Rancho Cucamonga star point guard Aaron Glass makes the net dance

Former football player, aspiring rapper and chess club member is now a 'serious' hoopster with offers from Cal, Washington State and Arizona State, among others

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CALIFORNIA – The point guard coolly operates around the perimeter, moving the ball from hand to hand and zipping passes to teammates.

He shoots less than you’d expect from a star player. But when he does … all net. Aaron “Ace” Glass makes the net dance with the best of them.

The Rancho Cucamonga junior 6-foot-3 guard averages around 20 points per game and scored 39 last season in a victory against St. Mary’s of Phoenix. So focused is he now that it’s funny to think he’s the same kid that rapped and danced as a pre-teen in his family’s living room in Rialto.

VERSATILE

Glass first played at a young age at the Johnson Center in Rialto. But he didn’t start playing seriously until sixth or seventh grade. Pop Warner football was his first love.

Eventually, basketball beckoned.

According to at least one recruiting source, Aaron Glass is a "no-doubt high major prospect.'  / Photo: John Murphy

“I love the sport,” Glass said. “I love everything about it. I love making a 3-pointer to put us up and making an assist to a teammate feels good too. Soon, hopefully, I’ll make a dunk – this season for sure. So far I haven’t had too many chances on fastbreaks.”

Dunks weren’t foremost in Glass’s mind as a pre-teen when he took center stage in his family’s living room. There he’d perform his unique raps for his parents Dominique and Ike and younger sister Marley – belting them out like a junior Jay-Z or Drake.

“He’d write these elaborate raps with these big words and sometimes he’d freestyle,” Dominique said. “We have video of him doing it — smiling and dancing. You wouldn’t know it now because he’s so serious and calm and locked in.”

But the player’s mom said he’s also “level-headed” and “likes structure” which explains his love of math and the fact he was in the chess club in elementary school.

Now Glass is the vital piece for veteran Cougar coach Bill Burke.

“He’s just a great kid,” Burke said after a recent practice. “He’s a hard worker who’s in the gym all the time. He does anything we ask him. We’ve been stressing to him to let the game come to him.”

HIGHLY SOUGHT

Asked to describe himself as a player, Glass does not hesitate.

“I’m a scoring point guard,” he said. “My first role is to score. I like the pick-and-roll and I like to get my teammates involved. My defense is pretty good and I’m a good 3-point shooter. I think everyone knows that.”

Word has slipped out. Glass has scholarship offers from Cal, Washington State, Weber State, Loyola Marymount, Arizona State, McNeese State, San Jose State and others.

He’s been to Cal and watched a football game and a basketball practice and glimpsed the famous Sather Gate.

“Cal was nice,” Glass said. “I liked the campus. I’ve been dealing with Amorrow (Morgan) and (head coach) Mark Madsen.”

Glass has drawn boffo reviews. Said scouting site Rivals, “Aaron Glass has a well-earned reputation as a dangerous, 3-point sniper. But the Rancho Cucamonga High standout is quickly becoming more than just a long-range bomber. Glass has taken strides as both an at-the-rim finisher and facilitator.”

It’s on the floor in the highly competitive Baseline League where Glass flourishes, taking on the likes to powerhouse teams like Etiwanda of Rancho Cucamonga and Damien of La Verne. The Cougars finished behind both in last year’s standings.

Friday the Cougars travel to Los Osos. Both teams are 11-5. 

“I like the atmosphere and the competition,” he said. “It’s pretty wild in the Baseline League. There’s a lot of rivalries and trash talking. Fans will get on you about your offers and how you’re not deserving.”

Experts don’t agree.

Wrote Rivals, “He’s a no-doubt, high-major prospect whose recruitment is likely to look different six months from now than it does currently.”

(Photos below by John Murphy)

Photo: John Murphy

John Murphy is the sports editor for Century Group Media of Southern California. Follow him at @PrepDawg2.