Bruin Recruiting: Prep News Roundup (12/8)

By Bruin Basketball Report

Prep News Roundup is published every Monday.

Commits

Rocklin High’s varsity boys basketball team returns three starters this season and coach Steve Taylor says he has eight of his top 10 players back from that championship squad. One of those starters is 6-foot-10 senior center Brendan Lane who has accepted a scholarship to UCLA....Lane led the way with 40 points against Burbank despite dealing with double and triple teams while Stover scored 12 points. Lane is happy to no longer have to worry about deciding on a college like he did last season. “I can just focus on the high school season,” said Lane, who didn’t let Burbank’s physical play bother him. “The whole game they were pounding me.” Taylor says that Lane will have to deal with this treatment all season. “He is so much more physically strong and more mature (then last year) and the big challenge for him is knowing people will come at him every game,” Taylor said. “But he’s so level headed and mature that I think he can handle that. It will motivate him. But guys just body check him all the time and they will target Brendan and they shouldn’t be allowed to do that.” Rocklin View 12/3

UCLA-bound Mike Moser scored 25 points, and third-ranked Grant got double-figure scoring from two others in a 62-57 victory over visiting Clackamas in Northeast Portland. Oregonian 12/6

It may be hard to imagine now, but there was a time when Sylmar High senior Tyler Honeycutt wasn't considered one of the best players in the nation, much less Southern California. Honeycutt has a scholarship to UCLA awaiting him after this season, and is ranked among the best 30 players in the nation. But that wasn't the case just a few years ago. As a freshman, he played on the junior varsity. When he made it to varsity the next year he was overshadowed by older players. Though he averaged 17 points and 12 rebounds as a junior last year for the Spartans, the 6-foot-9 didn't get noticed until he began playing travel ball for Pump and Run a little over a year ago. "I wasn't rated before that summer, I didn't have any offers before the spring started," said Honeycutt, who had 11 points, nine rebounds and five blocked shots as Spartans lost to Etiwanda 79-48 in the championship game of the Pasadena Tournament. "They called me like the biggest sleeper because nobody knew who I was. My coach was trying to tell people about me, but they weren't paying me any attention. Then I started getting exposure, and people started noticing me." Daily News 12/6

Recruits

De'Andre Daniels, a 6-foot-8 transfer from La Canada Renaissance Academy, has been denied a hardship waiver by the City Section after transferring to Taft, according to Athletic Director Mark Drucker. Daniels played as a sophomore last season at Renaissance, which made it to the state Division V championship game. He can appeal to an appeal panel. LA Times 12/1

But it’s Mychal Parker, and the hype that’s been building around the junior that may be the key. As teams collapse on the front line, his ability on the perimeter will come into play more and more. He’ll also have to defend a number of athletic players with the Mavericks’ difficult schedule. Parker’s ability to mesh well will certainly help him learn when to take over games. “He doesn’t need a lot, he’s a kid that blends in very easily, he kind of naturally fits in,” Wawner said. “But we need to sometimes use his offensive talents on the perimeter and sometimes we need to push him to do a little more.” Daily Progress 12/3

But what was so impressive about the Comets was that they kept sending wave after wave of junior standouts at the Wildcats, and Windward had no response. Junior guard Jordin Mayes is a future college player. He scored 16 points and never took a bad shot all night. He's smooth, consistent and precise. LA Times 12/3

Ames' Harrison Barnes scored 16 points and Bubu Palo added 13 and the Little Cyclones rolled to a 43-10 halftime lead before a crowd of more than 1,000....Barnes, a first-team all-stater, set the tone for Ames with a 3-point shot from the top of the key. A junior, Barnes was under the eye of a cluster of college scouts. He's rated as one of the nation's top prospects. Des Moines Register 12/4

Kentwood’s Josh Smith entered some prestigious territory this past summer. Smith, a 6-foot-10, 285-pound center, took part in the Third Annual Elite 24, a game that brings together the top prep basketball players in the nation.
Played outside on Aug. 22 at famed Holcomb Rucker Park in Harlem, N.Y., Smith held his own, registering one of just two double-doubles in the game. Kentwood’s big man scored 11 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, helping his team “Skip to my Lou” upend “The Goat,” 135-121. “It was really, really different,” said Smith, a 16-year-old junior. “I am just so used to playing in gyms and college arenas. That was my first game outside. When they told me it was being televised on ESPN2, on national television, that was pretty exciting.” Maple Valley Reporter 12/5

Do you think Renardo Sidney is Derrick Caracter all over again, or do you think this "can't-miss recruit" is actually going to pan out in college - let alone the NBA?...I certainly hope not, but this is not the first time that this comparison has come up. Both are big men who got a lot of notoriety early in their careers. Controlling their weight has been an issue with both players. And they both have struggled with emotional maturity issues. Despite these similarities, I do think Sidney's career will follow a more successful path than Caracter's has followed. I just have the feeling that Sidney will be more receptive to coaching than Caracter. And physically there are differences in the two players. Sidney has lighter and quicker feet compared to the plodding, heavy-footed Caracter. Despite Caracter's skill with the ball, he was always behind the play and in foul trouble in college. With all his talent, as long as Sidney keeps his weight in check and is responsive to his coach, he is going to have a successful career. Rivals 12/5

The Vikings ultimately had no answer for Allen Crabbe, who burned the nets for a game-high 37 points to lead Price to a 74-61 victory in the championship game Saturday night at Mira Costa High. Crabbe scored the Knights' first 10 points of the final period and had 16 of their 18. A large part of his big night came at the free-throw line, where he canned all 13 of his attempts. The slender forward for the CIF Southern Section small-school power was expected to take on more of the scoring lost with the graduation of 6-foot-7 center Tyrese Bresheres. Daily Breeze 12/7

(photo credit: Des Moines Register)