Post by 808empath on May 27, 2005 16:35:19 GMT -5
Jason Borchin might not have generated much interest from Division I college recruiters, but those who have seen him play are instantly impressed. PICO VAN HOUTRYVE/ THE PRESS-TRIBUNE Flying under the radar
Despite a wealth of talent, Borchin ignored by major college recruiters
By: Bruce Burton, The Press-Tribune
Saturday, May 21, 2005 5:03 PM PDT
The irony of Jason Borchin's situation is if he were a few inches taller, he would be knee-deep in scholarship offers to play men's volleyball at Division I colleges.
But the Oakmont High senior is "only" 6-foot-4 - 6-5 on a good day - and that's a fairly pedestrian height these days for college outside hitters, so the offers he has received so far only come up to his instep. Long Beach State is a long-shot possibility, and he could always play club volleyball at Sacramento State before transferring to a larger program.
But that's about it. That's all Borchin can muster after his star turn at last summer's Junior Olympics tournament in Austin, Texas, when he traded kills and digs with some of the best young players in the country and became the only all-tournament selection from his Sacramento Valley Club team. That Sacramento Valley team also featured Shaun Nichols and Christian Craft, a pair of UCLA-bound middle hitters from Granite Bay High who happen to be three to four inches taller than Borchin.
"I kinda am (surprised)," Oakmont head coach Darrell Sedersten said of his star player's predicament. "Especially after the success he's had; most of the top (college) programs recruit out of the club volleyball scene.
"A problem he has is that outside hitters are easy to come by. That and the fact that he's not a 6-10 outside hitter make him fairly average as a D-I recruit."
That may be the only time Sedersten will ever use the phrase "fairly average" where Borchin is concerned. For the past three seasons the youngster with the 32-inch vertical has been anything but average for the Vikings while he's made life fairly miserable for their opponents.
This year with aid from fellow starters Kyle and Brent McDonald, Mike Mayall, Addison Olson and Ryan Hetrick, Borchin finally had a high school squad with him that threatened to do big things on the area scene. Early-season injuries to Borchin and two other starters derailed those plans somewhat and the Vikings settled for fourth place in the Sierra Foothill League. But they received a consolation prize when they're main man gained a share of the league's MVP award.
"That was unbelievable," said Borchin, who was named co-MVP along with Nichols. "I felt like all of the hard work I put in over the summer training had paid off and was finally recognized."
It was particularly sweet since Borchin had all but given up the dream of earning the honor after a pair of injuries slowed him at the start of the season. The multi-sport star had just finished his stint as a center on Oakmont's varsity basketball team when he sprained his left ankle in one of his first volleyball practices. After a week spent on crutches, he began practicing again and promptly sprained a tendon in his left knee.
"It was the first time I ever had to sit out, so it was tough for me," he said of his subsequent three week rehabilitation period. "It was my senior year, I had made all-tournament at Junior Olympics, I really wanted to get league MVP, but I was going to miss games."
One of the matches Borchin missed was a three-game sweep at the hands of Granite Bay, the unofficial Sacramento-area champion. But when the team's met again a month later on April 14, all of the Vikings were healthy.
The result was arguably the best local boys high school volleyball match of the year.
With four of his Sacramento Valley Club teammates powering Granite Bay, Borchin and Oakmont dropped the first two games. But the Vikings responded and became the first area squad to take two games from the Grizzlies to even the score.
"It was the most scared I've ever seen Granite Bay," claimed Borchin, who said he could tell the Grizzlies were anxious, "just by the way they started fighting with each other. Every single guy on that team, they all know me, I know them. This was the last time we would play them and I really wanted to take it to them."
Granite Bay eventually prevailed in five games, but the Vikings were hardly discouraged. "To our guys it wasn't really a loss," Borchin said. "We played our hearts out. Nobody hung their heads."
Matches like that one seem to validate the plan Sedersten had for Borchin and his program when his star was just a sophomore. "When I first saw him on the court I recognized that he has special talent," the coach said. "I made him play the middle, because in our offensive scheme the middle hitter is the critical element. I wanted him to learn from there, then go outside.
"By his junior year he was able to move outside as we got some other good players in the middle. It all just made him sort of a player/coach on the floor for us."
By this season, with Borchin entrenched in his outside role, the Vikings were a lethal threat. Of the year, he said, "I had a lot of fun, the guys around me were really great. We played well together once everybody wasn't injured."
Now almost fully recovered from his knee and ankle injuries, Borchin has his sights set on more club volleyball this summer. And he isn't lamenting the lack of major college interest; a roundabout route to Division I will do just fine, thank you.
Whenever that happens, Sedersten thinks his prize pupil will shine like he always has.
"Somebody down the road is going to say, 'I can't believe we got him,'" he said. "He's going to make somebody good, just like he made Oakmont good."
Does anyone know about this kid??.. jus wondering... Hawaii doesnt necessarily use taller outside hitters like alot of the other teams...
