Golden Valley’s Trevor Wiseman holds keys to his future

To go from starting point guard to starting center in a year’s time provides a clue to the basketball potential of 6-foot-6 junior Trevor Wiseman from Santa Clarita Golden Valley.

“He’s an unbelievable athlete,” Coach Chris Printz said.

In seemingly every game he plays, there are little glimpses of what the future might hold for Wiseman.

“I can dribble,” he said. “I can go through presses.”

He’ll sky for a rebound and dribble the length of the court leading a three-on-one fast break as if he were a guard. He’ll deflect a pass on a full-court press, showing quickness and instincts. He’ll get the ball at the free-throw line, pivot and burst through the middle for an uncontested layup.

The problem is a lack of consistency. He has raw ability, and the question is whether he’ll find a comfort level to fulfill his promise.

“I really want to go to college,” Wiseman said.

Last spring, Printz wasn’t sure if he wanted Wiseman to remain on the team. He demanded a change in attitude and commitment to change on the court and in the classroom.

“I challenged him,” Printz said. “Trevor is one of the nicest kids you’ll meet, but he needed to have somebody say, ‘It’s time to make a decision. What course do you want to go?’ ”

Wiseman has responded in a big way, embracing his role as a captain while beginning to take advantage of his skills. He’s averaging 15.1 points and 8.2 rebounds for the 17-1 Grizzlies.

There’s athletic blood that flows through his veins. His cousin is New England Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel. Wiseman’s mother, Patricia, is the sister of Cassel’s late father, Greg. She has raised Wiseman as a single parent, and he is starting to understand the importance of maturity.

“I used to get mad and take out my anger,” he said. “I’ve mellowed. I’m getting older.”

He used to play baseball and was a power pitcher until he gave up the sport when he was 11 because he didn’t like coaches yelling at him. Golden Valley’s new baseball coach, Scott Drootin, said he has a uniform he’s saving, but Wiseman said, “I haven’t thrown a baseball in years.”

In basketball, he has helped lead Golden Valley to a No. 4 ranking in Southern Section Division III-A. There are college coaches certain to be intrigued by his versatility, but everything is going to depend on Wiseman proving he’s not willing to waste his talent.

Transfer problems

The next time three girls’ basketball players from City Section schools suddenly show up in the William S. Hart Union High School District, somebody might want to do a better job checking out their transfer information.

The girls’ basketball teams at Canyon Country Canyon (2-16) and Hart (0-18) had to forfeit numerous games because the players submitted falsified information. Canyon Coach Stan Delus was forced to resign. Hart officials found out about their ineligible player only after an anonymous phone call, and then confronted the player.

Justifiable suspensions

It was disheartening to learn that the boys’ basketball teams at Crenshaw and Fremont engaged in a brawl in the fourth quarter of their Coliseum League game Wednesday, followed by an all-out melee by fans that caused a school policeman to use pepper spray.

There were reports of gang signs being flashed and obscenities being used.

The next day, everyone was blaming somebody else, with few willing to take responsibility. There’s no excuse for what happened. Coaches, players, officials, administrators, spectators -- they all need to think long and hard on this Martin Luther King Jr. holiday what they did or didn’t do and make sure a repeat never occurs.

Suspensions are coming, and they are justifiable.

And don’t tell me trouble is inevitable in rivalry games. On Friday, the best sports rivalry game in the City Section, Westchester vs. Fairfax in basketball, went off without a hitch.

“It’s a rivalry where there are no problems,” Westchester Coach Ed Azzam said. “The kids get along before and after.”

Sachs is Kobe-like

Jordan Sachs of La Habra is having a memorable senior season. The 6-4 guard is averaging 28.6 points, with games of 47, 44 and 43 points for the 14-6 Highlanders.

Recruiting seventh-graders?

The NCAA has voted to classify seventh- and eighth-graders officially as prospects in men’s basketball under emergency legislation, which is a good thing. It means the NCAA gets to control elite camps and clinics being set up by college coaches trying to gain an early advantage in the recruiting process.

So don’t try inviting Roy Williams to your son’s 13th birthday party.

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eric.sondheimer@latimes.com