Bruin Recruiting: Prep News Roundup (3/31)

By Bruin Basketball Report

Prep News Roundup is published every Monday.

Commits

Jrue Holiday- Never out to individually impress, Holiday's serious minded approach to the game has had a positive effect on the West squad since he began practicing on Monday. Primarily scoring with his unorthodox tendency to finish with his left hand in the lane, Holiday has been happy to keep the ball moving and get his points off moving without the basketball and hitting the glass. His best work was on the defensive end today where he did a sound job defending Jennings. It will be interesting to watch him defend Evans on Wednesday night. Rivals 3/25

Malcolm Lee- Lee displayed his defensive prowess locking up Demar DeRozan along with others during the West practice. At 6-foot-4, Lee can get low to the ground and move his feet with the best of them while pressuring the ball with his hands. He and Holiday are custom built for the UCLA system, but Lee is going to need some time in the weight room before he can have the impact that the physically stronger Holiday is ready to have. Rivals 3/25

Jerime Anderson did it all as a 6-foot-3 senior point guard at Canyon. He averaged 23 points, eight rebounds and six assists a game. With Anderson leading the way, Canyon went 10-0 in the Century League, won 15 in a row and reached the CIF-Southern Section Division I-A quarterfinals. Anderson, the most valuable player to an Orange County team, is the Register's county player of the year for the 2007-08 boys basketball season. OC Register 3/25

Even before the McDonald's All-American basketball game commences today in Wisconsin, Campbell Hall of North Hollywood's Jrue Holiday and Taft of Woodland Hills' Larry Drew Jr. already celebrated victories at the Powerade Jam Fest. Holiday teamed with girls' standout Nneka Ogwumike - representing Cy-Fair High of Houston - to win the team-ball competition and Drew captured the title in the 3-point contest. The UCLA-bound Holiday, who didn't arrive in Milwaukee until Monday because of flight complications that forced him to miss the first day of practice, was signed up by Ogwumike, who decided against competing as the lone female in the slam-dunk contest. Holiday and Ogwumike defeated Marlborough of Los Angeles' Nicki Speed - signed with Rutgers - and UCLA-bound Malcolm Lee of JWNorth of Riverside. Daily News 3/25

One player representative with several well-known NBA clients said agents are likely to spend at least part of the McDonald's game milling about the arena's concourse, hoping to run into players' parents, even if just to say hello. Players such as Malcolm Lee understand the game -- not just the one they play on the court but also the one agents play off it. Lee, a 6-4 guard who has signed with UCLA, said his AAU team's coach, Elvert "Kool-Aid" Perry, already has begun fielding phone calls from agents. Lee said there is no added pressure playing in front of agents. He understands they are just gathering information for what could be a significant investment on their part. Washington Post 3/25

In the four years since he arrived at North, Malcolm Lee has impressed Coach Mike Bartee as much with his unselfishness as his uncanny court vision and quick first step to the basket. When North lost several top big men before the season, Lee, who is 6-foot-5, volunteered to switch to center for the Huskies, playing out of position for the rest of the season because that's where the team needed him most. Lee still put up gaudy statistics as a senior, averaging 23.7 points per game and grabbing 7.4 rebounds among taller, stronger kids. He led the Huskies to the CIF-Southern Section Division 1-A quarterfinals, where their fourth-quarter comeback against Glendora fell two points short. "You put Malcolm on a team where he can play his natural position and he's 10 times more effective," Bartee said. "He's a natural point guard, and he played totally out of position. Press-Enterprise 3/25

The UCLA-bound Jrue Holiday had 14 points on six-for-nine shooting and the USC-bound DeRozan had 10 points on five-for-10 shooting. Holiday's highlights included a one-handed hanging flip-in, and DeRozan resembled former Trojans star Nick Young on a turnaround fadeaway jumper. North Carolina-bound guard Larry Drew Jr. of Woodland Hills Taft had seven points and five assists, and UCLA-bound guard Malcolm Lee of Riverside North had three points. LA Times 3/27

Jrue Holiday, 6-4 combo guard, UCLA: Holiday, whose game has really grown on me, showed off his skill and versatility, but all-star games aren’t really his thing–he simply plays too hard and doesn’t realize that defense isn’t a requirement, leading to things like point guards viciously banging on his head on the break. Still, he’s the only incoming Bruin recruit I see playing a whole lot next year, unless there’s an early exit or two on the current squad. SLAM 3/28

Recruits

Brendan Lane: Only a junior; has committed to the Pacific Ten Conference; has narrowed his college choices to half of said conference; may have a fear of the Atlantic Ocean. SLAM Online 3/25

Ater Majok has taken the decision to wait this long (the NCAA late-signing period runs from April 15 to May 15) to see which coaches will stay with the program and which players will stay, rather than transfer to another school or leave for the NBA Draft." Daily Telegraph 3/27

When the U.S. Albert Schweitzer Tournament basketball team plays in Saturday’s third-place game, spectators are guaranteed to get their money’s worth....Anthony Stover, a 6-10 junior from La Canada, Calif., and Brendan Lane, a 6-9 junior from Rocklin, Calif., each of whom claimed seven rebounds, ignited the U.S. break, battling the burly Spaniards in the no-holds-barred action under the boards the international game allows. “They push hard,” Stover said of the game underneath the hoop. With Stover and Co. pushing back, the U.S. launched a game-ending 11-4 run behind seven points from Walker and two from Releford. Stars and Stripes 3/29

The boys' team includes Milton Jennings of Pinewood Prep, who repeats as a first-team selection. Jennings, a 6-9 forward, is considered to be one of the top 40 juniors in the country. Jennings averaged 18.9 points, 10.6 rebounds and 4.2 blocked shots per game. He hit 50 percent from the field, 72 percent from the foul line, and was a threat from behind the arc, hitting 59 3-pointers. He is expected to announce his college decision soon. Some observers predict he will choose either Clemson or Florida. Charleston Post-Courier 3/30

(photo credit: OC Register and Daily Telegraph)