MAX FUJII, ANALY, SOPHOMORE, BASKETBALL

Analy boys' basketball coach Brett Page is never surprised by a dawn phone

call from one of his players asking to work out in the gym before school.

Sophomore Max Fujii is Analy's point guard, leading scorer and among the

leaders in assists. Fujii, who made the jump from JV to varsity starter, is

one of the main reasons Analy has gotten off to a 6-0 start in the Sonoma

County League and owns a 14-6 overall mark. Admittedly, he's dedicated himself

to the sport.

Fujii is only 5-foot-8, Analy's tallest starter is 6-2 and yet the Tigers

have overcome height deficiencies by playing an up-tempo style and relying on

outside shooting.

Fujii, a co-captain along with Gavin Winter, scored 20 points against

Healdsburg and 15 against El Molino in league wins last week. He's averaging

17.5 points a game in league, just under four assists and is an 87 percent

free-throw shooter.

''He spent all summer working out and he's improved in shooting and

dribbling,'' said Page. ''As a freshman he began dedicating himself to

basketball. He's like having a coach on the court.''

Fujii can remember playing organized basketball in third grade, but he also

played baseball until settling on basketball when he began high school.

Fujii played for an AAU team -- Back Court Ballers -- and played in

numerous tournaments in the Bay Area, Sacramento and Reno.

''A lot of teams think we just run and gun, but we're more controlled than

that,'' said Fujii.

Page said Fujii has excellent court vision and quickness. If anything, he'd

like his point guard to shoot more. Fujii averages about 12 shots a game.

Fujii isn't just smart on the court. His best subjects are math and science

and he carries a GPA over 4.0.

-- Rich Rupprecht