Bruin Recruiting: Prep News Roundup (11/16)

By Bruin Basketball Report 

Prep News Roundup is published every Monday 

Commits

Kentwood HS center Josh Smith called UCLA Coach Ben Howland to give him his verbal commitment to play at UCLA next season. The 6'9 270 lb post man had been deciding between UCLA and Washington.  He can not sign officially with the Bruins until the early signing period which begins on Wednesday, November 11. Bruin Basketball Report 11/10

Josh Smith, the top-ranked center in the ESPNU 100 who couldn't make a layup as a fifth grader, told ESPN.com on Tuesday he's headed to UCLA. Smith, the 6-foot-10, 270-pound post of Kentwood High in Covington, Wash., chose the Bruins over Pac-10 rival Washington. "In the end, the chance of winning a national championship and the tradition helped make up my mind," Smith said. "We'll have a young team [in 2010] but we're going to be good." ESPN 11/10

Recruits

Detroit Country Day School point guard Ray McCallum text messaged me tonight to let it be known that he will not announce his decision on a certain date this week (the November signing period starts Wednesday). “No, everyone keeps asking,” he said. He finished with an “LOL” (laughing out loud). His decision can happen at anytime: tomorrow, next weekend or, perhaps, next spring. Tucson Citizen 11/9

The Sooners are recruiting other nationally-touted prospects including guards Doron Lamb and Ray McCallum, whose father was an assistant at OU from 2004-2006. The Sooners are also pursuing forwards Terrence Jones and Harrison Barnes. Barnes, who is from Ames, Iowa, is widely considered the nation's top recruit. He's expected to announce who he will sign with on an ESPNU Signing Day Special Friday. Norman Transcript 11/10

What's the biggest story of this early signing period? Harrison Barnes' pending decision, I guess. But what we'll likely be talking about when we close the period next Wednesday isn't who signed as much as who didn't sign -- namely Brandon Knight, Terrence Jones and Jelan Kendrick. All together, nine of the top 25 prospects at MaxPreps.com -- Knight, Jones and Kendrick are ranked No. 1, No. 12 and No. 16 -- are expected to remain uncommitted until the late period that runs from April 14 to May 19. CBS Sports 11/12

"I possibly have one more, depending on what happens with a lot of things," Izzo said. "I guess, in some ways, I'd say I'm not done." MSU continues to recruit Trey Zeigler, a shooting guard from Mount Pleasant who is expected to decide in the spring. Michigan, UCLA and Central Michigan - where Trey's father, Ernie, is the head coach - also are in pursuit. Green and White 11/12

In a press conference from his high school that was televised on ESPNU, Harrison Barnes had laminated signs placed in front of the podium bearing the logos of his finalists: Iowa State, UCLA, North Carolina, Duke, Oklahoma and Kansas. So while you were expecting him to make the big reveal by holding up one of the signs or breaking out a cap from under the desk, Barnes said he was going to announce his choice by hitting up his future coach on Skype. There appeared to be some technical difficulties and the total execution was kind of a flop — it seems every time I see someone try to Skype, it never goes smoothly — but eventually Barnes placed his call and Roy Williams popped up on the screen. Barnes gives UNC the top-rated recruiting class for 2010, as he joins two-guard Reggie Bullock (who plays at Jerry Stackhouse’s old school, Kinston H.S. in North Carolina) and Virginia point guard Kendall Marshall in committing to the Tar Heels on National Signing Day. DIME Magazine 11/13

North Carolina coach Roy Williams says the Tar Heels recruited prep star Harrison Barnesharder than anyone in his career. Barnes, a 6-foot-7 swingman, signed with the Tar Heels on Friday, choosing North Carolina from six schools that included national powers Kansas and UCLA along with rival Duke. Williams says the defending national champions spent about 16 months pursuing Barnes, who announced his decision by contacting Williams through an internet video conference call on a nationally televised broadcast. Sports Illustrated 11/14

Jelan Kendrick came to Memphis in July for a part-time stint with the city's top AAU program, and the result was a championship. Now, the 6-6 guard from Marietta, Ga., is coming back with intentions to win another one.  In a surprising move Saturday, Kendrick called an impromptu press conference to announce that he had signed a national letter of intent with Memphis, becoming the third top-20 player to join Josh Pastner's 2010 recruiting class. "I'm going to Memphis to help us win a national championship and be the No. 1 recruiting class in America," Kendrick said. "Josh really sold me on the dream of making Memphis one of the top powerhouses in the country and how we could accomplish that." Commercial Appeal 11/14