Bruin Recruiting: Prep News Roundup (1/4)

By Bruin Basketball Report 

Prep News Roundup is published every Monday. 

Commits

Mater Dei advanced to the final with an 86-49 victory over Tustin. Gary Franklin Jr. and Tyler Lamb each had 19 points. Foothill ousted Anaheim Canyon in the other semifinal. LA Times 12/30

Foothill stayed with Mater Dei for the first eight minutes, but the Monarchs jumped far ahead in the second quarter and Foothill would not get close again. Mater Dei defeated Foothill, 68-43, on Wednesday in the championship game of the Orange Holiday Classic at Chapman....Senior guard Tyler Lamb led Mater Dei with 20 points. He was tournament co-MVP with senior guard Keala King, who scored 13. OC Varsity 12/31

Recruits

Julian Royal, Milton, PF, 2011: No player in this tournament was as consistent as Julian Royal. He played smart and he played aggressive every possession of every game. He showed off his face-up game, used power to clean the offensive glass, and displayed a knack for finishing around the basket. He averaged 18.5 points and 7.8 rebounds, doing it all within the flow of the game. SLAM 12/27

It's not every season buzz builds so quickly about an unsigned senior basketball player that college coaches start to make special trips to see him play in the opening weeks of the season. That's what has happened with Deonte Burton, a 6-foot-2 guard from Compton Centennial. He didn't play last season after transferring from Long Beach Cabrillo, but he is making up for lost time, showing off shooting skills (40 and 38 points in the Westchester tournament) that motivated coaches from UCLA, USC and other schools to start following him from tournament to tournament. LA Times 12/28

Branden Dawson, Lew Wallace's leading scorer and rebounder, had a relatively quiet first half. The junior had nine points and four rebounds at halftime. He finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds. "Branden told me he felt a little under the weather, so we told the team to step up," Thomas said. "We are not a one-man team, and we showed that some today." NWI 12/29

Josiah Turner, a junior guard from Sacramento, is starting to like Los Angeles. He attended UCLA's game at Pauley Pavilion on Sunday, and he experienced exhilaration on Monday with a career-high 48-point performance in the Oaks Christian tournament that culminated with a game-winning three-pointer from the top of the key at the buzzer to beat Pasadena, 71-70. "It was fun," Turner said. UCLA Coach Ben Howland was sitting at the top of the bleachers watching Turner's show. He's recruiting the 6-foot-3 Turner, who has the athleticism and firepower to play at the collegiate level. LA Times 12/29

Findlay Prep shooting guard Nick Johnson, a 6-3 junior, was at Mountain View for the early Highland-Mesa Red Mountain game. Red Mountain won in double overtime, 66-63. It's been a downer of a season so far for Highland with the loss of Johnson and Matt Carlino, who is in Indiana to play his junior season. Last year, the backcourt duo led Highland to the 5A-I championship game. Coach Mark Carlino left Highland in the move with his son. Johnson is averaging 13.4 points and 4.7 rebounds for 16-1 Findlay Prep. While Johnson is traveling the country with the Henderson, Nev., prep school, Highland is struggling at 1-9. Johnson still has ASU and Arizona all over him in recruiting battle, but has Kentucky on his heels. AZ Central 12/29

The first half ended fittingly enough with Ray McCallum burying the sixth triple for Country Day. That was lightning. But the 6-0 Yellowjackets showed some second-half thunder in pulling away from Madison (Wisc.) Memorial 61-48 in a battle of state powers. It wasn’t just the back-to-back putback dunks from Amir Williams and McCallum. It was the ability to showed what it can do the inside work, too, that makes Country Day look well-rounded. Williams provided as much of an inside presence as McCallum and fellow outside threats Lee Bailey and Chris Fowler. Detroit Free Press 12/29

Branden Dawson is a strong, athletic and skilled wing who is a highlight waiting to happen in transition. He can finish above the rim, over or around defenders. He has a great midrange game as well. Dawson can knock down midrange jumpers off the catch or dribble with a smooth stroke and great elevation off the floor. He is an excellent ballhandler who likes to slash from the low wing or baseline where he uses his good first step to beat his defender and score at the rim with a dunk or an acrobatic layup. Dawson also attacks the glass on both ends of the floor. If not boxed out physically and aggressively, he is a tip-dunk threat on offense. On defense, he will take it coast to coast. Dawson is not only a tough competitor, but he seems to be a good teammate. He often encouraged his teammates when they made mistakes. Dawson is also capable of defending both wing positions. At times Dawson will force some shots but this young wing has all the tools to be a special player. What a treat to watch. ESPN 12/31

In the third-place game, Friendly erased an eight-point third-quarter deficit and forced overtime before falling to Hoover (Calif.), 63-57. Dame Ndiaye scored eight of his game-high 23 points in the extra session to lead Hoover, while Davon Morton paced Friendly with 16. But the game's main attraction, Hoover's junior center Angelo Chol, scored 12 points under the watchful eyes of Georgetown Coach John Thompson III. In addition to Connecticut and several Pacific-10 schools, the Hoyas have a scholarship offer on the table for the 6-foot-9 Sudanese import. Washington Post 12/31

In the headline game, Romulus and Gary (Ind.) Lew Wallace put an end to the lopsided final scores. A Lew Wallace 3-point attempt with 4 seconds remaining rimmed out to preserve a 56-53 win for Romulus. DeAndray Buckley led a balanced Romulus attack with 12 points. Lew Wallace got 23 points from junior Branden Dawson, a recruiting target of several Big Ten teams. AnnArbor.com 1/2