Jeremy Lillis began playing basketball in the third grade, but bore no resemblance to a young Kevin Love.
“I was not good at all,” Lillis said. “It was the first year I ever played and I didn’t know what was going on. I was just sort of out there.”
Said the player’s mom, Rebecca Lillis: “Jeremy was new to the game and he needed to learn to be aggressive. He was a gentle giant. Even now when you see him play he’s not all full of himself and pumping his fist, but he’s smooth.”
Lillis will bring that under-stated elegance to the court at 1:30 p.m. Sunday when his Northern California 2017 all-stars meet SoCal in the Prep2Prep California Classic at Las Positas College in Livermore. The 2016 all-stars tip off at 3:30 p.m.
“I’m a strong player, but I could be more aggressive,” Lillis said. “When I was younger I’d shy away from contact. I’m getting over that. I’m also working on my dribbling.”
Lillis will be a center this coming season at Placer High, but views himself as a power forward in college. At 6-foot-8, 190 pounds, he’ll need to bulk up a bit for that, so he’s been hitting the weights.
Offensively, he seems ahead of the game, averaging 13.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists last season, to go along with 1.6 blocks per game for a 21-6 team. He made 47 percent of his 2-point attempts and an eye-opening 47 percent of his 3-pointers (14 of 30).
No basket was bigger for Lillis than the one he scored with seven seconds left in overtime against host Shasta in the Harlan Carter Tournament last December. He tallied off an inbounds play to give Placer an improbable 82-80 overtime win. The Hillmen had trailed by 23 points in the first half.
“I felt excited and pumped up,” Lillis said of the moment. “It was a good feeling.”
Said Placer coach Mark Lee to the Auburn Journal after the victory: “It was a great team win. It was really loud in the first half, but kind of quiet in the second except for our 10 fans.”
Lillis had 25 points against Shasta and earned tourney MVP.
Lillis’ parents, Daniel and Rebecca, went to Colfax High and Daniel planned to play football and basketball until a knee injury foiled things. But he passed on the love of hoops to his tall son, who has tried an array of activities in his 17 years.
“Jeremy has done snowboarding and mountain biking and has ridden dirt bikes in the foothills up here,” Rebecca said. “But he’d grow out of equipment so fast."
Fortunately, it doesn't take much to outfit a basketball player.
Boasting a 3.4 grade point average and having attracted the interest of the University of Pacific and Cal State Sacramento, Lillis is well-rounded. Besides his ability on the basketball court and in the classroom, his mom said he’s also a cut-up.
“He’s funny, but in a quiet way,” Rebecca said. “He has a dry sense of humor and can be a little goofy. He can do physical comedy, like Jerry Lewis or Jim Carrey.”
Unimpressive on the court as a tyke, Lillis will have the last laugh if he parlay his many talents into a college scholarship. Sunday at Las Positas is another step along the way.
