Bruin Recruiting: Prep News Roundup (4/14)

By Bruin Basketball Report

Prep News Roundup is published every Monday.

Commits

In our current team recruiting rankings, UCLA is No. 2 in the country. The backcourt should be in good shape even though the Bruins might lose all three starting guards. Three talented guards - Jrue Holiday, Jerime Anderson and Malcolm Lee - are on their way and will work well together in Howland's three-guard offense. The only problem is that they are all freshmen. To replace Love in the middle, there is incoming freshman Drew Gordon. A different player than Love, Gordon is a top-level athlete with a high motor. However, he is limited offensively. His game is centered on his ability to outrun opponents down the court and out work/out jump them around the basket. Rivals 4/11

Incoming Bruin big man, Drew Gordon scored 15 and grabbed 7 rebounds to help lead the USA Select basketball team to a 98-78 victory over the World Select team at the 11th Annual Nike Hoop Summit held at the Rose Garden in Portland. Gordon demonstrated the type of athleticism and hustle he will bring to Westwood next season. Gordon added four blocks and seemingly was always around the action in his 18 minutes of play. The USA roster included four players who are committed to play at UCLA next fall. The group included Gordon and guards Jrue Holiday, Malcolm Lee, and Jerime Anderson. Three of the Bruins, Gordon, Holiday, and Lee were in USA's starting line-up. Bruin Basketball Report 4/13

Drew Gordon and Demar DeRozan sat side by side at the post-Nike Hoop Summit press conference, offering insights into a 98-78 victory for the U.S. Junior National Select Team over the World Select Team on Saturday at the Rose Garden. It didn't take them long to start talking about the future. Gordon, from San Jose, Calif., is bound for UCLA next year. DeRozan, from Compton, Calif., is headed to USC. Oregonian 4/13

Fueled by seven points from Jrue Holiday (Campbell Hall H.S./ North Hollywood, Calif.), the USA posted an 11-0 run over the first four minutes of the third quarter to open a comfortable 54-42 lead and then rolled on to a comfortable 98-78 victory over the World Select Team in the 11th Nike Hoop Summit held Saturday at the Rose Garden in Portland, Ore. USA Basketball 4/13

Recruits

Now, there is an interesting rumor involving J'Mison Morgan which is gaining legs. Word is circulating that Morgan would like to get out of his Letter of Intent with LSU and is looking at UCLA, which was one of his final schools before picking LSU. We will see if anything comes of this, but there would certainly be an opportunity for the five-star center at UCLA assuming Love leaves. If the Bruins were to land a post talent like Morgan, it certainly would help their chances of making it four Final Fours in a row.Rivals 4/11

In the end, Milton Jennings’ decision about where to play college basketball wasn’t that hard after all. “I am officially committing to Clemson,” the 6-9 junior at Pinewood Prep told The Post and Courier earlier this week. “I want to be an in-state memory.” Only a junior, Jennings, 17, has another year of high school basketball ahead of him and could have strung this decision out for many more months. But he has been recruited by some of the country’s top schools since he was a ninth-grader and thought it was time to stop the madness. Charleston Post and Courier 4/8

Upon returning from the Final Four this week, UCLA coach Ben Howland offered to hop on a plane and visit standout recruit Milton Jennings if it might delay his college decision. Howland didn't make the trip, knowing it would be a waste of time. Jennings, a 6-foot-9 forward from Pinewood Prep, said he basically made up his mind early. He committed to Clemson over UCLA, Florida, Georgetown and South Carolina. Myrtle Beach Online 4/11

Memphis and Kansas are rivals on the court tonight and recruiting every night. “We go against Kansas more than anybody else in recruiting,” Calipari said. The two are after Oklahoma City sensation Xavier Henry, son of former KU player Carl Henry. The coaches can’t discuss specific recruits in accordance with NCAA rules. KU Sports 4/8

Putnam City guard Xavier Henry said Monday that he would have to reconsider his favorite schools if Kansas coach Bill Self left Lawrence for Oklahoma State. "If he was to leave, I won't say I wouldn't consider Kansas anymore, but I'd have to re-evaluate where I am with them,” Henry said. Oklahoman 4/8

Henry likes NCAA finalists: KU and Memphis are the top two schools for Xavier Henry, a 6-6 junior guard from Putnam City, Okla. Henry, the son of former KU standout Carl Henry, also likes UCLA, Texas, North Carolina, Louisville and Ohio State. He plans on taking five official visits before choosing a school next fall. “Kansas winning the national championship is awesome, but it won’t really influence my decision,” Henry told Rivals.com. “They’ve always been a great team, and my feelings about the program have not changed.” KU Sports 4/12

Tom Crean has five scholarships remaining and has been pursuing other seniors, though most top players already have signed. The late signing period is April 16-May 21. Crean also has been reaching out to several highly touted underclassmen, including Lawrence North big man Stephan Van Treese, the state's top-ranked junior. Because of IU-imposed restrictions, Crean must wait until Aug. 1 to recruit off campus or bring players in for official visits. Muncie Star Press 4/9

Boo Williams Invitational: Daniel Orton THE ID: Oklahoma City, Bishop McGuinness High School, 6-9, C, Athletes First 17-and-under. CONSIDERING: Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M, UCLA, Maryland and Syracuse. THE SKINNY: Rated the No. 14 prospect in the class of 2009, Orton erases shots and finishes with authority in the paint. Daily Press 4/9

Boo Williams Invitational: DaShonte Riley THE ID: Beverly Hills, Mich., Detroit Country Day School, 6-10, C, The Family 17-and-under. CONSIDERING: Duke, Boston College, Florida, Georgetown, Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, UCLA and USC. THE SKINNY: Rated the No. 16 prospect in the class of 2009, Riley isn't as polished offensively, but his defensive presence and rebounding ability are what makes him tough. Daily Press 4/9

As next week's national signing day for high school basketball players approaches, Gophers fans await the decision of 6-11 center Krys Faber, a star at Ribet Academy in Los Angeles who has attracted more interest recently from big schools like USC and UCLA. But even if the Bruins come calling for Faber, his high school coach, Willie Middlebrooks, said he believes Minnesota will remain the front-runner, even after a recruiting trip to DePaul today. "If everything was [finalized] today, he'd be a Gopher," he said. Star Tribune 4/10

Lance Stephenson's tour will likely include a stop at UCLA on Saturday while he is in Los Angeles for the Difference Matchup Tournament. "While we're out here we're going to take a look at UCLA," Lance "Stretch" Stephenson Sr. said Friday by phone from L.A. "Probably (Saturday)." The 6-foot-5 Stephenson, the No. 4 player in the Class of 2009, is playing on Renardo Sidney's AAU team, the LA Dream Team, for this event. The 6-foot-10 Sidney is ranked No. 1 in the Class by Rivals. Scarlet Nation 4/11

Frank Ben-Eze 6-foot-10 C Arlington Bishop O'Connell (Va.) - This former Harvard commit re-opened his recruitment in March, but its just recently started to take off for this raw, but athletic big man. He is currently hearing from UCLA, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, LSU, Pittsburgh and Rutgers. He could also add Indiana, since he visited Marquette in the fall, stay tuned on that one. CSTV 4/11

(photo credit: AP)