Bruin Recruiting: Prep News Roundup (8/18)

By Bruin Basketball Report


Prep News Roundup is published every Monday.

Commits

Malcolm Lee, Riverside (Calif.) J.W. North , UCLA signee: “He kind of reminded me a lot of (Russell) Westbrook (an NBA lottery pick in June). He can play both on the ball and off the ball in the backcourt for UCLA. He has incredible quickness and is a very capable ballhandler. He can make the ‘3’ and beat people off the dribble. He also is hungry to defend.” Yahoo Sports 8/12

Recruits

Nike Challenge: Avery Bradley, Bellarmine Prep (Tacoma, Wash.), Undecided - In the finals, Bradley carried his team to a 117-104 win, recording 25 points, four assists, four rebounds and three steals. In the semis, a hotly contested 81-75 triumph over Serbia, Bradley notched 24 points to lead all scorers and added three steals. In the opening-round win over Puerto Rico, he had 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting. The 6-foot-3 guard showed why he might be the best dunker in his class, throwing down several monster slams. RISE Magazine 8/12

Nike Challenge: Abdul Gaddy, Bellarmine Prep (Tacoma, Wash.), Undecided - The American co-MVP might not have been as flashy or prolific as his high school teammate, but he ran the show. In the finals, Gaddy had 12 points and seven assists to set the pace for USA Two. He had 13 points and six rebounds in the semifinals. RISE Magazine 8/12

Lute Olson is scheduled to arrive back in office Thursday, just in time for the UA’s annual “advanced skills camp.” This is not a coincidence, of course. The camp will bring in several of UA’s top recruiting targets in the classes of 2009, 2010 and 2011. Among those relatively certain to arrive: Wing Anthony Brown, point guard Gary Franklin , wing Tyler Lamb, Santa Rita point guard Terrell Stoglin and Gilbert Highland shooting guard Nick Johnson...It is also possible that highly regarded California center Anthony Stover may participate. Arizona Daily Star 8/12

Daniel Orton is down to six schools — Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Kansas, Ohio State and Kentucky. The Wildcats are his early favorite. "I'm really interested in Kentucky and their program," said Orton. "I've known the coaches for a long time. Coach (Billy) Gillispie recruited my brother, and (Assistant) Coach (Glynn) Cyprien coached him at Oklahoma State." USA Today 8/13

Xavier Henry, 6-6 from Putnam City (Okla.) High, also will be on campus Sept. 20 for KU’s football game against Sam Houston State and private ceremony in which the Jayhawks will receive their 2008 NCAA title rings. KU Sports 8/15

The Chalmers package is shipping out. With his son, Mario, beginning his NBA career in Miami, Ronnie Chalmers is leaving his post as director of basketball operations at Kansas after spending the last three years in Lawrence with Mario and the Jayhawks....Self said he didn't immediately have a list of candidates, though he did say he "felt good" about Brett Ballard, an administrative assistant entering his sixth year on the Kansas staff after a two-year playing career at KU. But don't count out Carl Henry, a KU captain in 1983-84 who happens to be the father of Xavier Henry, the No. 2 player in the class of 2009. Xavier Henry is believed to be choosing between Kansas and Memphis. Like Ronnie Chalmers, Carl Henry is his son's coach, guiding Xavier's AAU team, although Carl Henry has said he doesn't want to coach Xavier in college. Topeka Capital Journal 8/15

Tyler Honeycutt is one prospect set to make a gigantic leap in the rankings. After being able to see more of him during the July evaluation period, we came away very impressed with his overall skill level, feel for the game and his length. Besides being able to do all the basics, Honeycutt also does a lot of subtle things extremely well - like moving effectively without the basketball. Rivals 8/15

Lance Stephenson, 6-6 wing, USA Seniors: “Born Ready” isn’t my MVP because of his outrageous point totals (the event didn’t keep individual stats–I presume to preserve its “team-oriented” nature, but don’t think he didn’t get buckets in Dallas), but rather his adaptation to team play. While he did start out the tournament in outstanding fashion, his team didn’t have much chemistry and he went one-on-one far too often. Then, in his team’s nip-and-tuck semifinal win over Latin America, he went down in the first half with an injury and wasn’t allowed to return, despite his protests. Sidelined, he turned into his squad’s biggest playmaker and in the next day’s championship, he realized he was forcing the action early and deferred much more to his newly-confident teammates, despite taking the L in a thriller. On top of that, his frequently-referenced “bad attitude” was nowhere to be found, especially off the court, when interacting with kids from all cultures and at the camp’s community service event. Say what you want about Lance’s game, but he’s not a bad kid. SLAM 8/15

Mojave High's Anthony Marshall, a 6-3 guard, orally committed to UNLV on Thursday to close out recruiting for 2009. Marshall, who ranks as the 67th-best senior in the nation, said he also considered UCLA. Marshall joins two other prep stars -- 6-10 forward Carlos Lopez of Findlay Prep and 6-3 guard Justin Hawkins from Woodland Hills (Calif.) Taft High. Lopez is ranked No. 101 by Rivals.com, but his talent is obvious and he probably deserves a higher ranking. Also eligible in 2009 will be Kentucky transfer Derrick Jasper, a 6-6 point guard, and 6-8 forward Chace Stanback, a transfer from UCLA. Jasper ranked 38th in 2006, and Stanback ranked 69th in 2007. Las Vegas Review Journal 8/17

USC's basketball team added an imposing presence to its front line today. Alex Stepheson, a 6-foot-9 junior transfer who played his first two college seasons at North Carolina, will become a Trojan and seek a waiver to gain immediate eligibility. Diane Stepheson said her son would try to obtain a waiver because his father suffers from an undisclosed illness that prompted the move to be closer to the family's Southern California home. NCAA transfer rules typically force transfers to sit out one year. The power forward, who has two seasons of eligibility remaining, also considered UCLA, Arizona State, California and Stanford, his mother said. He had been recruited by the Bruins before picking North Carolina out of North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake High. LA Times 8/18

(photo credit: WA Sports)