Bruin Recruiting: Prep News Roundup (10/13)

By Bruin Basketball Report

Prep News Roundup is published every Monday.

Commits

Jrue Holiday (UCLA) – Another one of the top freshman in the country, Holiday joins a loaded UCLA backcourt in the hopes of leading them to a fourth consecutive Final Four. Where Derozan’s heart has come into question, Holiday’s is one of his greatest strengths. He’s got a great work ethic and attitude to go along with his talent and versatility. He’s athletic (though not on Derozan’s level) and exhibits good fundamentals on the court. His jump shot is solid out to the college line, he’s got a mid-range game, and he can get to the basket and finish well. A combo guard, Holiday can also run a team and make the players around him better. The combo guard label had been a negative thing in the past, but with the success of players like Dwyane Wade, Monta Ellis, Louis Williams, and Rodney Stuckey, guys who can play at both backcourt positions have become valuable commodities. While Holiday needs to continue to hone his point guard skills, he’s the best combo the college ranks has to offer. A one-and-done possibility if he has a great year at UCLA, Holiday is more likely a top five pick in 2010. NBA Draft.net 10/11

"I'd say we got off to a late start, based on how recruiting's going now. Everybody's talking to sophomores," Montgomery said. "We were maybe in a lot of people's minds, but they were (asking) 'Where have you guys been?' "
Certainly that was a factor with Brendan Lane, a 6-foot-9 forward from Rocklin High, who is considered to have skills similar to former Cal star Ryan Anderson. "Cal was definitely in the picture, and so was Stanford," Rocklin coach Steve Taylor said. "When both of those coaching positions changed, it created some uncertainty." Taylor said there was about a month when Lane did not hear from either Cal or Stanford. In the meantime, UCLA coach Ben Howland called. Montgomery visited Lane in Rocklin, but Taylor said Howland, whose Bruins have been to three straight Final Fours, was able to make a more tangible case. "There wasn't anything for Brendan to base it on," Taylor said of Cal's pitch. "What kind of program was it going to be? What kind of players were they going to recruit? Coach Montgomery did a nice job, but the timing was not good. You know what you're getting if you go to UCLA." Inside Bay Area 10/12

Recruits

Five-star shooting guard Lance Stephenson of Brooklyn, N.Y., will be in Lawrence for “Late Night in the Phog” on Oct. 17, according to Rivals.com. Stephenson, considered a can’t-miss NBA prospect by many, will officially visit KU along with fellow five-star shooting guards Xavier Henry (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Michael Snaer (Moreno Valley, Calif.) and Dominic Cheek (Jersey City, N.J.) and four-star point guard Elijah Johnson (Las Vegas). Kansas City Star 10/6

Lance Stephenson, a 6-5 guard from Lincoln High in Brooklyn, N.Y., who will wait until the spring to sign, will visit KU for the Oct. 17 Late Night in the Phog. Zagsblog.net reports that Stephenson also hopes to visit Memphis, Southern California and UCLA. He already has visited St. John’s. Lawrence Journal World 10/6

When Matt Vogrich narrowed his list of schools at which to play college basketball, he had three criteria: a coach who knows guards, a strong business school and proximity to his Lake Forest, Ill., home. That led the 6-foot-4 senior guard to verbally commit to Michigan during the weekend. Detroit Free Press 10/6

As focus on the Class of 2010 heats up, there’s been plenty of attention being paid recently toward shooting guard Harrison Barnes, a long-range bomber from Ames High School in Iowa. Barnes, ranked No. 4 nationally in his class according to Rivals.com, has seen his stock skyrocket since the spring. He has dazzled big-time college coaches and recruiting experts alike with his shooting stroke and overall athleticism. And with his junior season soon to begin, the regular status checks on his whereabouts promise to intensify. With a list of pursuers too long to list in its entirety — Duke, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, UCLA and USC are among the headliners — Barnes has plenty of options. Fayetteville Observer 10/7

Deniz Kilicli, who recently came to the U.S from Turkey to further his basketball prospects, is playing this year alongside Cottrill at Mountain State Academy. He is more physical than the average European big man, and plays with strength in the lane and around the rim. He also has a solid midrange game, and will quickly rise up the 2009 rankings once talent evaluators get a look at him in action. Blue Gold News 10/9

Elijah Johnson, 6-2 senior from Cheyenne High in Las Vegas, has narrowed his list to KU, Texas and Oklahoma, according to Rivals.com. Johnson will visit KU for Late Night. Lawrence Journal World 10/9

Jordan Hamilton has been courted by seemingly every powerhouse college basketball program in the nation for quite sometime now, and it appears as if Texas might have ended up as the winner in the sweepstakes for the talented 6-foot-7 senior from Compton Dominguez. On Thursday evening, Hamilton announced on ESPNU that he orally committed to the Longhorns despite having scholarship offers from numerous other schools, including Connecticut, Kansas and USC. LA Times 10/10

San Diego High's 6-foot-11 basketball standout Jeremy Tyler has given the University of Louisville an oral commitment. Tyler, a junior, averaged 18 points, 14 rebounds and 9 blocked shots a game for the Cavers, who captured the section Division I title while compiling a 23-5 record. San Diego High coach Kenny Roy said the mobile post player decided on Louisville after narrowing his choices to the Cardinals, Texas, USC, UCLA and San Diego State. Union Tribune 10/12

Daniel Orton will be calling Lexington home next Fall. The nation's third rated center for the Class of 2009 decided not to go back to Oklahoma City until letting the Solid Blue faithful know he'll be wearing blue and white. The media got about an hour's notice Orton would hold a news conference to announce his decision and within that hour a crowd of more than 100 Solid Blue fans filled the Hyatt Regency lobby in Downtown Lexington to hear what they wanted to hear. Orton says it came down to two schools, Kansas and Kentucky. Kansas told him it no longer had a scholarship available. Orton says that made his decision easier but he never considered Kentucky a back-up plan. Orton says the fact he was greeted at Big Blue Madness with chants of his name friday night helped too. WTVQ 10/12

(photo credit: SacBee)