ESPN Men's Basketball Recruiting

WALTHAM, Mass. --- When the 2008 NBA finals got started, Keala King was in a difficult position.

On one side was his favorite team, the hometown Los Angeles Lakers. On the other side was his favorite player, Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics.

"I'm a Laker fan, but I love Paul Pierce," King said. "He's my favorite player because he comes from the same environment I do."

King was torn, but when the ball went up, he was rooting for the green and white. That might sound blasphemous to most L.A. natives, but for aspiring ballers who want to follow in Pierce's footsteps, it makes a lot more sense. Pierce grew up in SoCal and starred at Inglewood (Calif.) before going on to Kansas and the NBA. In the process, he's turned a whole lot of young Lakers fans into Celtics fans.

So it was fitting that King, a rising senior shooting guard at Dominguez (Compton, Calif.), made the trek east to the Paul Pierce Skills Academy this week. Competing against 16 of the top shooting guards in the country at the Nike-sponsored event, King got to learn from and play alongside his idol. His boys back home were definitely jealous.

"Ever since I got here, they've all been calling me," King says. "I just checked my phone and I had a text message asking how Paul Pierce and the camp was."

Unfortunately for King, the trip wasn't as productive as it could have been. He came down with the flu almost immediately after his plane touched down in Boston. It kept him off the court for most of Sunday and Monday. By Tuesday, he was determined to get some run. He made it through the drills but had to sit down before the scrimmage. Still, he was happy the trip wasn't a total washout.

"I didn't want to come all the way out here and not be able to show my talent," King says.

And he has a lot of talent. The 6-foot-5, 180-pound shooting guard has great athleticism, a rapidly improving jump shot and the ability to get into the lane whenever he pleases. He's also a gifted passer and a surprisingly tough rebounder for his size. He currently has offers from the likes of USC, Cal and Oregon State, with more sure to follow.

King averaged 17 points per game as a junior, helping guide Dominguez to the Southern Section IAA semifinals. As a result, he was a first-team All-CIF IAA selection. Most impressive, however, was the way King stepped up in the face of adversity. The Dons were up against it from the jump last season. Superstar swingman Jordan Hamilton, who will play at Texas this year, was ruled ineligible and missed the entire season. And longtime coach Russell Otis, who won six state championships and helped develop future NBA stars Tyson Chandler and Tayshaun Prince at the school, was suspended, and subsequently fired, amid allegations of attempting to molest a player and theft. (On June 26, Otis was ordered to stand trial on the charges and is scheduled to be arraigned on July 6).

"It was a really strange year," King says. "But we definitely got tougher because of it."

He's looking forward to another year with the Dons, but first he has a long summer to worry about. Filled with camps and AAU tournaments, King is eager for some more exposure and the chance to keep improving his game.

Pierce's camp has offered that opportunity. Working with the NBA All-Star and coaches from around the league, King and Co. have gotten hands-on instruction in the fundamentals of the game.

To King, the most important thing is that he's getting better. The fact that he's learning from his idol is just a bonus.

And the next time the Lakers and Celtics meet, King won't have to think twice about who he's rooting for.

Ryan Canner-O'Mealy covers high school sports for ESPN RISE Magazine.