Brentwood has 14-year-old freshman duo ready to make impact in basketball

Ethan Hill wears size 18 shoes, stands 6 feet 5 and already has the body of a Division I football player at age 14. Except for now, he’s a basketball player even though his late grandfather, Willard “Bubba” Scott , is one of the most recognized former USC football players, having been part of the defensive line known as the “Wild Bunch” in the late 1960s.

Hill moved back to Los Angeles from Ohio this summer to join another promising freshman basketball player at Brentwood, 6-6 Shalen Sheppard. Together, they could be the pillars for coach Ryan Bailey, who’s already preparing a group of outstanding eighth-graders that includes his nephew, Toby Bailey Jr.

Football coach Jake Ford has yet to approach Hill about trying the sport, but Hill sure has the body to be an offensive tackle and his mother, Nikki, said he looks like his grandfather. For now, Hill loves basketball and that will be his focus as he grows into his giant shoes.

This month has been used by high school coaches to get an early look at freshmen and other newcomers. Tournaments are taking place this weekend in Arizona and next weekend in Roseville.