By Zach Smart
As an inside-outside scoring threat with deep NBA 3-point range, Southern California Academy Class of 2023 big Drew Fielder is a veritable basketball old soul.
While Fielder possesses a guard’s skill set at 6-foot-10 and spreads out the floor as a high level shot maker, the unsigned senior is buoyed by an adeptness for powering up inside. He’s prone to ferocity, finishing above the rim in extravagant fashion.
While Fielder has developed a catch and post game and a newfound ability to put the ball on the deck, coaches reference boundless energy and will to win as the bedrock attributes which differentiate Fielder as a unique recruit.
Individual accolades are meaningless to Fielder.
His ramped up role as a leader under Southern California HS national head coach Julius Von Hanzlik?
This simply trounces everything else on the scale of importance.
Following a breakout summer, a barrage of high major programs are now cognizant of this.
“I would say USC, Providence, Miami, Syracuse, Iowa, St. Mary’s, TCU, Nebraska Boise State,” said Fielder, when pressed about the current programs pursuing him the hardest.
“I’m going to Providence this weekend and really looking forward to the visit.”
Fielder bleeds passion and competitive juices. It’s evident in his boisterous style of play and the sudden dose of swagger to his game.
He’s also quick to cite Von Hanzlik as a major influential figure in his development as a person first, student-athlete second.
Paul Egwuonwu, Fielder’s trainer and mentor, is someone Fielder credits for playing an immensely substantial role in his evolution and maturation process.
“Coach Julius has been really preaching two things the most and those are humility and maturity,” Fielder said.
“With humility, he means having the mindset to take coaching and buy in everyday. With maturity, coach wants us to take care of what we have to take care of. To be responsible and not procrastinate. Pretty much our entire team has bought into this humility.”
And while Fielder is a marked man on the recruiting market, with a stockpile of offers from Arizona State, St. John’s, Portland, Montana State, Eastern Washington, Maryland, Pepperdine, San Diego, Weber State, and a handful of others (in addition to the aforementioned current front runners in his recruitment), he’s stoked with a desire to make up for some lost time.
Fielder, who continues to improve with his passing arsenal, underwent an arduous six month hiatus from the game he describes as his livelihood due to an injury last season.
“I put a lot of time into basketball and I really do love it so when I returned (from the injury) I came out aggressively and just came out hot,” Fielder said.
“It was really important to me to come out and get back on the court.”
Providence Visit Next
One of the country’s most hotly pursued recruits has established a growing relationship with Providence head coach Ed Cooley.
Feels a certain connection with him.
Honesty plays the chief role in the rapport the two have developed.
“Coach Cooley and I are just super honest with each other and super real,” Fielder said.
“It’s always honesty with Coach Cooley and he just keeps everything real. That’s why he’s so well respected and his reputation is what it is.”
A buffet line of coaches are suddenly trying to sell Fielder on their reputation and culture, as well.
And from an outsider looking in, it seems like a lot of pressure riding on a 17-year-old kid.
Von Hanzlik acknowledges that these are challenges which are not for your workaday recruit.
The challenges of readying for the rigors of high level college play, as Von Hanzlik illustrated, are the kind Fielder relishes.
“He is going to go to a college and lead from Day 1,” Von Hanzlik said.
“Last year, we had 7-8 guys go to the high major level, so (Drew) didn’t play a ton of minutes. Still, he was holding guys who were playing over him accountable. The biggest thing with Drew is his leadership and maturity on the floor. Him being able to hold himself accountable and looking to hold his teammates accountable and never in a disrespectful way. That’s just who he is.”
In Von Hanzlik’s system, he demands 40 percent of missed shots to become offensive rebounds. He anticipates a certain number of deflections each game.
These are coaching maxims that motivate.
After playing a supporting cast member role last year, Fielder is driven by them as both the alpha and the unparalleled buy in guy.
“Yesterday we played in a scrimmage (a 64-39 victory over LA Premier in Long Beach, Calif.) and he had 24 points,” said Von Hanzlik.
“I think he had about five offensive rebounds. He had six deflections. It’s his versatility and maturity, that makes him who he is.”
