Player Spotlight: Julian Welch
Elk Grove (Calif.) Franklin high school scoring guard Julian Welch is off to a phenomenal start to his senior season. One of the top scorers in the Sacramento area last year as a junior, Welch has come back with a vengeance to begin his final year of high school basketball. He poured in nearly 100 points in a 3-game, 3-day stretch to power the Wildcats to a 3-0 start. While his game has been impressive on the court, Welch is someone who is getting it done off the court as well.
Welch's stat-line caught our eye last year, leading Franklin to 21 overall wins and the Delta Valley Conference league championship, posting a notable 18.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. He also hit on 50 percent of his shots from the floor, 35 percent from three, and 79 percent of his free-throw shots. That effort earned Welch All-Metro Sacramento Bee 2nd Team honors along with former Roseville (Calif.) guard Elston Turner, who signed with the University of Washington in November. His game-high came in mid-December against Rocklin, a very solid program which features 2009 Top 50 prospect Brendan Lane. He pumped in 35 points that night, which was the second highest single-game scoring total in Sacramento last year.
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During the summer, we caught up with Welch while he was working out with trainer Guss Armstead and his superb To the Hoop Program in the Sacramento area. Among the many pro (Kevin Martin and Matt Barnes), college (JaVale McGee and Festus Ezeli), and high school (Matt Simpkins and Terrence Jennings) players, Welch certainly stood out to us. He has a knack for shooting and scoring, making both difficult shots while playing under control. There's nothing really flashy about his game – he's just a consistent scorer who knows how to win games. His pull-up jumper is tremendous.
"Probably the guys that I model my game after our like Ray Allen and Carmelo Anthony," Welch said. "I like Ray's deep game and how Carmelo has a great pull-up game."
"I'm always working to improve; always looking to get better. Everything I do can get better, so I know that. From my post-game to rebounding, my defense and footwork, you know, just everything."
Heading in to his senior year Welch has Franklin high positioned among the Top 10 teams in the greater Sacramento region. He backed up that ranking by exploding on opening night versus Oakmont, ripping the nets for 37 points, including 4 of 5 from behind the arc. Welch also had 5 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 assists in the 83-65 victory.
The next night against Pleasant Grove high, which features area standout Xavier Thames – a talented point guard who holds offers from San Diego State, Santa Clara, and Saint Mary's, and who just had UNLV's Lon Kruger fly in to watch him play two nights ago – Welch got the better of Thames and the Eagles. He scored 39 points, including 13 of 15 from the line, and tallied 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal. Thames was also extraordinary, scoring 30 points, including 14 of 18 from the line, plus 9 rebounds and 7 assists.
"Well, it was fun," Welch admitted. "X (Xavier) and I are friends, and you know, it is just fun competing out there against another great player. Obviously, I am happy we got the win. But we knew it was going to come down to the wire."
Playing for the third time in three days, Welch showed little fatigue against tournament host (3-1) Bella Vista, scoring 22 points and shooting 67 percent from the floor despite facing numerous double-teams. Welch connected on 5 of 6 from the line, pulled down 4 rebounds, and dished out a season-high 6 assists. Franklin dominated play through three quarters, building a 29-point lead over Bella Vista, and gave their starters a much needed break.
Welch is plenty excited about the 3-0 start, and as Franklin ventures up to Eureka tomorrow to play 3 more games in 3 days, he has high hopes for the Wildcats in 2007-08.
"Our team is really good," Welch added. "I think we should win our section. I have high hopes. Everybody gets along real well and we are all our on the same page.
"I think we should win our section."
Off the hardwood, Welch is certainly a standout student-athlete. An honor student who carries a 3.44 GPA, he's the type of young man who has the respect of everyone around him – including his family.
"He's done well," his father Pierce said, when asked about the idea of his son leaving home for college. "That's a decision he can make. He's earned it. We'd love to be able to see him play in college, but it's all about finding the right fit."
Plenty of colleges continue to watch Welch, who had little in the way of attention during his junior year. Montana State and UC-Davis spoke with him last year, but Cal, Nevada, and host of WCC and mid-major programs have already visited this season. Welch should have a number of options before the April signing period begins.
To see video of Welch in action, please follow the link below;
A.W Prince is the senior writer and publisher of BearTerritory. He pens numerous recruiting features, including "The Weekly Spin", on some of the most talented and highly sought after student-athletes in the country. Along with his recruiting work, Prince has photographed a number of future Div. 1 student-athletes for exclusive Rivals photo segments and Videography's.