Peyton Siva: Poised for Success. By: Justin Walsh

Franklin HS has had a number of talented Point Guards. Jason Terry from the Dallas Mavericks is one obvious example. He killed it at Franklin, killed it at the University of Arizona, and is averaging 20 PPG off the bench for the Mavs right now. Aaron Brooks from the Houston Rockets is another obvious one. Undersized, underrated, Aaron filled it up at Oregon, and is an integral part of the Rockets offense. Another, Venoy Overton of the University of Washington is yet another great Franklin guard, even got his squad a state title his senior year...But he did have some help.

Enter Peyton Siva- a 6 foot, 175 pound senior (both measurements might be stretching it a la Allen Iverson) is one of the top 5 ranked PG's in the country. Right now, he's leading his own team, hopefully, to a state title. Back in his freshman campaign, he was playing second fiddle to Venoy, but he contributed. Without Peyton, that squad might not get the title. Year by year, Peyton has improved his game & is back for more. When I spoke with Peyton, I asked him how he thought Franklin was doing this season, "We're doing great, we've only got one loss, we just have to remember that one downfall and keep working hard."

Classic answer by a mature guard, not wanting to cause a stir. I prodded a bit further, asking if he was going for another state title. "Absolutely, I already have one state title from my freshman year, I think this team can get another one." Also, he obviously agrees with the assumption that this one would mean more. "Yes, because it's my senior season, I'm the leader of the team."

The Gold-Plated standard for the best HS career in Franklin history is Jason Terry. Many sports writers, scouts and evaluators (myself included) feel Siva could usurp the Mavs guard with a state title this year. Jason Terry seems to have a similar sentiment. In August, at an Adidas event, Terry invited Peyton to a workout with him, to give him an idea of what NBA workouts are like (something I'm sure Peyton will need to get used to, with any luck). Peyton said, "It went well, it was really hard. We did a lot of things I wasn't used to doing, but after I saw that he could do it, I just told myself I could too. And man, he could shoot. If we did a shooting drill or a shooting competition...If I missed any shots, it was over." Since that day, Siva has had a considerable amount of similar styled workouts with his personal trainer. Safe to say he's preparing for the next level.

Peyton has been committed to the University of Louisville for quite some time now. Rick Pitino seems to have a knack for getting quick, explosive guards (Tyquan Dean, Edgar Sosa, and before the NBA drafted him, Sebastian Telfair was committed to helm the Cards offense). Siva will be a much welcomed addition.

Peyton is poised to help the Cardinals get back into the top ranks in the country. "I just want to work hard every day and contribute for the team. I love the way they run up and down the floor, I like the way Coach Pitino runs his team. I think it's a great fit for me. Hopefully, I can help bring them back to the Final Four. It's going to be rough, but I wont back down."

Beyond Louisville, nothing is certain. Some ballers pan out, some don't. For every Kevin Durant, there is a Darius Washington Jr. Regardless, most talent evaluators liken Siva's game to another Washington product, Nate Robinson. Peyton agrees. "Yeah, and I think it's great because Nate Robinson is one of my favorite players. We're both quick guards with hops, but we both know how to play the game the right way."