect for rallying the Coyotes from a 19-point deficit. He scored 23 of his 26 points in the second half. Calabasas lost, 57-55, but Housman, who made five three-pointers at the Arrowhead Pond, proved he could play.

“I was bummed out,” Housman said of the defeat, “but it was like a statement. I learned I could shoot in an arena.”

During the summer, college coaches got an audition of sorts from Housman, who played at camps and in tournaments.

They expressed the logical concerns whether Housman could guard someone at the next level because of his size.

“It’s been a roller-coaster ride,” Housman said of the recruiting process. “Some schools I wish they had recruited me more, but my goal is to become good enough to lead Harvard to the Ivy League championship.”

And White believes Harvard is going to prosper for boldly giving Housman the chance to play college basketball.

“He’s going to go there and change their program like he did ours,” White said. “If he grows at all, he’s going to be awesome in the Ivy League.”

Housman is growing and getting stronger. For the first time, muscles can be seen protruding from his biceps after hours spent in the weight room.

“It doesn’t really feel that much different being 5-10, except I can see I’m closer to the rim on my layups and can shoot over people a little easier,” he said. “It would be a great day if I ever get to 6 feet.”

The most impressive part of Housman’s game is his ability to use his body to draw fouls. It enables him to go to the free-throw line, where he made 91% of his attempts last week. He also rarely misses an open shot. He was 11 of 21 on three-pointers in the opening week.

He could do for Calabasas what Jordan Farmar did for Woodland Hills Taft last season. Fans started showing up to Farmar’s games and never stopped coming because he was so entertaining and dynamic. He led Taft to its first City Championship title.

Now, Housman has Calabasas playing competitively against the best and in position to win its first league title.

He hasn’t forgotten the whispers from those who wondered what he was doing on the court.

“If they think just because you’re small, you’re not good, they’re wrong,” he said. “If you love the game and want to succeed, you can find a way.”

Housman, who has a 4.0 grade-point average, had to write an essay to the Harvard admissions office. In his first draft, he wrote about lessons learned through basketball:

“I succeeded because I made up for my lack of size with work ethic and smarts. In the real world, there will always be people telling me that I cannot do something, whether it is making a deadline or completing a project.

“I have fought through so many situations similar in basketball that it is second nature to suck it up and do the job right. When I am faced with a difficult situation, all I have to do is remember that I beat the odds in basketball and I can do it again....”

Housman has one more surprise waiting for the skeptics: He plans to dunk in a game.

“I’m not promising anything,” he said. “I’m saying by the end of the season, ideally in a game, I’ll dunk.”

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Eric Sondheimer can be reached at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.