Never met a person like class of 19' Jacob Ray. He's like James Brown: the "hardest working man in show business!" I asked Billy Knight, of UCLA fame and now the assistant general manager of the Suns D-League team, to speak on J-Ray, "Jacob is coachable and has this tremendous focus, which is a skill just like shooting is.”

“Jacob is resilient. I used to run a lot of sand workouts that me and Derek Fisher would do - exhausting pro level training that was created by Navy seals. Many of the kids would last only a couple of sessions, but Jacob came back again and again. His desire and heart was tremendous."

I think Jacob Ray is like Neo from the Matrix, because he has this rare ability that I've only seen in a few prep kids: he approaches every situation in a game with tremendous "tai chi focus" and confidence.

Sean Green, former NBA player who was a guard for the Philadelphia 76s, mentored Jacob and spoke of him, "This kid really gets it. When I saw him handle the press break in his freshman year for Crossroads, he was 'cool under pressure.'

“I knew just from his energy that he was special. We trained together from time to time and I saw his development first hand. I feel that no matter what he does in life, he is going to excel and make his own mark. His game is poised, highly skilled, and crafty."

Me, I’ve written 700 stories on pros, college kids, prepsters and I've never met people so genuine like Jacob and his family.

Why do I think Jacob will change the world? He reminds me of my high school teammate and buddy in 88', named Paul Sams, who went on be the CEO of Blizzard Games. He invented Warcraft, created the first massively online game MMO that changed how people interact.

Paul, like Neo, was out to make the world more interconnected, more human. Jacob Ray reminds me of Paul Sams because at an early age both have a burning ambition in life, they both want to make the world a better place.

I felt strongly to do Jacob's story because this kid has no "haters", he's extremely polite, humble.

His mom, Ria, is a fantastically gifted healer and artist, world renown for helping her clients "embrace life." She overcame a family tragedy at 27, where sadly, she lost all her immediate family. To me, Ria Ray is like the "Rising Phoenix” in the way she overcame that adversity.

She was reborn to dedicate her life to people, and has carefully placed this team of academic and athletic "mentors" around Jacob. It epitomizes the "it takes a village" approach to helping her son actualize his human and sports potential.

Ria says, "I think the best thing we have done for him is to allow Jacob to listen to himself, to trust his own steps and to keep believing in himself."

So why is Jacob Ray like Neo from the Matrix? Because he'll make proud whichever program he plays for after high school and it all goes back to his mom. In the Matrix, Neo had Morpheus, that transformative guide. Ria is that for her son.

Just as Morpheus in the movie offers Neo a choice: "After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill - the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill - you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes."

In part two, you’ll see what the real Jacob Ray is about and what his dad, his trainers, coaches and mentors have to say... and why we think he has a heart of gold.