I remember the first time I saw Ndamukong Suh work out in 10th grade. And I remember the moment when I met Colt Lyerla and Zach Banner, Kasen Williams, and Thomas Tyner. It's a feeling that comes along very rarely. But once and a while it does.
When any of us analyst types first see that type of athlete we make a note. This guy could be "special". If they break through into the stratosphere of the High School and Collegiate world it is always a result of their hard work and perseverance.
And there is always either unbelievable speed or athleticism or size involved. And in some cases all of these factors come into play.
In the case of Sophomore Kaleb McGarry of Battleground, Washington that is in fact the case. Right now all but about 1% of you are saying "Who?". Some of the rest of you are already googling his name.
And rightfully so. Because at 6' 8.4" and 270 pounds this young man has the potential to be considered among the best of the best.
In January we heard from legendary strength and conditioning Coach Ryan Paul of New Athlete that there was a giant of a kid doing things way beyond his years there training with him. We made a note as Ryan rarely if ever calls us. He is a hard man to impress as he has seen the best of the best come through his gym.
Shortly after that we met Kaleb at the Air One Football Camp held by Coach John Charles in Vancouver, Washington in January. We were confused when we saw him running crisp pass routes and sucking in every ball thrown his way as to how a kid this big could be playing receiver.
Air One had no linemen at the time so McGarry was in with the Wide Receivers and is actually working on the Tight End spot. But we saw enough in a couple hours to leave us with the knowledge that he is on his way to great things potentially.
And boy is he big and powerful. A testament to his frame and the training he is putting in and the coaches around him.
Over the course of several weeks we analyzed him and decided he was just too young to put out into the network feeds. Too much attention too young has a bad result and is not something we do normally.
But the time has come so today we bring this story to you all knowing this is the moment that will change his status forever.
Kaleb is fast, powerful, and has great explosive ability. Openly we have discussed his future and the potential with him and talked about what can come. The big man has seen some football success at Battle Ground High School but has earned his reputation on the basketball court as an enforcer on defense and as a rebounder.
"I am a banger and love to defend the best big men I can go against," said McGarry who plays for the Coach Gary Ward's Northwest Panthers AAU Hoops Team. "So far this year when I have played against the best guys I am shutting them down well below their season average. That has been rewarding."
The team had a nice run at the Adidas' Elite 64 Tournament in Las Vegas last month and went 4-0 at a big tournament in San Francisco. Only a 10th grader he is already getting a taste of big time High School Hoops. And while he is a lot like Zach Banner in terms of him being a two sport stud it would be football where most people would project him.
"I love both sports. I lean towards football just a little as I feel it is probably going to be the best fit in terms of the collegiate prospects I have. But I am wide open to either and love both sports," he offered.
On the football front word of his efforts and some film we have shot made it out to a few schools.
We asked Kaleb early on if he could cut to the chase and flash forward two years who he would dream to be going on to play for.
"Alabama, LSU, Washington, Boise State, Stanford, and a few others. Those schools would be great,: he said. "So far I have been in some contact with Boise State and Oregon State and am looking forward to hitting a few events this Summer."
With the Panther's busy schedule and his importance to the team as a starting post he will have limited chances to get to football camps. But he is planning to make the NW ELITE FOOTBALL CAMP formerly known as the Gesser Camp and the Nike Football Training Camp at Oregon. These events will be all he is going to need at his age to get the analysts out there all worked up. And right now 10 Colleges have confirmed their attendance at the camp linked above so any kid at that major event will be looked at closely.
His size is one thing. But we see a lot of big kids and they just keep getting bigger. But his hands, his feet, his speed, and overall flexibility are at the highest level we have seen for a kid that age in a long time. And the fact he is benching 320 pounds already with those long arms is a real plus.
The back story gets interesting. He comes from a blue-collar family and both parents were athletes and there are athletic genes in the McGarry family too. His Dad is a longshoreman man and the family actually lives in the little town of Amboy. Washington.
But change is coming to the family.
"The economy has been tough on a lot of people and our family is no exception. As a result we are going to need to move to live with some family. That will put us up in Fife, Washington by the start of next season it looks like. So we will just do the best we can."
That means a new High School. He could land at Fife High and there is a possibility he may end up at Bellarmine Prep.
"I really don't know. We have not been up there yet but the move is happening so we will see where I can end up," he said.
There is not a lot more we need to say.
Kaleb McGarry is on his way and has a terrific future if all goes as planned. He is healthy and managing school with a 3.4 GPA and traveling around the country at the same time.
Someone is going to get a very high quality kid here who is on the verge of really big things.
You can see all of Kaleb's information at WestCoastPreps.com where all High School athletes can get a FREE RECRUITING WEB SITE with hooks what so ever.
