Bruin Recruiting: Prep News Roundup (7/7)

By Bruin Basketball Report

Prep News Roundup is published every Monday.

Commits

Malcolm Lee (UCLA)- Lee scored four points before suffering an injury during the late stages of the scrimmage. With only two true point guards trying out for the team, Lee ran the point for the third team. More suited for the shooting guard position, Lee didn't assert himself much by penetrating from the point guard position, but did finish with four points. Gator Bait 7/2

Reeves Nelson (UCLA commitment)- After seeing Nelson for the first time this spring/summer, it appears that he might just be getting too strong. He was very good on the defensive glass, but struggled to muster up anything offensively. He did get one baseline dunk for his two points. Gator Bait 7/2

Standing 6-5 with a 6-9 wingspan, California native Malcolm Lee is a lot of things – a point guard, a shooting guard, a USA Basketball veteran and a USA hopeful. The UCLA bound Lee is also one of 18 athletes in Washington D.C. this week competing for one of 12 roster spots on the 2008 USA U18 Men's National Team. "So far, trials are going really well," Lee said. "There is a lot of great talent here, and we've got tons of good coaches from different colleges. At every position, there are really good players. The intensity level is really high. The coaches are running tough practices, and there is no taking plays off." USA Basketball 7/2

Malcom Lee (John W. North H.S. / Riverside, CA) is the most veteran USA Basketball finalist and is one step closer to making his third USA Basketball squad. Most recently Lee helped lead the USA to a 98-78 victory over the World Select Team at the Nike Hoop Summit in April and helped force 25 World turnovers and 18 USA steals. Lee first showcased his talent in a USA Basketball uniform at the 2007 USA Basketball Youth Development Festival, held in Colorado Springs, Colo.Rivals 7/3

Three other players who were invited to the trials canceled at the last minute due to injuries: Kenny Boynton, a 6-2 guard from Florida; Dexter Strickland, a 6-foot-3 guard from New Jersey who has committed to North Carolina; and Drew Gordon, a 6-9 forward who will be a freshman at UCLA next season. Sports Illustrated 7/3

Recruits

Moser joins California forward Greg Smith as the UA's two 2009 verbal commitments. In late May, Tacoma (Wash.) Bellarmine Prep point guard Abdul Gaddy opted out of his 2009 commitment, citing changes in the Wildcats' coaching staff. Moser is friends with Gaddy and another highly recruited Bellarmine Prep guard, Avery Bradley. Arizona Daily Star 7/2

Lance Stephenson- Simply put, Stephenson had a tough day at the office. He couldn't get his shot to fall, managing only two points, didn't assert himself on the boards and turned the ball over at an alarming rate. Perhaps just trying to do too much, Stephenson played at a frenetic speed that just wasn't meshing with his teammates. He clearly was frustrated. Gator Bait 7/2

Renardo Sidney’s father told me that Kansas is the school that is currently the most active in recruiting his son. The elder Sidney said that both USC and UCLA aren’t recruiting his son nearly as much as they once were. He also mentioned that Arizona State, Memphis and Louisville are in the mix. Fox Sports 7/2

Lance Stephenson- 11 points on 5-10 shooting, 1-2 from the line, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 assist, 2 turnovers. Session two started out as poorly as session one for Stephenson, but things started clicking for him after the halfway mark of the scrimmage. Still figuring out how to blend in with the team concept as a wing player here, Stephenson shunned the high degree of difficulty passes and shots and began to just muscle his way to the rim. There aren't many defenders in the country who can stop him when he takes this aggressive, streamlined approach. Rivals 7/2

When it came time for full-court scrimmaging, Lance Stephenson, the much-heralded guard who has led Brooklyn's Lincoln High to three consecutive New York City championships, tried taking over the point guard duties. Stephenson wanted to show off the skills he picked up at Nike's Steve Nash camp last month, but he turned in an awful performance. He dribbled into traffic and committed sloppy turnovers. He fired no-look passes that sailed out of bounds. He drove to the basket and heedlessly forced up bad shots.
Even worse, after every mistake he acted like it was someone else's fault. He barked at his teammates. He whined to the refs. He rolled his eyes and slapped his thighs. He shook his head and muttered to himself.
In other words, he acted like what he is: a 17-year-old kid. Sports Illustrated 7/3

Lance Stephenson was the first to admit that he had to go through an adjustment period."I'm trying to get used to not getting the ball like I'm used to getting it," said Stephenson. "Now when I get the ball I'm trying to finish the play quicker." He also rejected recent talk that he might take some other route than attending college after next year. "I'm more focused on school and getting an education. I'm more about learning new stuff and then go to the NBA. Skipping college and going to Europe is something you think about as a last resort when your messing up in school, but I'm doing well in school." St. John's, Texas, North Carolina and Duke are still in the running to land Stephenson, but three other schools standout at the top of his list. "Kansas, Memphis and Tennessee, those are the three schools I'm looking at really hard," said Stephenson, who is planning to wait until the spring before committing to a college. Gator Bait 7/3

Nolan Dennis, a highly ranked shooting guard from the Dallas area, ended his recruitment Thursday with a verbal commitment to the University of Memphis. He is the first member of coach John Calipari's 2009 recruiting class, which could ultimately include four or five of the top high school seniors in the country. Commercial Appeal 7/3

Xavier Henry, 6-6 SG: The most significant recruiting battle of the summer could be between Memphis and Kansas for the sharp-shooting lefty from Oklahoma City. Henry is one of the three best players in this class, bar none, and could be the key guy to a Final Four run in 2010. Henry's father and mother both played at Kansas, but that was in the era when a young assistant named John Calipari was also in Lawrence. The feeling here has always been that Henry would sign with the Tigers because of his relationship with Calipari, but it's a close call either way. Commercial Appeal 7/6

Stephan Van Treese has long been on Indiana’s radar and received a scholarship offer from Kelvin Sampson shortly after the former coach arrived two years ago. But Van Treese was mostly an unknown to Crean. The two recently met in Bloomington, with Crean ultimately telling the Van Treese family that he was looking forward to building a relationship and deciding whether to make a scholarship offer. Times Mail 7/5

Small forward Jordan Hamilton of Compton, Calif., is considered one of the top 20 prospects in the 2009 recruiting class, but he did not create a positive initial impression at Nike's Paul Pierce Skills Academy. Hamilton frequently was passive during early drills at the camp, although he eventually became more assertive. Michael Snaer of Moreno Valley, Calif., who ranked far lower than Hamilton, drew raves for his intensity and desire to improve. Sporting News 7/6

(photo credit: USA Basketball)