McKinleyville native Nick Moran and the Humboldt Intensity are out to prove a local perception wrong.

Moran, a basketball standout who will play at Mack High next season, is a member of the Intensity, a program founded this year by local coaches Doug and Ceva Courtemanche in an attempt to get young players in Humboldt County noticed outside of the area.

“The reason we started the team is that we really want to make these kids understand they can get noticed if they work hard,” said Ceva Courtemanche.

So far so good.

Last month Moran was scouted at a tournament in Reno and was invited to participate at the prestigious Adidas 150 Phenom Camp in San Diego, made up of the best young players in the country.

“It was a lot of fun,” said Moran. “I met a lot of kids from all over the country, from Maine, Texas and Florida, and they told us at the beginning that we were the top 150 (youth) basketball players in America right now.”

The Courtemanches were not surprised to see Nick get the attention.

“He’s very strong willed and he’s very determined,” Ceva Courtemanche said of the 5-foot, 8.5-inch prospect. “And he’s obviously athletic.”

The Intensity currently features 29 players on two teams – a 14-and-under and 13-and-under – and they practice three times a week at Jacoby Creek School. Next year, the Courtemanches hope to add two more teams to the program, including one for players as young as third or fourth graders.

“I see so much talent here,” said Ceva Courtemanche, who has coached at the youth level for several years. “I feel a lot of people here don’t really believe in Humboldt County, but where there’s a will there’s a way and we want these kids to realize they can get noticed.”

Moran is one player who has bought into that belief.

“It’s pretty hard to get noticed (up here),” said Moran, who wants to play college basketball at the Division-I level. “You’ve got to go play at these tournaments, but Ceva and Doug do a good job getting us to play at places where we can get noticed.”