Placer's Rector reaches milestones days apart

In a program with decades of history, Kannon Rector has already carved out a place among Placer High School's all-time greats — and he's only a junior. Rector broke the school's career assists record on Jan. 22 in an 81-55 victory over River Valley in Auburn, surpassing Jim Carroll's all-time mark of 328 between 1990 and 1993. In Monday's lopsided win at Del Campo, Rector scored his 1,000th career point to become the latest Hillman to reach the milestone while redefining the role of a point guard in the process. Placer head coach Nate Swesey said Rector's impact goes far beyond the numbers. "He's a great, great leader and a great point guard," Swesey said. "We follow his lead. He loves to get the ball to everybody else, and that's what makes him special. To be the career assist leader as a junior, with over a year left, at a program like Placer, is a big deal." Rector's teammates have felt that influence for years, particularly senior guard Emmett Rose, one primary beneficiary of Rector's court vision. "He's the best teammate I could ask for," Rose said. "I came here my sophomore year and he was a freshman, and we kind of just locked in from there. He's always finding me. Honestly, I'm a little surprised he didn't break the assist record sooner." Rose said what separates Rector is his creativity and the trust he builds with those around him. "You won't even know he's going to pass it to you," Rose said. "Some of the passes he makes are just ridiculous. He trusts me, and that makes it easier to play." Rector is also within reach of Carroll's all-time points record of 1,689 and is averaging 15.7 points per game this season. Despite the milestones, Rector has remained focused on the bigger picture as Placer pushes toward another Foothill Valley League title and a Sac-Joaquin Section championship. "It means a lot, but I'm not really worried about that stuff right now," Rector said. "I'm thankful for my teammates helping me get there, but I'm worried about the next game. We're just taking it one game at a time." That approach, Swesey said, is what makes Rector's achievements resonate even more. "He's a student of the game," Swesey said. "He loves basketball, he watches film, and he does whatever it takes to help this team win." With more than a season still ahead of him, Rector's place in Placer history is already secure but his story is far from finished as he looks to lead the Hillmen to their first basketball section title since 1988. Placer is 22-2 overall and is the top-ranked Division III team in the Sac-Joaquin Section.