Bruin Recruiting: Prep News Roundup (1/30)

By Bruin Basketball Report

Prep News Roundup published every Monday during the season.

Commits

Otay Ranch was sensing a major upset, trailing by just one entering the last quarter, before the visiting Eagles (19-3) erupted for 21 fourth-quarter points to win easily. UCLA-bound James Keefe (17 points, 13 rebounds) and Christian Hernandez (14 points, 10 rebounds) led the way for Santa Margarita. San Diego Union Tribune 1/29

It wasn't the high-scoring forward who committed to Duke that put the game on his shoulders Friday night. Nor was it the 7-foot-1 center bound for Arizona, the athletic power forward who signed with UCLA or the sleek shooting guard headed for Santa Clara. It was Kamyron Brown, a 6-1 junior point guard for Santa Ana Mater Dei who scored a career-high 19 points and helped the Monarchs, ranked No. 4 in the Southland by The Times, put a defensive stranglehold on No. 10 Santa Margarita in the fourth quarter, paving the way for a 57-47 Serra League victory at Concordia University. UCLA-bound senior James Keefe of Santa Margarita (18-3, 1-3) had a team-high 22 points and 16 rebounds, but missed his only two field-goal attempts in the fourth quarter. L.A. Times 1/27


Recruits

Leuzinger senior guard Russell Westbrook and Peninsula junior forward Jon Reed both had big nights, but it was a pair of complementary performances that made the difference for Leuzinger. Westbrook had 30 points, 12 rebounds and four steals for the Olympians. Daily Breeze 1/25

Oregon recruiting trail: Seattle was a recruiting hotbed the past few years, and now it's Oregon's turn, which is why Bruins assistant Kerry Keating has been in the state since Tuesday.
The Bruins are recruiting two juniors and two sophomores from the state. The two juniors are power forward Kevin Love, a 6-foot-9, 265-pound forward from Lake Oswego High, and 6-8, 200-pound small forward Kyle Singler from South Medford High. The two sophomores are power Andrew Poling, a 6-10, 200 pounder from Portland Westview High, and 6-2 Ameer Shansuddin from Benson Tech of Portland. L.A. Daily News 1/28

He's better than I ever was as a basketball player," Stan Love said, "and he's only a junior in high school." Kevin Love is considered one of the most versatile players in the country. He can score in the paint, but when teams try to prevent him from doing that - which OSL did in the first half yesterday - he can also move outside, where he displays a delicate touch for a player of his size. New York Daily News 1/23

I know Lake Oswego's guard play has been inconsistent. And the team has a tendency to stand around and watch superstar Kevin Love do his thing (who can blame them?). But I have given the Lakers the nod atop my weekly ballot all season because I figured Love would will the Lakers to the championship, especially considering their title-game collapse last season. But after watching South Medford travel 275 miles north, enter one of Oregon's most intimidating venues and barely blink, outmuscling, outhustling and outplaying Jefferson on Saturday, I admit that the majority of AP voters had it right. South Medford is the best team in the state. Oregonian 1/24

A handful of athletes with ties to the Rogue Valley are finalists in voting for the annual Oregon Sports Awards. The winners will be announced tonight at a banquet at the Tiger Woods Center at the Nike headquarters in Beaverton. On the prep side, South Medford High junior Kyle Singler is one of 10 finalists for the Johnny Carpenter Prep Athlete of the Year Award. Mail Tribune 1/29

Kyle Singler -- whose father Ed quarterbacked Medford (now North Medford) to a co-state football title in 1977 and played at Oregon State University -- finished with a game-high 30 points and blocked three shots for South. News-Review 1/27

Junior forward Kyle Singler pumped in 30 points and sophomore guard Michael Harthun added 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the field as the Panthers romped to a 95-64 victory over Roseburg. Mail Tribune 1/25

Strong forward Kendall Gielow (23 points, 11 rebounds), center Brent Johnson (19 points, 13 rebounds) and small forward Kyle Singler (18 points, 16 boards) all registered double-doubles. "When Singler got in foul trouble, the other guys kicked it up a notch," said Johnson, a 6-7, 230-pound senior who might be the most underrated big man in the state. "We’re not a one-man team." Mail Tribune 1/24

South Medford outscored Jefferson 20-8 in the third quarter to take command at 52-41 entering the fourth quarter. The Democrats never got closer than eight points in the fourth quarter. Gielow (23 points), Johnson (19) and junior Kyle Singler (18) combined for 60 points. Oregonian 1/22

Kyle Singler said the season has already been magical in that the Panthers have gone from being one of a handful of state title contenders at the start of the season to THE contender for the state title. Mail Tribune 1/22

There's an easy way to gauge the continued development of the South Lakes boys' basketball team. He's named Julian Vaughn. Last night in Reston, Vaughn, a 6-foot-10 junior center and one of the top recruits in the country, continued to show his tantalizing promise in a thrilling 47-46 victory over Marshall that highlighted both South Lakes's considerable talent and inconsistencies. Washington Post 1/25

James Harden and Jonathan Wills, 6-5 juniors for Artesia and the Monsoons, respectively, were marvelous and have to rate among the dozen 12 to 15 prospects among 11th graders in the Western portion of the U.S. of A. Long Beach Press-Telegram 1/24

Taft has no answers in big loss to Artesia. Sophomore Malik Story scored a game-high 13 points for Pioneers (18-1) and teammate James Harden scored 12. L.A. Daily News 1/22

James Harden, a 6-foot-6 junior, was Artesia's leading scorer against Taft with 14 points. He has scored more than 1,000 points in his brief varsity career while becoming a dependable rebounder. L.A. Times 1/22

When Fairfax's Jerren Shipp hit three straight three-point field goals to start the game for the second-ranked Lions (17-2), you knew it would be a long night for the Titans (10-11). Shipp finished with 21 points, one fewer than Poway's Todd Lowenthal. Temple recruit Matt Shaw and Chace Stanback each added 17 for Fairfax. San Diego Union Tribune 1/29

"We've grown up very quickly this season," Campbell Hall coach Terry Kelly said. "Even though we have three very good players returning from last season, we're still very young." Sophomore Jrue Holiday scored 30 points, 20 in the second half. His older brother, junior Justin Holiday, added 23 points, 17 in the second half and eight in the fourth quarter. L.A. Daily News 1/24

If anyone else in the Bay Area but Drew Gordon was standing between Decensae White and the bucket, Serra and Mitty may still be playing basketball. Gordon, the 6-foot-9 sophomore standout from Mitty, partially blocked White's last-second layup attempt after a three-quarter court drive as the Monarchs held on for the gritty 50-48 West Catholic Athletic League victory. San Francisco Chronicle 1/29

Larry Drew scored eight points and had eight assists, six in the fourth quarter, and three steals. Haynes finished with 19 points and teammate Anthony Edwards added 10. "There was never any doubt about this game," Drew said. "When we play team basketball, we're unstoppable." L.A. Daily News 1/26

(BruinBasketballReport.com)

(photo credit: uclabruins.collegesports.com)