Bruin Recruiting: Prep News Roundup (1/16)

By Bruin Basketball Report

Prep News Roundup published every Monday during the season.

Commits

Santa Margarita forward James Keefe might not play Wednesday when the Eagles, ranked No. 7 in the Southland by The Times, play host to No. 3 Santa Ana Mater Dei in a Serra League boys' basketball opener for both teams, Coach Jerry DeBusk said.Keefe, a 6-foot-8 senior who signed with UCLA, injured his back in the opening-round game of the Orange tournament on Dec. 26, when his legs were cut out from under him as he grabbed a rebound, causing him to land on the outstretched legs of another player, DeBusk said. L.A. Times (1/11)

Santa Margarita All-County forward James Keefe might not play because of a bruised and sore back. "We're preparing as if he's going to play," Mater Dei coach Gary McKnight said. Keefe is a gamer, so that back hurts a lot if he does not play tonight. O.C. Register (1/11)

Anyway, the importance of the game returned Santa Margarita senior forward James Keefe to the court. He had played only briefly in one game since injuring his back Dec.26. Wearing protective padding under his jersey, Keefe was magnificent, scoring 26 points and making six shots in a row in the second half. Like the best ones, Keefe plays his best in the biggest games. Same with Mater Dei junior Taylor King. King scored 26, too, with one of the county's top defensive players, long-armed Jonathan Gunderson, all over him. O.C. Register (1/13)


Prospects

Russell Westbrook said he's learning to expect teams building defensive game plans to stop him and wants to learn how to use it to improve. Daily Breeze (1/11)

Russell Westbrook, a 6-2 senior guard from Lawndale, Calif., chose not to sign in the fall and that's looking like a good decision. Westbrook scored 51 points in a game recently and he is having a great senior year. UCLA and Washington State are evaluating Westbrook and we think he'll likely end up at a high major program after having mostly mid major offers in the fall. FoxSports (1/12)

Russell Westbrook had 26 points, 10 rebounds and six steals and visiting Leuzinger (16-2, 2-0) rallied from a six-point halftime deficit. Daily Breeze (1/14)

Kevin Love, the top junior big man in the nation, has three favorites, and two of them are in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Although he has not officially narrowed his list, Love has said Duke, North Carolina and UCLA are at the top of it. Kansas and Ohio State are not far behind. Love is a 6-9, 265-pound power forward/center from Lake Oswego (Ore.) High School. He is ranked No. 3 in the junior class. Fayetteville Online (1/10)

Junior Kevin Love had 24 points and 15 rebounds and senior Mike McLaughlin added 17 points and 10 rebounds to lead No. 2 Lake Oswego to a 69-42 home win over No. 8 Clackamas in a Three Rivers League boys basketball game Tuesday. Love also had six blocks and five assists for the Lakers, who led 60-20 early in the fourth quarter. The Oregonian (1/11)

Lake Oswego (9-3, 3-0) emerged with a win, thanks to their 6-foot-10 powerhouse, Kevin Love. The junior restored order by making two free throws with four seconds left and finished with 44 points, 14 rebounds and six assists in a 70-67 victory The Oregonian (1/14)

"They might be. I don't think anyone would argue with you if you said this was the best group of players ever." The centerpieces are Kevin Love and Kyle Singler, both ranked among the top six nationally in the Class of 2007 by recruiting Web sites rivals.com and scout.com. Love, a 6-foot-10 junior forward, last season became the first sophomore to win state player of the year and routinely draws comparisons to Sitton and Washington, arguably the most dominant prep players in state history. The Oregonian (1/10)

“I thought Seth did a good job on Kyle Singler,” Crawford said. “We played man-to-man the whole game, and Seth played well.” Singler finished with 17 South Medford points, while Harthun had 18. Herald and News (1/11)

The Blue Devils doubled up with a second top-25-caliber player Thursday, when junior forward Taylor King of California also made a verbal commitment. Taylor, who originally committed to UCLA, picked the Blue Devils over Villanova and Gonzaga. Herald-Sun (1/13)

The South Lakes boys basketball team (8-4,5-0) won its sixth consecutive game, and remained undefeated in the Liberty District with a 60-47 win over W.T. Woodson Monday at Woodson.Curtis Keys led the charge with 16 points while Julian Vaughn chipped in 15 points and 13 rebounds for his second consecutive double-double. The Connection Newspapers (1/11)

Junior Kamyron Brown of Santa Ana Mater Dei has taken over full-time point guard duties this season, replacing Mike Gerrity, who is currently leading Pepperdine in scoring, assists and steals. L.A. Times (1/14)

Larry Drew scored 21 points and added nine rebounds and four assists. Teammate Garrett Green had seven points and 12 rebounds. L.A. Daily News (1/14)

Senior guard Patrick Christopher and junior guard Quinton Watkins each scored 25 points and senior guard Dezon Otis added 15 as the Dons began SGVL play by beating the Gladiators 93-75 at Dominguez. Press Telegram (1/12)

Dominguez is led by 6-foot-5 senior guard Patrick Christopher, who's signed with Cal, 6-4 junior guard Quinton Watkins and 6-1 sophomore point guard Brandon Jennings.
All three are athletic and all three can score. Press-Telegram (1/11)

Senior guard Patrick Christopher scored 17 points and sophomore guard Brandon Jennings had 15 as Dominguez avenged an earlier loss to Westchester by beating the Comets 69-52 at the Dream Classic Invitational at Hope International University. Press Telegram (1/15)

Jrue Holiday, the top shooting guard in West Coast class of 2008, is drawing early interest from UCLA, Washington, Stanford, Florida State and Arizona. Coaches from those programs have already visited Holiday at Campbell Hall High in North Hollywood, Calif., this season. Holiday, a terrific scorer, is quick enough to guard point guards and strong enough to play the two. With continued development, he has a chance to be among the elite guards in the country for 2008. FoxSports (1/12)

Gordon out: Mitty's Drew Gordon, one of the country's top sophomore centers, will miss his second straight game tonight after receiving two technical fouls in his team's WCAL opener last week. S.F. Chronicle (1/10)

The Monarchs (12-4, 3-2) didn't need a big game from their marquee player, 6-9 sophomore center Drew Gordon, who had just nine points, eight rebounds and four blocks. S.F. Chronicle (1/15)

Zane Johnson's play has been the one constant for Thunderbird this season.He has scored at least 30 points five times, even though he is often double- and triple-teamed. He is also averaging more than eight rebounds a game, to go along with close to five assists. AZCentral.com (1/11)

However, another post player has caught the eyes of several Northwest coaches: Westview center Andy Poling. The 6-11 sophomore is making a name for himself in his second season for the Wildcats. As of Jan. 7, he was averaging 17.8 points, up from 12 last season. The Oregonian (1/12)

Andy Poling, Westview basketball: Poling, a sophomore, scored eight of the Wildcats' 10 points in overtime during Westview's 69-66 win against Beaverton last Thursday. He converted all four of his free-throw attempts and added two field goals, finishing with a season-high 34 points. The Oregonian (1/12)

“That guy is good,” said the La Marque boys basketball coach of 6-foot-8 sophomore Luke Babbitt, who scored 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds as the Grizzlies pulled out a 62-58 overtime win over the Cougars. Galveston County Daily News (1/9)

Luke Babbitt powered the inside to lead Galena with a 20-point performance, including a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line. Lahontan Valley News (1/12)

(BruinBasketballreport.com)