Bruin Recruiting: Prep News Roundup (4/28)

By Bruin Basketball Report

Prep News Roundup is published every Monday.

Commits

Malcolm Lee (Blue) -- The UCLA commit made a new fan this weekend. After being arguably the best player on the court (other than Brandon Jennings) in the scrimmage, Lee made the most of his time on the court. He only played 18 minutes, though he showed his coach's son approach by shooting accurately and in appropriate situations, and by taking care of the ball. He had seven points, four rebounds, four assists, two steals, and no turnovers. Lee has all of the tools to become a bigtime NCAA player and NBA prospect. NBADraft.net 4/22

Jrue Holiday (Blue) -- The highly regarded West Coast guard had a disappointing weekend. After a fairly quiet scrimmage, he shot one-of-nine from the field and have more turnovers than points (six and five, respectively). Holiday's game may not be best-suited for the all-star game setting due to his team-first attitude. Regardless, he's one of the most polished and skilled players heading into college next season. NBADraft.net 4/22

Mullens now on top of the 2008 Rivals150: Mullens bumped Georgetown-bound Greg Monroe from the No. 1 spot. Monroe slipped a bit in the rankings, but remains in the top 10. The latest ranking is very guard-heavy at the top. After Mullens, Jrue Holiday, Demar Derozan, Brandon Jennings (all Pac-10 bound prospects), Scotty Hopson and Tyreke Evans were close behind. GatorBait 4/22

Howland, when reached by phone, was pleased to hear of Jrue Holiday and Malcolm Lee's willingness to play D. It was, he said, as if they were getting a head-start on Bruin-ball. "If they're able to come in and play good defense," Howland said, "it increases their possibility of being significant players right away -- which they're probably going to have to be." The best-case scenario for UCLA would be that one of its two current backcourt stars, Westbrook or Collison, returns to mentor the rookies, and Mbah a Moute comes back to anchor the frontcourt. A starting lineup of Westbrook and Holiday at guard, Josh Shipp and Mbah a Moute at forward, and either James Keefe or Drew Gordon in the low-post might be good enough to get the Bruins to their fourth straight Final Four. Sports Illustrated 4/24

Campbell Hall’s Jrue Holiday played his final high school basketball game in New York City on April 19, when he participated in the seventh annual Nike Jordan Brand Classic All-Star game. It was his third major prep showcase game since completing his storied basketball career as a Viking. He also played in the McDonald’s All-American game and the Nike Hoop Summit in the past month. Holiday was selected to play on the Blue Team. Holiday, who played for the victorious Blue Team, only played 19 minutes and was a non-factor on offense. He had five points, three assists, six turnovers and was 1-for-9 from the field. Sun Community 4/25

Bay Area Meet of Champions - Shot put - Colin Quirke (Los Gatos) 59-4 1/2, David Spates (Monte Vista-Danville) 58-7, Drew Gordon (Mitty) 56-10. State: Quirke (Los Gatos) 59-4 1/2. SF Chronicle

If Kyle Caldwell decided to exercise the option he’s been given to walk on to the UCLA basketball team, he’d be relieved to be playing with Jerime Anderson, not against him. The Newport Harbor High senior, who already has a volleyball scholarship from the Bruins, was facing the Canyon standout Saturday night at Ocean View High, where they were playing on opposite teams in the 43rd annual Kiwanis/PlyoCity Orange County All-Star game. Caldwell had 11 points and eight rebounds for the South, which lost to Anderson’s North squad, 124-105. Even though the All-Star game was tantamount to an exhibition, Caldwell said Anderson — who finished with 35 points — brought the same skills that led to Canyon’s 72-48 victory over Newport Harbor in the December Irvine World News tournament. “He’s full-bore all the time,” Caldwell said. “He’s a good player. He gives it all he can.” But seeing Caldwell in Bruins basketball shorts is a long shot at best. The men’s volleyball and basketball seasons overlap, and Caldwell is one of the hottest volleyball players in the nation. Either way, Caldwell and Anderson will be sharing a school, if not a team. Daily Pilot 4/27

Recruits

The big man who replaces Kevin Love at UCLA apparently will not be LSU signee J'Mison Morgan. The 6-foot-11center from Dallas South Oak Cliff High met with LSU coach Trent Johnson on Tuesday and has decided to honor his letter of intent, according to his high school coach James Mays. Johnson's keeping former LSU interim coach Butch Pierre as an assistant was a big factor in Morgan's decision because Pierre recruited the senior to Baton Rouge. The former Stanford coach also emphasized his track record developing big men, assuring Morgan that he will be a focal point of the Tigers offense next season.Press Enterprise 4/22

There’s a lot of work to do on the recruiting trail in the next few weeks for new LSU men’s basketball coach Trent Johnson. But Johnson made a huge statement this week by apparently closing the book for good on the 2008 class. J’Mison Morgan, the centerpiece of the Tigers’ 2008 recruiting haul, will honor his commitment to LSU. Johnson and James Mays, Morgan’s coach at South Oak Cliff in Dallas, confirmed Thursday that the 6-foot-10, 275-pound Morgan plans on enrolling at LSU and playing for the Tigers. Morgan met with Johnson and Tigers associate head coach Butch Pierre in person in Dallas on Tuesday. That meeting convinced the big Texan that LSU is still the right place for him. “He’s a very, very good basketball player who fits well in the system we’re going to implement,” Johnson said2theadvocate 4/23

Oodles of schools have offers to Jordan Hamiliton. Here's the updated short list: Connecticut, Kansas, Syracuse, Texas and USC. Man, I hope this kid stays local and ends up with the Trojans. I'd love to watch him for another few years. By the way, Rivals.com ranks Hamilton as the No. 2 small forward and No. 8 player overall in the nation. In my opinion, Hamilton is a little underrated. I saw him play three times this past season, and I believe he's snipped from the same fabric as Compton's DeMar DeRozan and Campbell Hall's Jrue Holiday. LA Times 4/24

KU apparently is out of the running for Ater Majok, a 6-10 forward (in the Class of 2008) from Sudan, who is on UConn’s campus for an unofficial visit. Majok told Rivals.com he is considering UConn, UCLA, Baylor and Kentucky. Lawrence Journal World 4/25

Stephan Van Treese, a 6-9, 225-pound junior from Indianapolis, tells Rivals he has a final six of KU, Indiana, Louisville, UCLA, Ohio State and Florida. Van Treese, the No. 52-rated player in the Class of ’09, will compete at the ninth-annual Jayhawk Invitational, which starts May 2 at Allen Fieldhouse and Horejsi Center. Lawrence Journal World 4/25

But in a brief conversation with the Citizen-Times, the father did confirm that Christ School senior Miles Plumlee, a 6-foot-10 forward from Indiana, has asked for a release from the national letter-of-intent he signed with Stanford in November. Miles Plumlee was unavailable for comment. “I don’t want to get into the particulars of the situation, but it has changed dramatically,” Perky Plumlee said. “Now we’re just waiting on Stanford to do the honorable thing. And I know Miles just wants some closure to this situation. He’s not the type of kid who likes a lot of attention.” Greenies coach David Gaines said the Plumlee family became increasingly disenchanted with the lack of communication from Stanford since former coach Trent Johnson left for LSU earlier this month. Citizen-Times 4/27

(photo credit: Chris Williams/Icon SMI)