Earl will have plenty of options

He possesses a 7-5 wingspan.

No, this isn't a description of one of the Fantastic Four or a member of the Legion of Super Heroes.

It is Michael Earl, a 6-9 210 frontcourter for Coach Dieter Horton's Fullerton Junior College Hornets.

As Horton says of Earl: "He can run a 5:20 mile, possesses great hands and is a superb athlete. Opponents have been slowing down the game against us but he (Earl) is still scoring close to 20 ppg (18.2 on a team with four double figure scorer). People are telling me he's one of the best in the nation."

Earl is a low post scorer and rebounder despite not being a power player. Horton described his best player's shooting range as 16 to 17 feet but added, "get it (the ball) to him on the block and he'll score." Earl is shooting .631 from the floor and Horton added: "He'll add another 10-15 pounds with a weight program at whatever school he chooses."

Earl is also a particularly good foul shooter for a big man at .818. On top of all this, Earl is also a very good shotblocker with two rejections every contest.

Another scout offered this description of Earl: "He's a little skinny in the lower body (hence the relatively low weight), but has big shoulders and excellent agility. He has a strong post game but can also hit the jumper to 15-18 feet. Defensively, he's solid and has the jumping ability and anticipation to be a good shotblocker."

Early on Rivals.com had these teams listed as suitors: San Jose St., UC Irvine, UC Riverside,UC Santa Barbara and Utah State. But that list has grown exponentially as Earl has been hearing from a number of schools (20-30 alone in the last month) desirous of his services next season.

"The focus right now is on the season ahead," said Horton, adding that no decision about Earl's future will be made until the season and the playoffs have concluded.

As for Horton, he's just 34 but is already considered one of the deans of the junior college coaching ranks in the Southland. He's in his 10th year at the Orange County school and has long term roots in the area--so much so that his middle name seemingly should be Fullerton. After graduating from Fullerton High School, he then attended and graduated from Cal State Fullerton. Horton then assisted at Villa Park and (yes, you got it) Fullerton High before assuming the position as head coach of the Hornets.

In the midst of a nine-year stretch of post-season appearances and with an overall 161-124 mark beginning this season, Horton had done nothing but add to that record as his team is currently undefeated at 26-0, 7-0 in the orange Empire Conference, and ranked number one in both the Southern Division and the entire state. A total of 30 of his players have moved on to four-year institutions.

His goals are twofold and his philosophy simple: "One, to lead our conference in field goal percentage defense. Two, to lead our conference in rebound margin. And three, to outwork our opponents."

Besides Earl, Horton said he has five other players who have signed to go or will jump to Division One. Forward Sean Phaler, a transfer from New Mexico, has signed with Charlotte and Fullerton point guard Corey McIntosh is probably the best true point in the California juco ranks this season.