Ex-Kalaheo star finally living out hoop dream
By Dennis Anderson
Advertiser Staff Writer
A career that once appeared to be on an express to the highest levels of basketball may be back on track after repeated derailments last season.
Advertiser library photo
Julian Sensley has finally played in a college basketball game.
Highly touted recruit Julian Sensley, who had been affiliated with four colleges but played for none, is now at Los Angeles City College.
"It's all the stuff he has dreamed about," said his mother, Suzanne Karsten of Kailua.
Sensley is a nearly lifelong Hawai'i resident who left Kalaheo High School after his junior year for the high intensity of Eastern prep hoops.
The move succeeded in bringing the 6-foot-8, 235-pound forward recognition in high places (he was rated one of the top college prospects in the nation in 2001), but came close to wrecking his career last season. Sensley was affiliated with four different colleges but played at none, and entered and then withdrew from the NBA draft.
Sensley, who had failed to qualify academically at California (with which he signed), Iona of New York and Fresno State, finally landed last summer at Los Angeles City College.
He apparently has flourished there as a player and student.
University of San Francisco signed him to a new National Letter of Intent in November. He expects to earn the prerequisite AA degree in May.
"He is really coming around, playing great," L.A. City College assistant coach Andre Henry said yesterday. "He is our leading scorer at about 17 points a game, one of the leading rebounders in the state at about nine per game. He is hitting 56 percent of his field goals and 75 percent of his free throws."
Henry cited a play Saturday in a rematch of last season's state championship game, which L.A. City lost to Saddleback.
"He caught the ball on the side, even with the free-throw line," Henry said. "he drove left, hesitated, crossed over back to the right and down the middle. He banged bodies with a big 6-8 guy — the guy went flying off the court — and Julian made a humongous dunk.
"It was one of the best I've seen and it ignited our team."
L.A. City won 85-74 — its 13th in a row — to improve to 26-2.
Basketball life hasn't all been a humongous dunk at L.A. City for Sensley, however. He went scoreless for the first time in his life in a December game and he was benched for several games after he returned late from Christmas break (he said he was sick).
"He had some individual responsibility issues that needed to be worked out," head coach Mike Miller said. "That precluded him from playing in several games."
In his first game out of the coach's dog house last month, Sensley came off the bench to score 19 points and get nine rebounds in 17 minutes, Miller said.
"Basically, he is a good person who got a lot of bad advice over the years," Miller said. "Everybody wants a piece of a player like him, and a lot of people have not held him to a standard of accountability that is important."
Assistant coach Ware was succinct: "Julian had a few problems understanding the team concept."
Miller said: "I'm proud of the fact that he confronted some issues that were hard for him and maybe he hadn't had to confront and deal with before. I hope he sees the light now.
"In the long run it will make him stronger and a better player and person."
Sensley's mother said: "He's much more humble. He has grown up."
Julian himself says: "Everything is looking up now. I'm back on track."
TIPINS: L.A. City College coach Mike Miller claims a 100 percent graduation rate over the past 10 years. . . . Although his letter of intent to USF is supposed to be binding, Julian Sensley and his mother say there are ways to break it. "I may try to get back home" and play at Hawai'i, Sensley said. . . USF coach Philip Matthews, who said he has been watching Sensley since high school, said: "We expect him. He will be an excellent player here with his blend of speed, skill and athleticism." . . . In addition to the fall and spring semesters, Sensley took classes in three summer sessions and a five-week intersession in order to qualify for his AA degree this spring. . . . "We have tutors for him and he has done a lot of extra work," Miller said.
