Shingle Springs, California is not exactly a basketball mecca for college recruiters. In fact, 99.9% of scouts would probably offer a 'where's that?' if asked to pinpoint the location.

This is understandable because cities and metropolitan areas are home to the vast majority of hoop prospects. But every so often a nugget is overlooked due to location--exactly the situation for James Doran, the current star at Sierra Junior College in Rocklin, near Sacramento.

The Shingle Springs born-and-bred Doran is scoring 19.6 points per game for Coach John Fusano. Sure, a number of junior college players are performing similarly throughout the country but how Doran is doing it stands out. He's making .478% of his shots, 120 of 251, from the floor, including an outstanding .510% of his three-points attempts, 50-98--primary reasons Fusano's squad is currently 12-6 this season.

But that's James Doran the on-court player and but half the story.

The other element is the level and degree of preparation and effort Doran puts in each day.

According to Fusano, "We'll practice for three hours and then James will shoot for an hour and then work on his ballhandling for 30 minutes, then lift for an hour. It's like 'James, you need to go home.' He does this every day. He's beyond a coach's dream and the best kept secret in Northern California."

The 6-3, 200 Doran gray-shirted initially at Sierra and then proved to be a solid scorer and shooter as a freshman last season. The one element of concern for Fusano was Doran's defensive play because there were times he would get beaten by the better athletes on dribble drives.

"But now, whether it's a 5-11 jet or a 6-5 strong guy, James handles them all well," Fusano said, adding "I didn't know he would be as good as he was last year. It took me about 15 games to figure out we should run some plays for him. He's so smooth."

Fusano gushes over his sophomore but rightly so. "There are good, very good, very, very good and great shooters--James is the latter," Fusano offered. "He can shoot mid-range, long-range, off the dribble and he has a high release point."

Beyond that, Fusano said, "I don't think I'll coach another kid in the next 20 years as hard-working as James Doran. He's added 18 pounds of muscle since he came here and can now benchpress 260."

And Doran is quite the team player despite his shooting and scoring prowess. Fusano added, "He can really pass the ball--he sees the court well and if you're open then he'll hit you. He gets along with every one of our other players, they all love him."

Doran came to Sierra lacking fame or notoriety. He played for Ponderosa High in a very controlled style where just about every shot was taken in the last five seconds on the clock. Ponderosa averaged about 30 points per game and Doran was credited with 17 of his team's total.

A solid mid-major, Doran has already been offered by Sacramento State and there's a long list of those interested including UCSB, Cal Poly, Portland and both Montanas. His academics are fine.

Per Fusano, "I understand how hard it is to stay objective because of how insanely hard James works."

Objective or not, there are going to be some schools rueing their missed opportunity.