Recruiting Report: P.J. Fuller (2019)
Make it two two consecutive seasons the Mater Dei boys basketball team added a nationally-ranked prospect to its roster via transfer.
Last season it was 7-foot-2 center Bol Bol, and this season it’s 6-foot-4 wing P.J. Fuller, who played for undefeated Nathan Hale in Seattle last season.
Fuller said that the basketball aspect of his new digs didn’t take long to adjust to, but there’s some things academically he’s still getting used to.
“The basketball part is going to take care of itself,” Fuller told Prep Hoops So-Cal. “The way they handle things academically is much different than what I was doing in Seattle. Everything in Seattle was done on paper and at Mater Dei it’s done on iPad’s.”
Fuller has gotten in a few games already with his new team and his athleticism off the wing and ability to attack the basket give the Monarchs yet another layer of offensive potency, as if they needed more of it in the first place.
The junior said he’s excited to compete at the highest level of California high school basketball and, with his experience on mythical national champion Nathan Hale last season, has some experience under his belt.
2019 wing P.J. Fuller adds another offensive threat to an already loaded Mater Dei team.“I want to win everything, win state,” Fuller said. “It’d be cool to win a couple of big national games and just trying to end as the No. 1 team in the country. A lot of guys on our team have played on that level, but I can help with leadership, playing hard and just doing what’s needed.”
In addition to doing the little things it takes to win, Fuller is hoping he can help Mater Dei with some team-running duties when Spencer Freedman needs rest.
Fuller has been working on a transition into more of a combo guard role and has been watching Freedman closely to help with that.
“As a point guard you have to be able to shoot the ball really well,” Fuller said. “Spencer is an outstanding point guard and he has the balance of being able to shoot and distribute the ball. I need to work on my jump shot and can always improve my ball handling.
“Spencer is very patient and that’s why he’s so good,” he added. “I like to play fast like Russell Westbrook, but sometimes I look at him and see which spots on the floor he’s being patient.”
In addition to being patient on the basketball court, Fuller is taking his time with the recruiting process, sorting carefully through a long list of potential suitors.
“I’m hearing from Arizona, Washington, USC and Tennessee, the most,” he said. “I’m still talking to a lot of other coaches and they’re all really good people.”
As for what he’s looking for in a landing spot, Fuller believes a family atmosphere is the biggest key for him.
“For me, I’m looking at what the coaches are like and a program that once I leave, I’ll be able to go back and it’ll still be a family,” Fuller said. “I want a coach to take me in and kind of be a father figure to me. I want to be shown the ropes not only on the court but in the real world, as well.”