No Wait for These Freshmen

A week ago, freshman point guard Larry Drew Jr. started for Woodland Hills Taft in a game against one of the top basketball teams in Southern California, Compton Dominguez.

There are seniors, let alone a 14-year-old freshman, who might have been overwhelmed by the task. But Drew had been preparing for such a moment since he learned to dribble a basketball before he reached kindergarten.

“I started playing ball when I was 4,” he said. “My dad was a point guard for the Lakers. I was taught to be a point guard at a young age. I’ve played a lot of basketball in my life and never played any other position.”

Pressure for Drew is shooting with Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson or Jason Kidd and making sure he hits the rim.

Drew’s father, Larry Sr., is an assistant coach with the Atlanta Hawks. He has played or coached in the NBA for 22 years. Drew has been to his practices and has hung out with the best players in the NBA.

“I just recently saw Kobe when the Hawks played the Lakers, and he was talking about how big I got,” said Drew, who is 5 feet 11.

He has two younger brothers, Landon, 10, and Lindsey, 7. They’re already playing in youth leagues.

Drew has been the sixth man for Taft, which is off to a 7-2 start after winning its first City Championship title last season. He’s one of an improving group of freshmen making an impact at the varsity level.

“I think he’s going to be super good,” Taft Coach Derrick Taylor said. “It’s still a relatively fast game for him. At times, his head is spinning.”

If there is one characteristic of freshmen playing on varsity, it’s inconsistency. They are not physically or mentally ready to perform at a high level every game. There will be moments of brilliance along with moments of mistakes.

It’s a trial-and-error formula designed to get freshmen adjusted to bigger, stronger and more experienced opponents.

Taylor King of Santa Ana Mater Dei is an example of how the process can work at its best. He started last season as a freshman and had big games rebounding and scoring. Now, in his sophomore season, he has gained a level of consistency that probably will propel him to All-American status by the time he graduates. He’s averaging 27.7 points and 11.0 rebounds.

Among the freshmen, 6-foot-7 Jin Soo Kim of Van Nuys Montclair Prep has one of the best shooting touches for a big man. He’s an exchange student from South Korea who played for his country’s junior national team. His major challenge has been trying to stay out of foul trouble.

“The referees are totally different,” he said through an interpreter. “The Korean referees are easygoing and don’t call too much. Here they call every little thing.”

Mission Viejo Capistrano Valley has one of the most athletic freshmen in 6-7 Jaime Serna, who has been focusing on rebounding and blocking shots.

Artesia has 6-4 Malik Story, who’s physically mature, can make the three-point shot and is learning to play defense.

Los Angeles Verbum Dei is slowly letting 6-11 Auri Allen use his body to muscle defenders inside and become a defensive force.

Los Angeles Windward has one of the most energetic, productive point guards in Romeo Miller, who has a television show on Nickelodeon, but he’s not acting when he slices up defenses or pulls up to make a three-point shot.

Nigel Carter of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame is 6-4 and averages 14 points a game.

Brandon Jennings of Dominguez is preparing to take over the point guard position for the next three years. Guard Oscar Bellfield of Taft has thrust himself into the starting lineup even though he doesn’t score much.

And a surprise freshman standout has been 6-4 Zack Zaragoza of Irvine Northwood, who’s averaging 14.7 points and 4.0 rebounds after 11 games.

As for Drew, he made the most of his first start of the season against Dominguez. The Toreadors won, 35-33. Then he called his father, as he does after every game.

These varsity freshmen might be young, but they aren’t lacking in game experience.

Drew feels a little more pressure than most because one day, he’ll be known as the successor to the greatest Taft point guard of all, Jordan Farmar.

“Jordan was an All-American,” Drew said. “I watched him every home game. He was something else.”

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