Bruin Recruiting: Prep News Roundup (5/8)

By Bruin Basketball Report

Prep News Roundup published periodically during the offseason.

Recruits

Brandon Jennings, PG, Los Angeles Dominguez: As the top pure point guard in his class, Brandon Jennings has led the SoCal All Stars to a couple event championships, including the prestigious Kingwood Classic. A cat quick lefty, Jennings has both an explosive burst to the basket and a solid pull up game in the mid-range. He shoots the traditional pull up off the dribble well and ha the body control and touch to have a very effective floater/runner. His shot from three is looking better, but he does have room for improvement on his catch and shoot from three and his ability to finish with his right hand around the basket. Even better than his scoring, though, is his feel for creating scoring opportunities for his teammates. With his exceptionally quick feet and hands, Jennings is a tremendous pressure defender in the backcourt. He does need to get stronger to keep bigger guards from overpowering him around the lane area. Gator Bait 5/4

Luke Babbitt, PF, Reno (Nev.) Galena: Multifaceted left handed forward Luke Babbitt averaged 10.5 points and 6 rebounds for the USA team in the Albert Schweitzer Tournament in Germany and then came home to help the Las Vegas Prospects win the Double Pump Spring Classic. An excellent post up player, Babbitt knows how to physically seal off his man, has exceptional footwork and can finish with touch to either shoulder. As a rebounder he hunts down the ball. He is also a threat facing the basket where he can both put it on the floor and shoot the three. Defensively, Babbitt works hard to keep the ball out of his man's hands in the post, since he is not a huge shot blocking threat. On the perimeter, he is a capable defender, but he does have room to improve his lateral quickness. Gator Bait 5/4

Arizona State coach Herb Sendek has signed his first recruit in Jerren Shipp, a shooting guard from Los Angeles and the younger brother of UCLA's Josh Shipp. Jerren Shipp, listed anywhere from 6 feet 3 to 6-5, averaged 17 points and six rebounds last season at Fairfax High. Several Pac-10 schools, including UCLA, recruited him, but he said he didn't want to play on the same team as Josh, a sophomore for the Bruins last season. Arizona Republic 5/4

The Pioneers finished the season 33-1, ranked fifth in the nation by USA Today...And they couldn't have done any of it without James Harden's help. The 6-foot-5 junior averaged 18.8 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.7 steals a game. Healso shot 63 percent from the field and was so versatile, he even guarded Santa Margarita's James Keefe, a 6-9 McDonald's All-American center headed to UCLA. In the state final, Harden capped his remarkable season by scoring 21 points and pulling down eight rebounds. And once the season was over, the awards started flooding in. Harden was selected the Cal Hi Sports State Junior of the Year, the Division III John Wooden Award winner and just for good measure, Suburban League MVP. "James would be the first to tell you that all the credit goes to the rest of the team," Pera said. "But he has a chance to be a special player and what's most impressive about him, is that he did it all within the framework of the team. Press Telegram 5/3

Alex Legion, a 6-4 junior from Detroit who has backed out of a verbal commitment to Michigan, tells rivals.com he has a final list of Michigan, Villanova, UCLA, Kansas, Illinois, UConn, Arizona and Louisville. Legion will attend Oak Hill Academy in Virginia his senior season. Lawrence Journal-World 5/2

(BruinBasketballReport.com)