Fullerton forward is a Charlotte 49er

Fullerton College forward Sean Phaler will be switching coasts next season. Phaler has committed to play for the Charlotte 49ers next year. Few players have taken a longer road to Division One hoops.

"Out of high school, he signed with UCLA, signed with Steve Lavin," Fullerton coach Dieter Horton explained. "Then Lavin got fired and they brought Ben Howland in. He basically just said, 'We're going in a different direction,' and let him go. The kid took one visit to New Mexico, went to New Mexico."

If the story ended there, it wouldn't be all that unusual. But, of course, it doesn't.

"The day before he was going to sign, he got in an almost deadly car accident," Horton said. "He was about a minute from death, broke his back, flipped his car, spent his freshman year at New Mexico in rehab.  This past year as a freshman he played some games for them."

Phaler played in 27 games for the Lobos, averaging 2.5 points and one rebound a night. And then misfortune struck Phaler again.

"His dad got prostate cancer and I think, most of all, he just got a little spooked. He and his dad were real close, he said, 'I'm coming back to SoCal be close to my dad."

Horton and Phaler had known each other for more than a decade, so the Fullerton coach welcomed the 6-foot-9 shooter with open arms.

"His recruiting was USC and that is it.  Nobody else outside of Southern Cal," Horton said.  "In July alone I cannot even tell you how many people I said no to.  Everyone in the world wanted him and he said no."

That changed when Horton talked to one of his friends, an assistant coach at Charlotte. Turns out, Phaler had some family in the Charlotte area.

"He started looking into it and Charlotte in July came out and watched him play," Horton said. "They fell in love and put on a full court press for the kid.  They kept pressing on him and recruited the heck of him. Bobby Lutz has a great reputation and he found out about that, started looking into it. The kid took his visit and he loved it and he committed."

And just like that, Phaler will continue his basketball career with a Division One scholarship. It's a remarkable story, but it takes some focus away from the fact that Lutz and his staff landed a very solid player.

"He is an NBA shooter.  Unbelievable shooter," Horton said. "He shoots the heck out of it.  Thin and he's never gonna get thick, just his body type.  Wiry strong and he's very bouncy, very athletic."

Phaler's game is mostly on the perimeter. Ten of his 18 field goals as a Lobo were three-pointers. But Horton says that the 195-pounder can play down low as well.

"He has a post up game, has some toughness to him.  He's got a hook, fallaway jumper, he is skilled in the block," said the coach. "But that wasn't why Charlotte recruited him.  From what I've been told, there isn't a 6-9 kid anywhere that shoots the ball like he does."

Phaler is the sixth commit in the Charlotte class of 2006.

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