Bruin Recruiting: Prep News Roundup (4/10)

Prep News Roundup published periodically during the offseason.

Commits

MICDS point guard Mustafa Abdul-Hamid saw what Harvard had to offer when he made an official visit, but on a recent trip to UCLA he felt more at home and found what he was looking for.So Abdul-Hamid committed to walk on to the UCLA basketball team rather than head to Harvard or any of the other schools recruiting him. Bruin Basketball Report 4/7


Recruits

Don't be surprised if, part deux: UCLA wins the chase for Oregon juniors Kevin Love and Kyle Singler, who are merely the second-ranked power and small forward prospects, respectively, in the country. Mercury News 4/8

Former Bruin great Walt Hazzard, as requested by coach Howland, agreed last week to give up his No. 42 for recruit Kevin Love if he decides to sign with the Bruins. Love, a 6-foot-9-inch junior from Lake Oswego, Ore., is Howland's top recruit for the Class of 2007. Howland is forbidden by NCAA rules to talk about potential recruits, but he explained the situation. "We're recruiting a player right now – kids get attached to a number, which is understandable – who wears No. 42," Howland said. "So I asked permission from Walt and explained who this kid was, who I can't mention right now because it would be illegal, but he was great and very gracious. (He said) absolutely, whatever is going to help the program get a good player. That's what he wanted." Daily Bruin 4/6

OAK HILL TRANSFER: Alex Legion, a 6-4 swingman in Detroit, is expected to transfer to Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill. Legion had committed to Michigan, but has decided to re-open the recruiting process. At Oak Hill, Legion will play alongside guard Nolan Smith, who is committed to Duke, and 6-8 Mike Beasley, who is committed to Charlotte. The commitment by Beasley, ranked the No. 2 junior in the country by Scout.com, might waver since new Kansas State coach Bob Huggins has added Charlotte assistant Dalonte Hill to his staff. Legion is ranked No. 11 and Smith No. 16 by Scout.com. News and Observer 4/9

Michigan officials are not allowed to comment on unsigned recruits. During his previous recruitment, Alex Legion was also considering Illinois, North Carolina, UCLA and Michigan State. But the Spartans may no longer be a consideration after they received verbals from three Class of 2007 guard/wing players in December and January. Detroit Free Press 4/6

Alex Legion's short-term plan is to leave the state.The question is if his long-range plans still include Michigan.Legion, one of the Michigan's top high school basketball players, will transfer from Detroit Country Day to Oak Hill (Va.) Academy for his senior season. And he has withdrawn his oral commitment to attend U-M, his mother, Annette Williams, said Wednesday night.Legion was unavailable for comment.Tim Green, Legion's AAU coach with whom Legion has been living, declined comment.Legion, a 6-foot-5 guard/forward, was ranked No. 6 in The Detroit News' preseason Top 25, the highest rating of any junior.This past season he was named first-team Class B All-State for the second consecutive season. The Detroit News 4/6

Alex Legion, who committed to Michigan last November and is regarded as the state's top junior, reopened his recruiting Wednesday according to TheWolverine.com. He'll also transfer from Detroit Country Day to Oak Hill (Va.) Academy. Legion was the highest-profile recruit Michigan coach Tommy Amaker landed since arriving in Ann Arbor in 2001, ranked No. 11 in the country by Scout.com and No. 15 by Rivals.com. He's a 6-foot-5-inch shooting guard, who Legion's mentor and guardian, Tim Green, described as a cross between NBA stars Ray Allen and Tracy McGrady. MLive 4/6

More stars who have reopened their recruitment in the wake of coaching changes are top-50 junior guard Chris Wright (de-committed from N.C. State) and top-150 senior Lawrence Westbrook (Iowa State), among others. Then again, the de-commitments are a common occurrence with or without coaching turnover. Prized Michigan commitment Alex Legion, a top-25 junior, is transferring to Oak Hill Academy and inviting new schools to evaluate — and no doubt offer a scholarship — him this spring and summer. USA Today 4/10

The South Bay's top scorer was Westchester's Brett Goodwell with nine points. Leuzinger's Russell Westbrook had six points and Carson's Cal State Fullerton-bound Marcellus Cullors had five points."It's a great opportunity to play in games like this and give people a show and represent for our cities," Westbrook said. "Unfortunately, we didn't win." Daily Breeze 4/9

(BruinBasketballReport.com)

(photo credit: Community Student Athlete SCORE Michael Sackett)