In terms of the class of 2009 in Southwest Florida there are few that would argue that Shaun Noriega is the cream of the crop. The 6'4 195 lb junior wing guard has proven to be the area's most consistent scorer over the past two years, even when he is guarded nightly by the opposing teams best defender and sometimes two of them at a time. So it comes as no surprise that at around 3 pm this afternoon, the North Port High School sharp shooter, and #1 ranked player in our 2009 Rankings, verbally committed to Coach Stan Heath and the University of South Florida. The early commitment makes him the first junior in the area to pledge to a college athletically. Coach Heath paid a visit to North Port High's gym on Tuesday to watch the school's all-time leader scorer, with 1,282 points through his junior year, go through a workout. After one last viewing of the goods, Heath officially offered him a full athletic scholarship. Coach Heath originally took notice of Noriega on the travel circuit last summer, soon after he took the job with the Bulls. Heath and his coaching staff continued to follow Shaun's progress throughout 2007-08 and eventually invited him up to campus just weeks after the season ended. While there he got a chance to get to know the staff really well and even met the Head Coach of the Tampa Bay Bucs, John Gruden. "I've been a Bucs fan since I was little, so meeting Coach Gruden was a neat experience. He had that famous look on his face (the "Chucky" look), but he was really nice and down to earth," Noriega said. This past weekend Coach Heath was on hand to watch Noriega and his Florida Elite 17-under team compete in the Charlie Weber Invitational in Washington, DC. Other schools that were in the recruiting race were Butler, Washington State, Stetson, and FGCU. However, Butler and Washington State had not yet offered a scholarship. "I chose USF over the other schools because of the close distance to home, the coaching staff, and the opportunity to play at the highest level. Butler and Washington St. were interested but both are so far away and I couldn't pass up the chance to play in the Big East. When an offer like that comes around you have to jump on it," said Noriega in a phone interview. Coach Heath is not expecting Shaun to come in and be a slasher or playmaker. He needed a guy who could strecth out defenses, and open up lanes for those types of guys to go to work. Shaun can definately do just that, knocking down 83 shots from behind the arc last season.Even though Noriega is primarily known for that shooting touch or for his scoring ability, his biggest strength may be the one that nobody gets a chance to see. I've had the opportunity to watch him from the first time he started as a freshman until now, and what stands out to me the most is his overall level of improvement from season to season. His ability to find a weakness in his game, and then go out and actually improve on that weakness is amazing. He has gained over 25 pounds of solid muscle in the last 2 1/2 years and added lift to jumpshot, allowing him to get his shot off no matter how closely he is guarded. In anticipation of his senior season, and the added attention of being a high level recruit, Shaun has continued to focus on his weaknesses and improve his strengths. Noriega shared with me some of his current regimen. "Right now I am focusing on improving my defense, overall athleticism, and lateral quickness. I try to shoot at least 500 shots a day. And I'm still trying to get stronger so I lift weights every day for about two hours." If he is able to improve at the same rate we've come accustomed to, it will be scary just how good he can be next season and beyond.Here are some other questions and answers from our interview today with Shaun:
SWFL Hoops: "Going into your senior season and being the focal point of your team how much of a leadership role have you taken?"
Shaun: "I am a quiet person in general so I'm not much of a vocal leader. I just try to work hard and do my job, and hopefully the guys will follow my example."
SWFL Hoops: "How much pride do you take in leaving behind a good legacy after you graduate?"
Shaun: "I hope that I can help North Port continue gain more respect on a local and state wide level. We have a lot of good young talent in our program and hopefully when I leave those guys and continue to build on what I've done."
SWFL Hoops: "How important do you think it was to your recruitment to play with a big time travel team?"
Shaun: "I think I still would have gottten some attention overall, but without playing in tournaments with Florida Elite around the country these past two years I probably would not have gotten the attention from the really high level schools like USF, Butler, and Washington St."
SWFL Hoops: "Who would you say is the best player you played against on the travel circuit?"
Shaun: "In a tournament last year in Texas we played against a team from Oklahoma called Athletes First and they had a kid named Xavier Henry who is ranked in the top 5 in the country right now as a junior. The guy who guarded me primarily was already committed to Oklahoma State."
SWFL Hoops: "Who would you say is the best local SWFL player(s) you played against?"
Shaun: "I would probably say its a toss up between Chris (Stephenson, Charlotte High), Dago (Pena, Charlotte High), and Shay (Shine, Desoto) in terms of seniors. For juniors, I would probably say Derek Robbins from Sarasota Riverview."
Noriega is Bull's first recruit in the 2009 class
Aaron Seybert
SWFLHoops.com Recruiting
April 23, 2008
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