Bruin Recruiting: Prep News Roundup (4/12)

By Bruin Basketball Report

Prep News Roundup is published every Monday.  

Commits

Two John A. Logan College basketball standouts have been awarded All-American status by the National Junior College Athletic Association based on their performances this past season. Jesse Perry, a 6-foot 8 sophomore power forward out of St. Louis, led the Volunteers in scoring and rebounding at 17 points and 10 rebounds per game. He was named First Team. Lazeric Jones, a 6-foot 2 sophomore point guard out of Chicago, was second on the team in scoring at 14.5 points per game, tops in assists at five per game and the best free-throw shooter at 77 percent. Last week, Perry gave a verbal commitment to play on scholarship next fall for the University of Arizona. Jones had previously given a verbal commitment to play at UCLA. JALC News 4/5

Although he's not an accomplished shooter by reputation, Poole used a late flurry to tie UCLA-bound Tyler Lamb in the three-point contest. He made only three threes through the first 40 seconds of the one-minute contest. Then after making eight in the final 20 seconds, Poole pounded his chest as he ran toward halfcourt. The largely U of L-partisan crowd filled Freedom Hall with boos. In the shootout to determine the winner, Lamb made five three-pointers in 30 seconds while Poole made four. Kentucky Sports 4/10

Recruits

Terrence Jones, the McDonald's All-American who plays at Jefferson High School, has narrowed his finalists to a list of five (UCLA, Washington, Oregon, Kentucky and Oklahoma). And, given a reason, he'd like to stay close to home. Said Jones on Tuesday: "I'm waiting to see who the coach at Oregon is going to be."
Jones is the kind of player who can make the job better. Is it enough that he's waiting and watching? Is it enough that Oregon continues to aim high to fill the position? Oregon Live 4/7

If Lucas, Summers and Herzog all return for their final year of eligibility, not only would Thornton and Kebler go off scholarship, but there also would be no scholarship space for the one major uncommitted player MSU has offered: Trey Zeigler. The son of Central Michigan coach Ernie Zeigler and a top-30 recruit nationally, Zeigler has said he will make his decision shortly after the April 14 spring signing period begins, which gives MSU just more than a week to gauge some of its players’ plans, in particular Herzog’s. MLive 4/7

Angelo Chol, a 6-foot-8, 205-pound junior center from San Diego’s Hoover High, has sliced his list of schools to eight, Rivals.com reports. The schools: Kansas, Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Georgetown, North Carolina, UCLA and Washington. He’s eliminated. Arizona State, Wyoming and Virginia. LJ World 4/7

Jefferson's Terrence Jones, the two-time Oregonian Class 5A player of the year, said he will announce his college decision April 23 or April 30 during a news conference.  Jones, speaking Thursday after a United States practice leading to Saturday's Nike Hoop Summit at the Rose Garden, has narrowed his college choices to Oregon, Washington, UCLA, Oklahoma and Kentucky. He is one of two unsigned players on the 11-man U.S. roster.  The 6-foot-9 Jones, rated No. 9 by ESPNU for the class of 2010, said he wanted to wait until finishing a series of all-star games to make his decision. Jones played in the McDonald's All-American game March 31. After the Nike Hoop Summit is the Jordan Brand Classic on April 17 in New York.  Oregon Live 4/8

Golden and McRae had the misfortune of playing eventual 2-on-2 winners Ray McCallum and Trey Zeigler in the first round. The UT signees rallied from a 7-2 deficit in the first-to-12 game; McRae hit a long jumper and back-to-back treys to give the future Vols a 10-9 lead. Zeigler answered with a drive, but McRae's potential game-winning shot beyond the 3-point arc rimmed out, and Zeigler finished them off with a trey. Golden was unable to dive on McCallum, a McDonald's All-American and the Gatorade Player of the Year in Michigan. McRae was giving up size to Zeigler, a former teammate on the adidas nation squad, leading to some easier baskets inside. GoVols 4/9

Signing day for the late period in basketball is coming up in a month and Trey Zeigler has made it pretty well known that he will make his decision some time in May. His finalists are (in no particular order) Michigan, Central Michigan, UCLA, and Arizona State. Some of you reading this might wonder what a MAC school is doing on a list with ASU, UCLA, and Michigan but Central Michigan is located in Mt. Pleasant and his father Ernie Zeigler is the head coach. So Trey has a difficult discussion to make: play for his dad at Central which has 54 wins in the last four seasons, go west, or play for the Wolverines in Ann Arbor. The wild card in this decision is his dad's future at Central Michigan. Right now, Central is trying to re-negotiate Ernie's contract. Bleacher Report 4/8

Central Michigan men's basketball coach Ernie Zeigler and Athletics Director Dave Heeke have reached a verbal agreement on a new 4-year contract sources close to the situation tell me. The new deal will pay Zeigler just under $200,000 guaranteed this season and will begin immediately. The deal includes a $20,000 annual payment for media obligations and have a base salary over $175,000 in the first year of the deal with an undisclosed percentage raise after each season. Morning Sun 4/9

As the monthlong spring signing period begins this week, Kentucky fans are justifiably anxious about their favorite team's reliance on so-called one-and-done players. Sure, UK can restock. The Cats are involved with such highly rated prospects as Brandon Knight, Josh Selby, C.J. Leslie and Terrence Jones. Kentucky Sports 4/10

Jefferson's boys basketball season ended four weeks ago with a third consecutive Class 5A state championship, but the games continue for Democrats' star Terrence Jones.  The 6-foot-9 Jones is in the middle of a three-week tour of all-star games. On Saturday night, it was the Nike Hoop Summit in the Rose Garden, where Jones scored 15 points to help USA defeat World 101-97 before a crowd of 7,354. Oregon Live 4/11