Bruin Recruiting: Prep News Roundup (1/8)

By Bruin Basketball Report

Prep News Roundup is published every Monday.

Commits

Having to take on Lake Oswego phenom Kevin Love is hard enough when he's not hitting 3/4-court shots at the buzzer.  But Love did just that at Thursday's Les Schwab Invitational at Liberty High School, and the Lakers cruised past Aloha, 53-38. Oregonian 1/2

Say goodbye to the No. 1 ranking in the state and a long unbeaten streak that dated all the way back to last year’s preseason. Both of those lofty achievements disappeared last weekend when the defending state champion Lake Oswego boys basketball team lost to South Medford last Friday at the Les Schwab Invitational. Kevin Love. Lake Oswego Review 1/3

Kevin Love the UCLA recruit and the nation's top-ranked senior was featured in television highlights on Fox Sports North's coverage, he drew "oohs" when he drained two consecutive three-pointers during warmups, and a massive block during the game earned a "whoa!" Must be pretty heady stuff for a high school senior, right? "Nope, not for me," he said with a chuckle. "It's easy, actually. I come from a family that keeps me grounded and humble. I don't feel any pressure. I just take it in stride. I do know that people are watching me closely. That keeps me going to improve." St. Paul Pioneer Press 1/7

Kevin Love scored 41 points as Lake Oswego, Oregon's top-ranked team, defeated Osseo 74-58. He also had 14 rebounds and seven assists. He drew loud applause on a reverse slam in the first half, and in the second half he blocked a shot by Osseo's Zack Peterson, a 7-foot junior center, and had a jaw-dropping behind-the-back pass to a teammate for an easy basket. St. Paul Pioneer Press 1/7

Kevin Love fell three points short of the Shootout scoring record; Duluth East's Rick Rickert scored 44 against Potomac, Va., during the 2000-01 season. Love, ranked as the top senior center in the country by most scouting services, also had seven assists and three blocked shots for the Lakers (9-1). "Oh, he's excellent," said 7-foot, 300-pound Osseo junior center Zach Peterson. "Without a doubt, a Division I player, an NBA player." Minneapolis Star Tribune 1/7

Recruits

Renardo Sidney (Artesia) is the top choice. His focus seems to waver at times and he settles for far too many jump shots on the offensive end. And Sidney, the off-season move-in from Mississippi, is incredibly raw, fundamentally. But if continues to work hard on and off the court (remember, even the best high school players need a year's time from their classes' graduation before they can enter the draft, so guys need to be eligible to play in college) and realizes he has a lot to learn about the game, well ... yeah. The proverbial sky is the proverbial limit. Press-Telegram 1/2

St. Andrew's held off a late rally by Campbell Hall in the closing seconds to win a squeaker as a last-second Campbell shot just missed its target, 79-77. Campbell Hall forward Jrue Holiday and St. Andrew's forward Rakim Sanders went toe-to-toe all night long, with Holiday winning the individual scoring battle 28-25 but losing the game. Delmarva Daily Times 1/4

Galena trailed 37-34 at halftime, but outscored Cheyenne 33-18 in the second half. Mauer said he believed that Luke Babbitt had a triple double - a more impressive, untraditional triple double at that - in points, rebounds and blocked shots. Mauer estimated that Babbitt, who scored 37 points, also had about a dozen blocks and rebounds. "He did a phenomenal job," Mauer said. Nevada Appeal 1/5

King, a senior for Santa Ana Mater Dei, put those demons to rest by scoring a career-high 41 points in a 90-58 victory over host Santa Margarita in the Trinity League opener for both teams....The Monarchs played without 6-8 sophomore forward Andy Brown, who injured his hip in the loss to Artesia but should be back soon, King said. Another sophomore, 6-10 forward David Wear, picked up the slack by scoring 18 points. LA Times 1/5

But the ranking that is most important to the Pioneers these days is from the Suburban League, where Artesia sits in first place after Friday's 80-40 rout of host Glenn in the league opener for both teams. Sophomore Renardo Sidney scored 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds for the Pioneers (13-0, 1-0), ranked eighth in the nation in the latest USA Today poll. Press-Telegram 1/5

With Jones and Mitty's blue-chip junior Drew Gordon colliding in the seventh game of their always-compelling rivalry, the two repeated their first matchup of a year ago and provided more defense than offense. Gordon scored all of his eight points in the first half and pulled down 10 rebounds and had four blocks. Jones scored six points on 3-of-10 shooting, but finished with 17 rebounds and five blocked shots. San Francisco Chronicle 1/6

Brothers Justin and Jrue Holiday traveled with the Campbell Hall of North Hollywood boys' basketball team to Minnesota for the Timberwolves Shootout and helped the Vikings to a 71-61 victory over Hopkins of Minnetonka, Minn., on Saturday, but they didn't have the opportunity to fully enjoy the victory.  Their grades were more important. LA Daily News 1/6

University of Washington recruit Justin Holiday scored 28 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to power the North Hollywood, Calif., team past Minnesota's two-time defending Class AAAA champion. Jrue Holiday had 20 points and 12 rebounds for the Vikings (11-1). Blake Hoffarber had 24 points for Hopkins (9-1). St. Paul Pioneer Press 1/7

The Galena High boys basketball team couldn't sustain its level of play in the second half in a 63-56 loss at Bishop Gorman on Saturday in Las Vegas. Luke Babbitt scored 17 points, Brice Crook had 14 points and Eric Maupin added 11 points for Galena. Nevada Appeal 1/7

(photo credit: Minneapolis Star Tribune and Press-Telegram)