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 Talk
about it in
The NCP Insider The Sacramento region in Northern
California continues to be a hot-spot for college coaches.
While the area certainly has the talent, the media coverage is
limited due to the amazing growth in the territory. New high
schools seem to pop up annually in the area. One of the more
talented prospects who caught our eye as well as the
University of California early on in the 2008 class is Elk
Grove (Calif.) Pleasant Grove Defensive End
Armond Armstead.
Armstead is one of Sacramento's top 2008
prospects.
At 6-foot-6, 265-pounds,
Armstead isn't hard to notice on the football field. He faces
constant double and triple teams when he lines up on defense.
As the Eagles starting Tight End, Armstead is a wrecking ball
who opens up gigantic holes for the running game. He's also an
excellent receiver, with soft hands something he's developed
on the basketball court too.
His skills on the basketball court come as no surprise. His
father, Guss, is one of the most respected basketball teachers
in Northern California, having worked with improving
professional players like Matt Barnes and Kevin
Martin, to current college stars like Duke's DeMarcus
Nelson and Cal's Ryan Anderson - just to name a
few. Armond is already considered one of the better NorCal
prep post-players, but he could just as easily find a future
on the gridiron to his skills.
"I can play either Tight End or Defensive End, but my
preference is on the defensive side," Armstead said. "I get to
hit more on the defensive side, so that's why I like it."
"We just finished up our basketball season, so now I am just
going to keep working out," Armstead added. "It'll be a busy
spring and summer, because I play AAU basketball too."
Balancing a basketball and football career isn't easy
especially with all the demands of the two sports. However, Armond has done well. Despite playing at a high school that's
less than two years into its existence, he helped pushed the
Eagles to the edge of the playoffs in football. He racked up
79 tackles, and followed that up by nearly averaging a
double-double for the season on the hardwood.
While he plans on playing plenty of AAU basketball this
summer, Armstead also plans to make time to attend one
football camp too.
"I was at the Cal camp last summer, and I had a really good
time there," Armstead said. "I am planning on attending it
this year as well."
"My dad mentioned that the Cal staff really liked my video
too," Armstead added. "Coach (Kevin) Daft is the one
recruiting me, and I think I am going to check them out in a
few weeks (spring ball)."
Armstead also added that along with interest from Cal, he's
received a lot of mail from Washington, UCLA, Arizona, Texas
A&M, and Arizona State with the Huskies leading the charge.
Additionally, he holds a 2.9 GPA.
Look for a follow-up Rivals photo segment of the impressive
Pleasant Grove two-sport star soon.
A.W Prince is the senior writer and publisher of
BearTerritory.net. 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 made radio
appearances with Rivals Radio and Bay Area college basketball
pre-game, halftime, and post-game in-season shows.
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