Kelly Seems to Be Above Average

LANCASTER —  Le’Tre Kelly doesn’t spend time considering how many points he’ll score and how many rebounds he’ll pull down this season.

But what a thought, considering he’s healthy and relatively trim.

Playing last year with an injured left knee and carrying an extra 30 pounds, Kelly, a 6-foot-5 post player, averaged 14 points and 12 rebounds and helped Antelope Valley High to an 18-8 record.

Yet every time he took the floor, Kelly knew he was risking further injury.

“My knee was always shifting places, because it was so loose,” said Kelly, a senior.

“I was worried about my footwork and it hurt a lot. I hesitated when I did certain moves.”

Kelly was recovering from a bizarre injury that occurred at the beginning of fall football workouts.

Not only was his knee unstable, extensive nerve damage left him with no feeling and very little muscle control in his left foot.

With no guarantee that the nerves would fully recover, Kelly was given strict instructions to rest.

“I had a dead foot,” Kelly said. “It was just there, flopping around for two months.”

Kelly’s weight increased from 250 pounds to 280, as he spent most of his free time snacking and watching television.

The feeling finally returned days before the Antelopes’ first basketball practice.

Kelly, eager to play again, put his rehabilitation on hold and reported for the initial workout wearing a heavy brace on his knee.

But Antelope Valley Coach Tom Mahan was skeptical.

“He showed up and said, ‘I’m playing,’ ” Mahan said. “I said, ‘I can’t have you on this court without a doctor’s note.’

“The next day he showed up with a note.”

The Antelopes got off to a fast start and were considered one of the top teams in the region before faltering at the end of the season and settling for a second-place tie in the Golden League.

No fault of Kelly’s.

He was at his best in big games, including a 21-point, 14-rebound performance in a 73-60 victory over eventual league champion Highland.

“It’s amazing that he played last year,” Mahan said. “It was his own will and desire. Pure heart and determination. Several times I saw his knee wobbling out there.”

Of course, the extra 30 pounds made matters worse.

Hoping to inspire Kelly to get back to his old playing weight, Mahan clipped a newspaper story revealing how UCLA guard Kris Johnson dropped 50 pounds the previous off-season and gave it to Kelly.

“Once you gain the weight, it’s hard to lose,” Mahan said.

Kelly took the gesture to heart, saying, “I still have that article at home.”

Kelly was able to lose some weight during the season, but shortly after it ended he cut beef and pork out of his diet.

He also started running daily on a treadmill at the local YMCA.

Kelly weighs 250 again and claims he’s never been in better shape.

“Some people say I look more toned,” he said. “They can see some muscle.”

Taking notice of his glittery statistics from last year, Syracuse, UC Santa Barbara and San Diego State are recruiting Kelly, who has a 2.87 grade-point average.

“A healthy Le’Tre could get 20 rebounds in one game,” Mahan said.

“And that’s all we talk about: winning and getting rebounds.”

As the Antelopes bid for the league championship that eluded them last year, Kelly will be surrounded by experienced players. Marc Buckner and Jon Norman were starters last year.

Tony Walker and Ziaire Williams, like Kelly, scored in double figures last year.

“I want my averages to be higher this year, but it won’t matter so much if we win,” Kelly said.

“We’ve got a lot of guys on the team who can put the ball in the hoop.”

OTHER PLAYERS TO WATCH

Markus Carr, Palmdale--A versatile and unselfish senior guard, Carr averaged 15.4 points and 5.2 assists and has signed a letter of intent to Cal State Northridge.

Ryan Coleman, Calabasas--The 6-2 guard might be the most underrated player in the area. He averaged 17.9 points, 7.4 assists and 3.3 steals last season.

Jason and Jarron Collins, Harvard-Westlake--They are the two most hotly pursued recruits from the region this decade. The twin seniors committed to Stanford earlier this month. They combined to average 32.5 points and 20 rebounds per game last season.

Kent Dennis, Bell-Jeff--The 6-2 point guard was selected second-team All-Southern Section as a freshman last season.

Ruben Douglas, Bell-Jeff--The 6-4 junior shooting guard is the nation’s 21st best recruit in his class according to one magazine.

Steve Eernisse, Canyon--A 6-5 senior transfer from Palmdale, he will be one of the area’s toughest inside players. He averaged 19.6 points and 8.5 rebounds last season.

Victor Munoz, Harvard-Westlake--A 6-foot junior guard who transferred from St. John Bosco, he has excellent play-making skills and can make an already highly rated team even better.

Ryan Nielsen, Royal--The Marmonte League’s most valuable player last season should dominate at 6-5 1/2 and a solid 240 pounds. He averaged 19.1 points and 10.7 rebounds last season.

J.K. Scott, Burroughs--A future college quarterback, the 6-3 guard-forward could be the Foothill League most valuable player in this sport.

Juni Williams, Burbank--A junior guard who has started since his freshman year, Williams is on the verge of being the area’s best scoring guard.