Bruin Recruiting: Prep News Roundup (5/15)

By Bruin Basketball Report

Prep News Roundup published periodically during the offseason.

Recruits

The Cal Bears received their second commitment of the spring in 6-7/205 small forward Omondi Amoke this weekend. The 4 star Oxnard (CA) HS wing joined power forward Harper Kamp who earlier committed to the Bears last month. "I was up with my father (Ruben) this weekend," said Amoke. "I had a chance to check out the dorms and see the campus and I also had a chance to hang out with some of the players – Theo Robertson and Jordan Wilkes - and some of the guys. They were all really cool. "I really liked it up there," he continued. "It’s a real nice campus and all the guys on the team had great things to say about the area." Amoke is a strong student, with a 3.3 grade point average at Oxnard. Bear Insider 5/14

Luke Babbitt is only a sophomore, but he's generating strong interest from some of the elite programs in the country. Babbitt, a 6-foot-7 power forward from Galena High in Reno, Calif., is currently being recruited by the likes of UCLA, Washington, Arizona, Duke and Georgetown, among other programs. Babbitt is very skilled for a young prospect, with the ability to play equally well on the perimeter or in the paint. He should end up among the top 25 players in the country for 2008. FoxSports 5/12

Corbin Moore, a 6-9 sophomore center from Los Alamitos High in Los Alamitos, Calif., told us recently that he's been receiving early interest from UCLA, Arizona, Stanford, Washington and Notre Dame. Moore said that UCLA has been his favorite school for some time, as his father graduated from UCLA and his sister is currently a freshman in Westwood. Moore has a nice face-up game and he moves well for a young big man. With continued development, we expect him to be among the top post players in the west for 2008. FoxSports 5/12

Power of the internet: “I am still committed to Arizona," Jerryd Bayless told Scout.com West Coast Recruiting Analyst Greg Hicks. That is the power of the internet. Because the original writer got erroneous information, you’d assume from a trusted source, suddenly people all over the country and the world were scrambling to learn more about what was going on with Bayless. I myself was blindsided. I was watching the Suns/Lakers game and logged on the computer after it was done. It was pushing 11:00 when I read the news. I was scrambling to find out why my sources did not call me. Only an hour later did I learn, they could not inform me because they could not tell me about something that did not happen. Scout.com 5/11

Out west, Reno, Nevada, forward Luke Babbitt has nearly every elite program in the country pursuing him. And in California, Troy Gillenwater and Drew Gordon are potential five-star material. Gordon established himself as a top prospect while on the circuit last summer. Guillenwater put his name on the national map this spring with a strong showing against five-star 2007 prospect Gary Johnson in Las Vegas. West coast guard play California is also very strong at the guard position. Brandon Jennings of the SoCal All Stars makes a strong claim as the best pure point guard in the class. Californians Jrue Holiday, Larry Drew and Nate Garth are also exceptional with the ball in their hands. WVSports 5/11

"You see kids changing their minds all over the country, this isn't just a Michigan issue," Amaker said from his office Wednesday. "I don't think in any of those instances it had to do with something we did or didn't do."It was more about what a kid and their family wanted to do." Detroit Country Day junior standout Alex Legion was the latest recruit to change his mind. Legion, a 6-foot-5 guard/forward, reopened the recruiting process last month and intends to play his senior season at Oak Hill (Va.) Academy. UofMSports 5/11

The Arizona Cactus Classic is expected to attract many of the region's top elite-level players and their AAU teams to McKale Center next weekend. According to event organizer Jim Storey, among those expected to attend include Alex Jacobson, Jamelle Horne, Gary Johnson, Brandon Jennings, Kevin Love, Kamyron Brown and Jai Lucas.Jacobson and Horne have verbally committed to Arizona, while Johnson (2007), Brown (2007) and Jennings (2008) are UA targets. Brown is the cousin of UA assistant Miles Simon, and Lucas is the son of former NBA coach John Lucas. It is unknown whether point guard Jerryd Bayless will participate, Storey said. Bayless, who committed to the UA in November, is the subject of speculation that he is now considering other schools. AZstarnet 5/11

Dallas power forward Anthony Randolph also moved into the top ten, going from No. 25 to No. 7. "Although he is at No. 7 right now, Randolph has the type of talent to move up even higher in the rankings," Meyer said. "He is an extremely long and athletic player that can play inside and out. The question is can he discipline his game enough to be a productive player night in and night out." WVSports 5/10

Most of the "hyped" guys in the Top 20 Junior game apparently thought it was a "No Defense Day," although James Harden of Artesia showed enough glimpses to demonstrate why he's the top prospect in the Southern California Class of 2007. Press Telegram 5/9

(BruinBasketballReport.com)