Bruin Recruiting: Prep News Roundup (9/22)

By Bruin Basketball Report

Prep News Roundup is published every Monday.

Commits

Former Colony High School basketball player Tyler Lamb has officially transferred to Santa Ana Mater Dei. There was speculation the 6-foot-5 junior, who committed to UCLA on Aug. 25, would transfer to the Orange County basketball powerhouse, but Lamb wouldn't confirm it until he began school this week. With all that is being written about the transfer, much of it untrue, according to Lamb, the family is guarded about the details of the decision...."Tyler is going to be a good basketball player no matter where he goes," Terry Lamb said. "This was about preparing him academically. Basketball had very little to do with it. "Nothing against the program at Colony. We actually liked (Colony) coach (Jerry) DeFabiis very much. But Tyler did most of his basketball development outside of school anyway." "It's a decision he, his mom and I made and there's no two ways about it," Lamb's father Terry said. "People can speculate all they want but we're moving on with it." San Bernardino Sun 9/17

Sylmar basketball prep star Tyler Honeycutt announced he has verbally committed to play at UCLA. He is currently ranked in the top thirty of his class by various recruiting services. The senior wing now joins forwards Reeves Nelson and Brendan Lane in UCLA's 2009 elite recruiting class. Honeycutt will sign a national letter of intent with UCLA during the early signing period in November. Bruin Basketball Report 9/18

As for recent UCLA commitment Tyler Honeycutt, he is a savvy, multi-skilled wing who can play multiple positions. Although a couple inches shorter and without the freakishly long arms, Honeycutt reminds me of another Southern Californian - Tayshaun Prince. Like Prince, Honeycutt plays stronger than he looks, has a great feel for the game and can make plays with the ball in his hands. With small forward being Honeycutt's primary position, he does have the skills and potential to play the off guard position. He also has the potential to move up a position to the four if he demonstrates the toughness to defend in the post and rebound. The game of basketball is getting smaller and faster rather than bigger and slower. With coach Ben Howland's penchant for putting multiple guards on the court, don't be surprised to see Honeycutt stretch the defense for the Bruins as a skilled, face-up four man. Rivals 9/19

Jrue Holiday – 6'4 Point Guard (UCLA); Ben Howland couldn't have found a better fit for his program than Jrue Holiday. For a program that is making yearly appearances in the Final Four Holiday will fit right in thanks to his competitiveness and desire to win. Holiday is a complete player that will be able to contribute right away. Like Kevin Love he may not be there for more than a year, but a backcourt combination of Holiday and Collison should help lead the Bruins to another Final Four. Hoops World 9/19

Recruits

Coveted point guard Abdul Gaddy has rediscovered his love for the Arizona men’s basketball team and recommitted to the Wildcats. The 6-foot-3 Gaddy told fellow UA recruit Solomon Hill that he made his decision Monday. The two communicated through text messaging. “It’s going to be good,’’ said Hill, of the thought of playing with Gaddy, Scout.com’s second-best high school guard for the 2009 class. “I’m looking forward to it. I’m glad he got the recruiting out of the way. We’ll just work on getting better.’’ Gaddy turned down UCLA after visiting the Bruins last week and UA over the weekend. He also was thought to be considering Memphis. “The rumor is true,” Gaddy’s AAU coach Gary Ward told Scout.com. “Abdul Gaddy recommitted to Arizona. He talked to Lute Olson.” Tucson Citizen 9/16

Greg Hamilton, the father of Compton Dominguez basketball standout Jordan Hamilton, said Tuesday he was in the process of seeking a hardship waiver from the Southern Section that would grant a fifth year of athletic eligibility for his son. The Southern Section has not received paperwork from Hamilton, section spokesman Simmons said. Hamilton was expected to sign a letter of intent in November. He is considering Texas, USC, Connecticut, Syracuse and California. LA Times 9/17

Avery Bradley, one of the top-rated high school guards in the nation, has verbally committed to play for Texas, his AAU coach Garry Ward said.
Bradley, ranked No. 8 overall in the 2009 class by Rivals, is a 6-foot-3 guard who averaged 26 points a game last season for Bellarmine Prep in Tacoma, Wash. Bradley picked UT over UCLA and Kansas. He was scheduled to make an official visit last weekend, but postponed those plans because of Hurricane Ike. Ward said Bradley will visit UT next weekend, but was ready to make a commitment. “He's been to camp down there, and really fell in love with the whole thing,” said Ward, who coaches the Northwest Panthers AAU team. “Texas has always been the school he's wanted to go to.” San Antonio Express News 9/17

Lawrence North big man Stephan Van Treese said this afternoon he will play college basketball for Louisville. Van Treese, a 6-9 post player, has been a two-year starter for the Wildcats. He averaged 12 points and a team-high 11 rebounds as a junior. “I’ve always like Louisville, the school and the coaching staff, obviously, with coach (Rick) Pitino,” Van Treese said this afternoon. Van Treese had made several unofficial visits to various schools, including to Indiana University’s Midnight Madness. He said he was considering “Notre Dame, Michigan State, IU, UCLA and Kansas the hardest toward the end.” Van Treese said Pitino sold him on how he would fit into the Louisville system. Indianapolis Star 9/17

Xavier Henry, who had planned to make an unofficial visit to Kansas University this weekend to attend a private dinner in which the 2007-08 Jayhawks receive their national championship rings, has decided to skip the trip. That doesn’t mean Rivals.com’s No. 2-rated high school basketball player has soured on co-finalist KU, says Xavier’s dad, Carl, KU’s leading scorer in both the 1982-83 and ’83-84 seasons. “No. It doesn’t mean anything. He’s been to both schools. He knows all the coaches. He knows the players. He’s decided to make one visit to both schools and then make a decision,” Carl said of Xavier, a 6-foot-6 senior guard from Putnam City (Okla.) High who will play college ball at either KU or Memphis. Xavier has been rehabbing knee and ankle injuries sustained playing AAU basketball for Oklahoma Athletes First last summer. He should be fully healed by the time his senior season begins. Henry also should be committed to either KU or Memphis by then. KU Sports 9/18

I've felt for a long time that Renardo Sidney is USC's to lose, and I still do. However, keep a close eye on how the Brandon Jennings experiment in Europe goes. Sidney has many of the same ties that Jennings has, and it wouldn't surprise me a bit if Sidney forgoes college for Europe. Rivals 9/19

(photo credit: ESPN)