Bruin Recruiting: Prep News Roundup (2/22)

By Bruin Basketball Report

Prep News Roundup is published every Monday.  

Commits

In 1AA, Santa Ana Mater Dei (25-1) used balanced scoring to defeat Corona, 95-46. Keala King had 17 points, Tyler Lamb 16 and Gary Franklin Jr. 14. LA Times 2/17

Lee has the confidence of teammates, who realize he is getting on-the-job training. "Going from shooting guard to point guard . . . is a big adjustment. It shows his character that he can deal with it," Roll said. Whether Lee deals with it beyond this season is to be seen. He would like to remain a point guard, but Howland's concerns about the position are such that he took the unusual step of recruiting a community college transfer. Lazeric Jones, a 6-1 point guard from Logan College in Illinois, arrives next season. LA Times 2/18

Kentridge 55, Gig Harbor 43: Joshua Smith, Kentwood's 6-9 senior, scored 30 points as the sixth-ranked Conquerors beat visiting Gig Harbor. Kentwood plays Decatur Friday for a trip to state. Seattle Times 2/18

It came as no surprise to local coaches and talent evaluators that there were no McDonald's All-American selections from the state of California. The Golden State leads in all-time McDonald's All-Americans, but was shut out for the first time in the event's 33-year history. One only has to look at the state's top teams for an indication as to why. Top-ranked Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), currently No. 7 in the ESPN RISE FAB 50, has three fine players, but two of them basically are both wing players (UCLA-bound Tyler Lamb and Arizona State-bound Keala King) and the team's elder statesman, Gary Franklin Jr., is a point guard in a guard-heavy class. RISE 2/18

Best All-Around: Tyler Lamb (6-5, 190), Santa Ana, Calif./Mater Dei: Lamb is the most polished prospect in this group. He isn't the bounciest, but his skills and savvy for the game speak volumes. The only question mark concerning his game is his inconsistent outside shot. However, due to his approach, he should be a fine fit in Ben Howland's defensive-minded system. ESPN 2/19

Coach Gary McKnight's top-ranked (in California and in the CIF Southern Section's I-AA Division) did a dandy job of displaying that point Friday at Jordan High school while cruising past the Panthers, 103-77, in a second-round playoff contest. The Monarchs (26-1) trailed by five points late in the first quarter to provide a shot of adrenalin for Coach Ron Massey's Panthers and their crowd. But after future UCLA Bruin Tyler Lamb scored with four seconds to go to give Mater Dei the lead at 20-19 after a quarter, the Monarchs sizzled in the second and third quarters....Lamb (who had 18 of his game-high 25 points in the first half), Mater Dei scored 64 points in the middle 16 minutes of the game.  Press Telegram 2/19

Recruits

The Flint Southwestern boys' basketball team was able to keep the pace slow and the scoring low for a half Feb. 17, but Mount Pleasant pulled away in the second half in a 60-42 win....Mount Pleasant pulled away in the fourth, getting the lead into double figures after dunks on consecutive possessions by Trey Zeigler. Southwestern couldn't get the lead back under 10 the rest of the way. Graham led Southwestern with 12. Josh Young had eight and Kendric Roberts scored seven. Zeigler finished with 26. MLive 2/17

Finlday Prep (NV) took on the Hotchkiss School (CT) at the Sun National Bank Center in Trenton (NJ). Playing without Texas-bound forward Tristan Thompson, Findlay was still too deep and too big for Hotchkiss as Cory Joseph and Nick Johnson tossed in 19 points each to lead Findlay to a 64-48 victory. NBE Sports 2/17

The Mt. Pleasant High School boys basketball team shrugged off a slow start Wednesday night to record a 60-42 win at Flint Southwestern Academy. The Oilers (13-3, 7-2 Saginaw Valley League) ended the first quarter down 7-5, but regained the lead at halftime at 20-16. A big fourth quarter in which Mt. Pleasant outscored the hosts 18-7 put the finishing touches on the victory. Trey Zeigler tallied 24 points, 16 rebounds, nine assists, three blocks, and three steals to lead Mt. Pleasant. Morning Sun 2/18

The screams were ear-piercing during the starting lineups Friday at Roosevelt, but there was one big name missing from Lew Wallace's starting five. Branden Dawson, arguably the region's best player, was left off the starting lineup. But when he emerged two minutes into the game, the show began. The 6-foot-6 junior forward made his presence felt in a tournament atmosphere, as he led the Hornets (13-4, 2-0) to a 77-68 Northwestern Conference victory. "It hurt being on the sideline to start, but I knew my team would step up and handle business," Dawson said, who didn't g
ive a reason for the brief benching. The Hornets led 4-1 when Dawson entered the game. He scored eight of his game-high 32 points in the first quarter. Post Tribune 2/2o

With four Dragons scoring in double figures, No. 3 Sacramento (20-6, 10-0) ran to an 85-53 win over the No. 10 Titans (20-7, 8-2) to capture their fourth consecutive Metro title. Sacramento is 39-1 in league play during that run. Junior guard Josiah Turner had 22 points. Sac Bee 2/21

Third-ranked Milton held off Wheeler 72-71 when Jalen Kendrick’s buzzer-beating shot at the end of overtime was ruled a 2-pointer, preserving Milton’s victory....Scott finished with 17 points for Milton, which was led in scoring by Julian Royal with 18. AJC 2/20