DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER
McALLEN — When Louie Yebra was invited to the renown Junior Phenom Camp in San Diego in July, he felt like any 13-year-old would.
“I was pretty nervous,” he said. “I was nervous I wouldn’t do well, and when I did good, I felt better. The first night, I was a wreck, but I did OK. I hustled, I rebounded. Defensively, I was able to find a place to stand out.”
That’s no exaggeration. When the four-day camp concluded, Yebra learned soon thereafter he is considered one of the best players in the nation in his age group.
In front of a crowd of scouts and respected entities like Hoop Scoop, SLAM magazine and Rivals, Yebra shined. Entering the 2015-16 season, the camp ranks Yebra as the eighth-best seventh grader in the nation, and second-best at his power forward position.
“It’s unbelievable, really,” Yebra said. “I was thrilled. My parents pulled me into a room and told me and I was just shocked. It’s exciting and it makes me nervous at the same time.
“I know everybody will be going for me. I know I have to do good all the time now.”
BRIGHT FUTURE
Yebra grew up around basketball. His father is Jose Luis Yebra, McAllen Rowe’s boys basketball coach since 1999 who played professionally in Mexico for two years after a standout career at McMurry University in Abilene.
The 6-foot, 145-pound Yebra is a student at De Leon Middle School. But he has refined his game playing the last five years with the South Texas Hoopsters, the Rio Grande Valley’s AAU basketball team coached by Arnold Martinez. Under Martinez, Yebra has developed his shooting and perimeter skills. Those advanced nuances of his game complement his lanky, tall frame.
“The main thing is his IQ and vision,” said Joe Keller, president of Phenom Basketball Inc. and a longtime coach/scout in grassroots basketball. “It was amazing how he understood the game and his concept of seeing the game. He’s 2-3 years ahead of his competition.”
Jose Luis wanted a different basketball path for his son than the one he took.
When he was a high school player at Brownsville Pace, Jose Luis’ coach forced him to play close to the basket because of his significant size (Jose Luis now stands 6-foot-6). But it wasn’t until a friend advised him he needed to develop a perimeter game if he wanted to play beyond high school that Jose Luis started working on every part of his game.
“It helped me when I played college ball; I could play different positions,” said Jose Luis, who played two years at Blinn Junior College before transferring to McMurry. “That’s what I want for Louie. We want him to be a complete player.”
Though Yebra played power forward at Keller’s camp, he will likely end up a small forward or point guard in high school.
“Scoring and vision,” he said. “I want to help others have success on the court, and for my success to come from their success.”
Yebra dreams of becoming a lawyer one day. He likes the idea of playing basketball at UCLA, North Carolina or Duke because of their prestigious law programs. But his bigger dream is playing pro basketball.
“He’s very respectful, very articulate,” Keller said. “He’s a kid who has a bright future in life, whether it’s basketball or aside from basketball.”
STAYING CALM
Keller names Duke Pistokache, father of former Sharyland High standouts Jesse and Joaquin Pistokache, as one of his “scouts.” It was Pistokache who nominated Yebra to Keller as a potential invitee.
The Junior Phenom Camp is 14 years old and hosted 500 kids this year, 120 in the seventh-grade division Yebra participated in. Keller said players from 13 different countries and almost every state attend.
It is considered the top grassroots basketball camp in the nation. Jesse Pistokache, now a freshman guard at the University of Richmond, attended the camp in 2007 and 2008, when Duke and Keller established a relationship.
“(Joe) is really going to help Louie make it,” Duke said. “He is a major conduit in getting kids the access and recognition and getting noticed on the national level.
“I knew Louie could play at that level, but I wasn’t sure he’d be able to handle the environment. It’s much bigger, faster, and stronger and athletic. For him to come out of there ranked, that means one of the top kids in the country is from the RGV.”
The camp has helped produce many current NBA players, including Derrick Favors (Utah Jazz), Harrison Barnes (Golden State Warriors) and Jordan Clarkson (Los Angeles Lakers). The primary force behind the camp’s rankings is Hoop Scoop’s Clark Francis, the lead analyst for the national ranking agency.
“By Louie being ranked where he is, eighth, that means they think, if you develop, you may be playing in the NBA one day,” Duke said.
Jose Luis knows his son will have a lot of eyes on him now. Yebra is still two years away from high school — “He’ll play for Coach Yebra, I guarantee you that,” Jose Luis exclaimed — but he has amped up his training, working more on ballhandling, pull-up jumpers and finishing through contact.
“I just have to stay calm, stay poised and keep working, even harder. Just like my dad tells me,” Yebra said. “I just have to do what I do.”