One of the Freshmen No One’s Passing Over

There’s something growing on Roberto Nelson’s chin. Since he’s 14, he thinks it’s the start of a goatee.

Others view it as only peach fuzz.

Seeing Nelson giggle and laugh on the Santa Barbara High School bench, it’s clear how young he is. On the basketball court, however, he’s no ordinary freshman.

“He’s a phenomenal freshman, the best kid I’ve seen at his age,” Coach Jeff Lavender said.

At 6 feet 3 and 175 pounds, Nelson is a starting guard with athleticism, instincts and intelligence.

In his first five games for the Dons, he was their leading scorer, averaging 18.6 points, and the team leader in assists, steals and shooting percentage.

“He plays so hard,” Lavender said.

In a recent game against San Fernando, his defensive pressure produced a five-second violation, then a 10-second violation on another possession. He’s so unselfish that teammates cannot take anything for granted as far as when he might pass the ball.

“I love passing,” he said. “A lot of people don’t think passing makes you look as good as scoring, but you get other people involved.”

As a seventh-grader in 2004, he played on a club team that was 149-0 and won a national age-group championship. His more publicized teammates were Demetrius Walker, now a freshman at Fontana, and Aaron Moore, a freshman at Compton Dominguez.

“It’s an honor to win a national championship,” he said.

Freshmen are getting the chance to contribute immediately at the varsity level. Etiwanda, the Southern Section Division I-AA champion last season, is 6-4 this season with three freshmen in its starting lineup: 6-3 Rome Draper, 6-4 Craig Payne and 6-2 Jordan Finn.

Freshmen are more ready than ever because they’ve traveled across the country to compete in youth tournaments, which prepares them for the pressures and challenges of high school competition.

Unlike some athletes whose parents hold them back a grade so they can be older, bigger and stronger when they reach high school, Nelson doesn’t turn 15 until March and says it’s beneficial to play against older competition.

“It’s been good,” he said. “They’re a lot stronger and quicker, and you see where your weaknesses are.”

Nelson’s father, Bruce, was the coach at rival Goleta Dos Pueblos from 1992 to ‘96, guiding the team to a Southern Section Division III-A runner-up spot in 1995. He joined Santa Barbara as an assistant this season so he could help coach his son.

There had been speculation that Roberto would move to Fontana to play on the same high school team as his club teammate Walker. He had been driven three to four hours one way from Santa Barbara for club practices in Fontana.

But Nelson decided to stay in the community he grew up in even though he admits, “I really couldn’t picture myself in a Dons jersey.”

Respect has already come from teammates who appreciate his work ethic, basketball knowledge and willingness to learn.

“Everybody was talking about how Santa Barbara has no talent,” he said. “It’s my hometown. We do have talent down here.”

Nelson’s father said he put a basketball in Roberto’s crib when he was an infant. Roberto’s earliest memories were of lowering a rim in his backyard so he could dunk. He needs no help now, having first dunked as a seventh-grader.

And he’s not only a basketball player. He used to play football and is considering trying out for quarterback next fall.

“I could be the next Randall Cunningham,” he said, referring to the most famous Santa Barbara football grad.

Basketball, though, is where he sees his future.

“It’s my dream to become a professional athlete,” he said. “I’m a good player. I want to be a great player.”