Prospect Spotlight: Kevin Kobrine (2018)
Those who don’t follow the Orange County high school basketball scene closely probably don’t know the name Kevin Kobrine.
Kobrine, as his Corona del Mar high school coach Ryan Schachter describes him, is the best part-time basketball player in Southern California.
The long and bouncy 6-foot-3 shooting guard is a two-sport stud for the Sea Kings, with basketball being his winter sport and spending the spring and summer time playing volleyball.
Kobrine led Corona del Mar’s volleyball team to a 33-5 overall record last season, including a CIF Southern Section Division I championship and followed that up by playing at the USA level over the summer.
Corona del Mar guard Kevin Kobrine has an elite skill-set for being just a part-time basketball player.Kobrine only plays basketball for about four to five months out of the year, but his natural feel for the game, combined with his elite athleticism and all-around skill-set would have college coaches flocking if his next step wasn’t a college volleyball scholarship to UCLA.
“I played a lot of basketball when I was younger,” Kobrine told Prep Hoops So-Cal. “I practiced every day and kept getting better.”
Kobrine mentioned that his volleyball training translates well to the basketball court.
“It helps with with my jumping ability,” he said. “I get off the floor quicker and it makes me more agile and a little bit quicker.”
That begs the question: If Kobrine played basketball full-time, year-round, would he be a Division I player?
Spoiler. He’d be one right now if he wanted to be.
“I haven’t seen many of the top guys,” Kobrine said of how he’d compare to the best players in Southern California. “I only see guys in my area, so I couldn’t really say.”
The senior heads into his final year of high school competition as Corona del Mar’s go-to guy with the departure of D.J. Rodman to JSerra, and his unflappable demeanor, along with his talents, should keep the Sea Kings in the conversation of Orange County’s top teams.