Bruin Recruiting: Prep News Roundup (11/5)

By Bruin Basketball Report

Prep News Roundup is published every Monday.

Commits

Tickets to the Tournament of Champions at Ocean View High (Dec. 10-15) and the "National" division of the Holiday Prep Classic at Torrey Pines High in Del Mar (Dec. 26-29) will serve as marvelous pre- and post-Christmas gifts for the hard-core basketball fans in your acquaintance. The 36th TOC (this will be the 20th consecutive year it's been held at Ocean View after spending its first 16 Decembers in Pomona) has a 20-team field that includes Compton, led by USC-bound Demar DeRozan, Campbell Hall, with UCLA-committed Jrue Holiday, Westchester, which is no worse than one of the three-best teams in the L.A. City and one of the top 10 clubs in California, Santa Margarita, J.W. North, led by another future Bruin in Malcolm Lee, Pasadena and Harvard-Westlake. Press-Telegram 10/29

Campbell Hall (North Hollywood, Calif.) 33-1 (18): State junior player of the year and UCLA commit Jrue Holiday leads a team with three returning starters. If Compton's DeMar DeRozan isn't the state's top prospect, then it has to be the smooth, 6-foot-3 Holiday, who averaged 22.9 points, 9.1 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 3.9 steals per game last season. MO Sports 10/29

How would you compare your top PG prospects across the following four-year period? Javaris Crittenton (2006) vs. Derrick Rose (2007) vs. Jrue Holiday (2008) vs. John Wall (2009)? Which PG would you pick if you were starting a team from scratch? Does UCLA have a shot at Jeremy Tyler? ...But if I'm starting a team from scratch, I'm taking Holiday because of the complete nature of his game. He is the best defender and rebounder of the four. In fact, he is one of the best perimeter defenders that I've seen since I've been scouting. Offensively, he can make all the plays. He can score in any fashion and has a great feel for passing the ball as well. In starting a team, Holiday brings a stability and polish to the point guard position that would be tough to match. And yes, UCLA does have a shot at the No. 1 player in the 2010 class. In fact, the Bruins are the team to beat in the recruitment of Tyler. Rivals 11/1

This will be a unique season for a South Bay team in many respects. The Monarchs will be playing in two national-level events, and they will appear on national television at least once, and possibly twice. Simply, this has to be the most ambitious schedule ever undertaken by a Santa Clara County team. There are certainly a lot of expectations for Coach Brian Eagleson’s group, coming off an overtime loss in the state Division II championship, and with three committed Division I players returning, including UCLA recruit Drew Gordon. Mercury News 11/2

Eight California teams are featured in Rivals.com's Fab 50 preseason national boys' basketball poll, including Taft of Woodland Hills and Campbell Hall of North Hollywood. The Toreadors, who feature Larry Drew (North Carolina), Eugene Phelps (Long Beach State) and Justin Hawkins (UNLV), are No. 15 and Campbell Hall, led by UCLA-bound Jrue Holiday, is 49th. Daily News 11/3

Recruits

South Oak Cliff (Dallas, Texas) senior center J’Mison Morgan committed to LSU on Friday. The 6-foot-10, 260-pounder is rated the nation’s No. 32 overall boys’ basketball recruit in the Class of 2008 by RISE. Morgan, who picked the Tigers over Kansas, UCLA, Alabama and Cincinnati, averaged 9.2 points, 9.6 rebounds and 5.0 blocks per game last year to help lead South Oak Cliff to its third consecutive Class 4A state title. He blocked six shots in the 54-42 victory over Beaumont Ozen (Beaumont, Texas) in the state finals. Morgan has tremendous upside considering how skilled he is despite missing basketball most of his eighth- and ninth-grade years while having surgery to correct being knock-kneed. Now healthy, he has a chance to be a tremendous inside force in college. RISE 11/2

Fairfax High junior forward Renardo Sidney and Brooklyn (N.Y.) Lincoln junior guard Lance Stephenson are scheduled to visit USC this weekend. LA Times 11/2

The Trojans are also in the hunt for the No. 1-ranked prospects from the class of 2009 and 2010, Renardo Sidney and Jeremy Tyler. Both came to USC's Galen Center, which opened last season, for midnight madness. If the Trojans stay this hot on the recruiting trail, soon there will be two powerhouse college basketball programs in Los Angeles. Rivals 11/3

(photo credit: SI)