Bruin Recruiting: Prep News Roundup (12/22)

By Bruin Basketball Report 

Prep News Roundup is published every Monday. 

Commits 

The Windward Winter Classic gets underway today, and there's no doubt the Windward Wildcats were hoping to enter the games with better than a 3-2 record. Windward senior guard Darius Morris Michigan-bound guard Darius Morris and UCLA-bound center Anthony Stover were supposed to push the Wildcats into the upper-echelon of Southern California teams. A blowout loss against Westchester and a one-point heart-breaker against Bishop Montgomery slashed those dreams though, and now Windward coach Miguel Villegas says his team is more focused than it was at the start of the season. Rivals 12/16

A basketball scholarship to UCLA is a rare treasure, an honor that is not lost on Rocklin High’s Brendan Lane. When the talented 6-10 post player makes his way to Westwood next fall, it will be another in a long line of athletic accomplishments for the Lane family. With all of the demands on parents’ limited time, raising active children is difficult, perhaps more today than ever before. For Steve and Leila Lane, the choice to support the athletic activities of their children has brought balance and virtue to five young lives. “We (Steve and Leila) were good athletes but not spectacular,” Steve said. “(In our family) being a couch potato was not an option.” That simple mantra was implanted in the Lane family children at a young age and the children understood it. Placer Herald 12/17 

UCLA is excited about top-30 prospect Tyler Honeycutt. With the earmarks of being a late bloomer in the mold of Austin Daye at Gonzaga, Honeycutt has a great feel for the game and some scoring punch as well. He has already gone for more than 30 points in two games this year. Jackets Online 12/18 

Whether the Mission Prep boys basketball team was working the ball down low to Casey or to Souza on the wing, the combination led Mission Prep’s impressive 65-60 win over Los Osos and UCLA-bound Kendall Williams.... Williams, a 6-3 guard, scored 10 of Los Osos’ 16 fourth-quarter points but was held scoreless over the final four minutes. Williams finished with a game-high 27 points. “To be honest there is no stopping him,” Mission Prep coach Terrance Harris said. “He is a very, very good player and he can get his shot at just about any point. The thing we wanted to do was A, make him work for shots and B, was to slow him down.” SLO Tribune 12/18 

Los Osos 58, Mission Hills 50 - UCLA-bound Kendall Williams scored 26 points to lead Los Osos (Rancho Cucamonga) to a win over Mission Hills (San Marcos) in a showcase game of the Mission Prep Christmas Classic. SLO Tribune 12/20 

Sylmar 70, St. Joseph 47 - Sylmar’s Gary Hicks scored 15 and Tyler Honeycutt scored 12 off the bench to lead the Spartans past the Knights in their opening game of the Mission Prep Christmas Classic. SLO Tribune 12/20 

A much larger Mater Dei squad jumped all over Roman Catholic for a 28-10 lead at the end of the first quarter..... After that point the game went back and forth until Tyler Lamb was fouled with 5.5 seconds and sank both free throws to win the game. Tyler Lamb- (19 points on 5-11 shooting, 1-4 from three, 8-8 from the line, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks, 3 steals, 2 assists, 2 turnovers in 32 minutes). Mater Dei's best defender struggled with Brookins, but he did lead Mater Dei in scoring. Lamb impressed with his overall play during the first two games. Cardinal Report 12/20 

No. 2 Rocklin (8-1) looked impressive in beating No. 15 Oak Ridge (8-2), a team that had defeated the Thunder in the exhibition Foundation Game Dec. 1. Saturday night, Oak Ridge couldn't match the Thunder's superior depth in being outscored 33-15 in the second half. Junior guard Cody Kale led Rocklin with 16 points and UCLA recruit Brendan Lane, the Thunder's 6-foot-10 senior forward, added 13 points and six blocks. Lane, who is averaging nearly 23 points a game, was named tournament MVP. SacBee 12/21 

Recruits 

Westchester 81, LACES 43: Jordin Mayes scored 24 points to lift visiting Westchester (10-0) in its league opener. Denzel Douglas, Dwayne Polee and DeShun McCoy each scored 10 points. Daily Breeze 12/16 

Jordin Mayes scored 17 points and Dominique O'Connor scored 14 points to lead unbeaten Westchester to a 62-47 victory at Fort Myers, Fla., in a first-round game of the City of Palms Classic on Thursday. Westchester (11-0) advanced to play Olympia of Orlando, Fla., today. Westchester has won the tournament twice and is 14-0 in the tournament. Daily Breeze 12/18 

Fulmer already is looking to the future. He has teams lined up for next year’s tournament. One club is Norfolk (Va.) Christian, whose star player is sophomore James McAdoo, son of former NBA great Bob McAdoo. “He will be top-five junior in country (next year),” Fulmer said. The State 12/19 

If Renardo Sidney seems to be the best player in this year's 'Iolani Classic, it's not because he's trying to steal the show. Playing everything from point guard to center in coach Harvey Kitani's system, the Fairfax senior showed the many facets of his game last night in a 68-40 win over Kamehameha, arguably the top boys basketball team in Hawaii. At 6-foot-10, 230 pounds, Sidney scored 20 points and dominated the paint with his strength -- he's built like a college tight end -- and made one of Hawaii's tallest teams look rather small. When Sidney began raining treys, he became unstoppable, and those came before the Magic-like no-look passes in traffic. Honolulu Star-Bulletin 12/19 

Renardo Sidney, who grew up in Mississippi, said he was mostly a football player in his early childhood but hit the basketball court one day and things came naturally to him. "I'm thankful I can do all the things I can," Sidney said. "And I'm thankful to my dad for pushing me and working with me." Renardo Sidney Sr. has been his son's AAU coach and personal trainer since he was in the seventh grade and taught the talented big man all the little-man skills as well. "He's been my workout guy," Sidney said. "I've never had a trainer other than him." Among other skills, Sidney made several no-look touch passes to open teammates in the lane. "He's a phenomenal player," Fairfax coach Harvey Kitani said. "He's been taught well by his father, and he developed all his skills. He's a tremendous passer, and that's the sign of an intelligent player who knows the game. He just keeps getting better, and he can get as good as he wants to get." Sidney has not yet signed a national letter of intent but is considering UCLA, Southern California, Mississippi State and Virginia. "I haven't made my mind up," Sidney said. "Right now I'm focused on this season." Honolulu Advertiser 12/19 

But Mount Pleasant features a very, very good player in junior Trey Zeigler. The 6-foot-5 guard scored 28 points, 20 in the second half. "In games I've seen him play, he usually has a big second half," Wilson said. "He's a great player. It's almost like he's floating out there in the first half, then takes over the game in the second. We told our players he was going to bust out in the second." Zeigler scored almost half of Mount Pleasant's points. MLive 12/19  

Westchester was stunned by unranked Winter Park in a 60-54 quarterfinal loss at the City of Palms Tournament Saturday, its first defeat of the season and its first loss at the tournament it won in 2000, 2001 and 2003. Jordin Mayes scored 14 of his 20 points in the second half for Westchester (11-1), which entered the tournament ranked No. 17 by USA Today. Mayes connected on eight of 23 from the field. Daily Breeze 12/21

(photo credit: Placer Herald)