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Chase Tapley may be somewhat of an unknown commodity in this neck of the woods, but he is a rising name out west. His father Tommy played his high school ball with Sidney Moncrief at Little Rock Hall High. Tommy went on to play college ball for Arkansas State and Moncrief for Arkansas. Tapley didn't play much as a freshman and unfortunately broke his leg early in his sophomore campaign and was forced to missed the teams final 20 games. The folks around him have had faith in the kid all along. The rest of the nation is starting to see why. Is the kid from Sacramento High that good?

Last season Tapley burst back onto the scene. The athletic youngster was awarded the Division III player of the year. Delivering when the lights are their brightest was the kids forte, he tailed 35 points and 9 rebounds and 4 steals in the state final and averaged 22.2 points, 4.8 assists and 4.6 steals per contest. The 6'3 180 pound combo guard has a knack for getting to the rim and a sweet stroke. His well rounded game was on display throughout the run to the State Championship game. Tapley is rated just inside the rivals.com 150 for 09' at 149. Tapley just might be better than the ranking suggests.

Though Orange County Register columnist Adam Maya has only seen the kid play once, he recently told us that the hype being pumped out of Sacramento about this kid, is real.

"He was one of the 3 or 4 best high school players I saw all year." Maya told us.

Simply stated the kid is superior to his competition on most nights, he has the strength, agility and smarts to out whit the majority of them as well. After all, Tapley does sport a 3.0 GPA. Maya was quick to point out the best qualities in the young man's game:

"Tapley found a way to get whatever shot he wanted. He rarely settled for jumpers but instead looked to exploit defenses that could not cover him in man defense. There probably aren't many kids that can stay in front of him. He is great at drawing contact and also giving himself a chance to finish after being fouled. He is good enough to make an impact as a freshman at a major Division-I program. The kid is an athlete and a scorer. He also worked hard on the boards and was an aggressive defender."

This kid is a solid overall player but he does have some rough edges to his game. Maya went on to complete his analysis by summing up the areas that may need some improvement:

"My only question is how he would fare in a more disciplined offense. It looked like he had to do too much the night I saw him in the state title game against Santa Margarita. Also, having just seen him once I'm not sure whether he is a streaky shooter. He certainly looked like a true scorer who needs to take a lot of shots to be effective."

According to Rivals and Scout Tapley does list Kentucky, however in his most recent interview that was done by Bill Patterson of the Sacramento Bee today, there was no mention of the Cat's. Stanford seems to be the school that the academically oriented student is most intrigued with at this time.

"Tapley plans to make his first official college visit this weekend to the University of San Diego. He said Sacramento State, Baylor, San Diego State, Wyoming, Pacific, UC Davis and Saint Mary's also have offered scholarships.

He admits the Stanford offer is enticing. Tapley, who has a 3.0 grade-point average, went on an unofficial visit to Palo Alto earlier this summer. He said he spent 3 1/2 hours talking with Dawkins, a U.S. Olympic men's basketball team assistant to head coach Mike Krzyzewski.

"I felt really comfortable around him," Tapley said of the former Duke star and longtime Blue Devils assistant. "He's someone who has done what I'd liked to try – been an All-American and played in the NBA. I think I could learn a lot from him."

Patterson has covered a lot of Dragon games and is constantly raving about Sacramento's hometown hero. Patterson recently updated Tapley's progress while on the AAU summer circuit.

Tapley was a key player on the star-studded Pump 'N Run Elite team that won several major Amateur Athletic Union tournaments and lost in the semifinals of the talent-filled adidas Super 64 tourney in late July in Las Vegas.

During that event, Tapley fared well against some of the nation's top recruits – he hit a three-pointer with under a minute left to help beat the pre-tournament favorite and defending champion Atlanta Celtics 72-68.

Tapley said having played on Pump 'N Run the summer before with UCLA freshman Jrue Holiday and other potential NBA players was a huge benefit.

"Jrue was a great role model because of the way he plays the game," Tapley said. "He wants to win, has the killer instinct and ... he always wanted to guard the best player."

Tapley may have his sights set on some of fellow Sacramento High School alum Kevin Johnson's records this coming season. In the end even though the chances of him attending a school in this area are seemingly an Olson twin away from disappearing, kind of slim, Tapley may be a name that you hear for the next four years. Most of all the kid is coachable and truly enjoys the game. His coach holds him in high regard and has a lot of respect for him. In turn he embraces the lessons offered by his coach.

"He is unselfish almost to a fault," said Sac High coach Derek Swafford. "I've been fortunate to have a kid like him. He's so talented. But what's even better is that he sets a good example and is a good student. He's a jewel."

"We have the best relationship," Chase Tapley said. "We talk about everything, basketball and life. Without him, I don't know where I'd be." - Tapley on Coach Swafford

A special thanks to Adam Maya of the Orange County Register for contributing information for this article. Photo and other quotes courtesy of Bill Patterson of the Sacramento Bee.