June 18, 2009
Versatility lifts Slocum
He’s strong, physical, competitive and able to be an asset at both the point and two guard spots -- the reasons why recruiters will be on tap to eyeball Vallejo High’s rising senior Joseph Slocum both this summer and in the upcoming high school season.
Slocum’s versatility produces victories
At 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, Slocum can stay with the jitterbugs gliding around the floor and also the the taller, larger opponents without being muscled around. During the 2008-2009 season which produced a 21-7 overall record, he scored 13 points per game with 4.3 assists and 6.7 boards a contest for the Apaches -- fifth in scoring and rebounding plus first in assists in the Solano County League.
Here’s Vallejo Coach Duke Brown on his charge: "Joe is a hardworker and the type of leader I’ve been looking for -- he leads by example."
Slocum is of the same mind. "My best skills are being a leader, running the team and making good passes."
Because of his roster makeup, Brown was forced to utilize Slocum at the three and four spots last year "but he’ll be at the two and three positions this coming season."
Brown added, "Joe has a great knowledge of the game. He’s an especially good offensive rebounder because he understands where the ball will be coming off the rim."
He is playing this spring and summer with the newly-formed Team Super Star (TSS) club and Coach LeRohn Dodson who was a longtime EBO club assistant and played at Cal State Fullerton and Eastern Washington. Here’s Dodson on Slocum: "The biggest thing I like about Joe is his basketball IQ, his feel for the game. Joe gets in the right spot at the right time and makes the right play." It’s worth noting that Slocum is also just 16 years old.
Other locals on the Team Super Star squad include Bellarmine’s Max Fodor, Salesian’s Quincy Smith and Josh Ritchart up at Forest Lake Christian in Auburn.
Dodson added, "Joe’s versatility is also really helpful because he can play the one, the two and the three and college coaches will love that."
Slocum isn’t discriminatory in what he is looking for in terms of a collegiate style of play. "I like to run, to get up and down the floor but I’m also fine with setting things up and running plays."
Slocum also is succeeding off the court, sporting a 3.8 grade point average along with a 1560 score on the SAT.
As for recruiting, Colorado, Stanford, Pennsylvania, Portland and UC Santa Barbara have made early contact. With TSS seemingly in a tournament just about everyday in July, exposure won’t be an issue and the serious suitors will emerge.
As for his best basketball moment to date, Slocum offered, "this year against Hogan when we were down the whole game but I hit two three-pointers in about 20 seconds and we ended up winning."
He totaled 24 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in that game. There’s that versatility element again.