Modesto Christian stars Idehen, Ellis hope to showcase talents for major college scouts

The month of July could determine the college fate for Modesto Christian High School boys basketball players Robinson Idehen and Christian Ellis.

Colleges are permitted to attend, evaluate and actively recruit players at AAU tournaments for three weeks this month, according to Modesto Christian coach Richard Midgley, and the two incoming senior stars could build their national résumés with strong performances.

Idehen plays for one of the nation’s premier programs – the Oakland Soldiers. The 6-foot-9 power forward is averaging 3.3 points and 3.8 rebounds in about 12 minutes per game for the Soldiers, who count LeBron James and Chauncey Billups among their famous alumni. Former Ripon High and San Jose State point guard Justin Graham also suited up for the Soldiers.

The Soldiers qualified for the Peach Jam in South Carolina from July 8-12 and the Bigfoot Las Vegas Classic from July 22-26. The Peach Jam, Midgley said, “is the biggest AAU tournament you can go to.”

The second-year coach believes Idehen – a familiar name to schools west of the Mississippi River – can become a national recruit with a solid showing at either tournament. The All-District first-team selection averaged 14.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.6 blocks for the Crusaders last season.

Idehen already has received offers from San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, Pacific, Rice and Houston and drawn high interest from Gonzaga, Saint Mary’s and Texas Tech.

Midgley suspects Idehen will be a player of interest for Division I schools that routinely land in the Top 25, including those from power conferences like the Atlantic Coast, Big 12 and Pacific-12.

“Someone like Robinson will get recruited through high school,” Midgley said. “(But) if you play well at the Peach Jam, you can be recruited by anyone – UCLA, Duke, Kansas ... if you play exceptionally well. At some of the other AAU stuff, it’s unlikely a Duke will be there watching. They’re only at the big tournaments.”

Ellis is attracting attention from Big West and West Coast conference schools. The point guard with the smooth left hand filled up the box score for the Crusaders last season, averaging 12.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.1 steals. Ellis has generated interest from Pacific, Montana State and USF.

If Ellis and Idehen signed with Pacific, they would be reunited with former Crusaders teammates Anthony Townes, Raymond Bowles and T.J. Wallace. Former Trans-Valley League rival Rolaun Dunham from Riverbank also plans to walk on at Pacific.

Ellis has been considered a top prospect since 2012 with Team Bibby, an AAU program run by former Sacramento Kings point guard Mike Bibby. The 6-3 slasher will play three tournaments with the Arizona-based program in July, according to Midgley, including the Bigfoot Las Vegas Classic.

“Robinson will get everyone through to evaluate him. He’s on that level,” Midgley said. “Christian will get some schools to look at him, too. Our other guys aren’t on that level just yet.

“We have some a year or two away. Just not this summer.”

This story was originally published July 1, 2015 at 4:19 PM with the headline "Modesto Christian stars Idehen, Ellis hope to showcase talents for major college scouts."