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Bruin Recruiting: Prep News Roundup (3/15)

By Bruin Basketball Report

Prep News Roundup is published every Monday.  

Commits

Kaela King scored 23 points and Tyler Lamb added 21 to lead Mater Dei to an 80-48 win over Rancho Verde of Moreno Valley on Thursday in a CIF Southern California Division I quarterfinal game at Mater Dei High. The win advances the Monarchs (31-1) to the semifinals, where they will face Taft of Woodland Hills on Saturday at home at 7 p.m.  OC Varsity 3/11

Mater Dei beat the state’s No. 3-ranked Taft of Woodland Hills, 75-73, Saturday and now gets ready to play No. 2 Westchester. Mater Dei, No. 1 in calhisports.com’s California rankings, will play Westchester next Saturday at 8 p.m. at USC's Galen Center in the CIF Southern California Regionals Division 1 championship game....The Monarchs regained the lead on two free throws by Gary Franklin, then Mater Dei’s Tyler Lamb made a 3-pointer with 1:21 left to give Mater Dei a 72-68 lead. Lamb’s shot turned out to be the one that was the final momentum maker in a game in which there were 15 lead changes. “I didn’t think about it,” Lamb said about the 3-pointer. “I just let it go.” Lamb scored a team-high 21 points. OC Varsity 3/13

Recruits

Of course, then there is Mt. Pleasant guard/forward Trey Zeigler, son of the CMU head coach. Zeigler has offers from Duke, Michigan, Michigan State, UCLA, Arizona and Pittsburgh, among others, but has been playing his recruitment close to the vest. Despite offers from just about every school in the nation, Zeigler, the No. 26 player in the nation according to Rivals, routinely acknowledges that playing at CMU under his father is a possibility. Detroit Free Press 3/9

Instead, Calipari's main purpose for taking the trip to see Findlay was to get looks in at some of the Pilots' younger talents. Among those he was taking a look at, according to Peck, were junior guard Nick Johnson, sophomore forward Winston Shepard and freshman guard Nigel Williams-Goss. Las Vegas Sun 3/9

For Hoover, a season that began with state title aspirations will end without one. Facing Compton in the second round of the Division II state playoffs on Thursday night, the Cardinals didn’t play a complete game, losing 69-53....Ingram led Hoover with 15 points and center Angelo Chol added 10. Chol faced different defenses nearly every possession and ended up without a point in the fourth quarter. San Diego Reader 3/11

Sacramento boys 87, Miramonte 84 – Not to be completely outdone by his cousin Shine, Josiah Turner keyed a fourth-quarter rally to hold off the Matadors of Orinda in a second-round game. A nationally recruited 6-foot-3 junior guard, Turner scored seven of his 37 points in a fourth-quarter run that put the Dragons (25-6) ahead to stay. He had a steal and layup, a three-pointer and another steal and score to make it 85-78. Sac Bee 3/11

Jefferson senior Terrence Jones, among the highest-ranked uncommitted basketball recruits in the class of 2010, has not made a decision on a college, Jones and coach Pat Strickland told The Oregonian's Aaron Fentress on Friday. The words of Jones and Strickland contradict persistent rumors posted on Internet sites that Jones has decided on Washington or Kentucky. Jones is also considering UCLA, Oregon and Oklahoma. Oregonian 3/12

After a buzzer-beating, one-point loss to Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament on Friday in Indianapolis, University of Michigan coach John Beilein traveled to Midland Dow and witnessed the latest in a long line of impressive performances by Mount Pleasant's Trey Zeigler in the Class A boys basketball district final against Bay City Western. Zeigler finished with 28 points and lifted Mount Pleasant to its fifth consecutive district championship with a 58-39  win over the Warriors. MLive 3/12

The final bear of 2010 turned out to be a wounded No. 1-ranked Westlake on Friday night. Milton — with no seniors on its roster — won its first state championship in basketball with a 56-46 victory in the Class AAAAA boys final at the Gwinnett Arena. Those year-older sophomores for Milton — juniors Dai-Jon Parker (19 points, six rebounds), Julian Royal (15 points, five blocks) and Shannon Scott (five assists) — did their parts. AJC 3/12

You know what Ray McCallum brings to every single game.  First Effort, then Energy, and last if you can imagine this is his unbelievable talent.  As skilled a basketball player at the guard position we have seem in Michigan is some time.  This youngman handles his leadership role with style and grace of a college coaches son.  Oh, he is a college coaches son!  At the end of every game you want to say "Ha Ray" thanks for the great performance I know you put your heart into it.  Ray Mc Callum scores the usual 21 points in a workmenship effort. MLive 3/13

Whatever argument Terrence Jones might want to put forth about why he deserves to be mentioned among the great basketball players out of Oregon, it should always begin with this: Three in a row, baby.  Jones talked from the beginning of the season about trying to make history and leading his team to a three-peat. And although Mountain View did not let the coronation come easy Saturday in the OSAA Class 5A boys basketball final at McArthur Court, the Democrats won 57-48. "We made (winning three championships) our goal freshman year," Jones said. "We worked hard since then. This is the best way to end it, to leave this way, especially with my brothers that I came in with." Oregonian 3/13

UCLA Bows To California in Pac-10 Tourney To End Season

By Bruin Basketball Report

Box Score

UCLA's season ended with a whimper after a 85-72 loss to California in the semifinals of the Pac-10 tournament.

The Bruins competed for most of the game but they were clearly beaten by the better team.

Jerome Randle scored 24 points and Theo Robertson had 15 of his 20 in the second half when California dominated UCLA on its way to the finals of the Pac-10 tourney.

UCLA senior Michael Roll fittingly scored a career-high 27 points to end his Bruin career on a solid individual note.

He also added 5 rebounds and 4 assists in 38 minutes.

Roll's play and leadership this season was a highlight in a year that struggled to find many.

The Bruins (14-18, 8-10) finished with its worst record since Ben Howland's first season at UCLA.

Sophomore guard Jerime Anderson played perhaps his best game ever at UCLA, scoring 15 points on  6 of 8 shooting and handing out 4 assists.

Senior Nikola Dragovic continued his ice-cold shooting finishing just 3 of 12 from the field and 1 of 8 from beyond the arc.  

With UCLA trailing by just 4 points midway through the second, Dragovic bricked two consecutive three-pointer after which the Bears countered with two threes of their own to push the lead to 10.  

The Bears never looked back.

This was a tough and long season for the UCLA team and its fans. 

The loss of Darren Collison, Jrue Holiday, Josh Shipp, and Alfred Aboya proved too much for the Bruins to make up.  

The in-season transfer of starting center Drew Gordon further highlighted the dearth of talent on this team.

The returning UCLA players and coaching staff have much work to do between now and next season in evaluating both its physical play and psyche.

Freshman Tyler Honeycutt and Reeves Nelson form a solid foundation for the team to build upon. 

The arrival of the 2010 class that includes center Josh Smith and guards Tyler Lamb and Lazeric Jones should help to solidify the rotation next year.  The addition of one or perhaps two additional players would certainly help.  

Ray McCallum and Terrence Jones anyone?

Still the fact remains in Westwood, for the first time in five seasons, UCLA will not be playing in the NCAA tournament.

Nelson Returns, Powers Bruins To Pac-10 Tourney Win

By Bruin Basketball Report

Box Score

Freshman Reeves Nelson returned to the line-up and recorded a double-double with a game-high 19 points and 10 rebounds to power UCLA to a 75-69 win over Arizona in its Pac-10 tournament opener.

Nelson had missed four consecutive games including a loss to the Wildcats in Arizona.

The freshman post player sported goggles all game long to protect his right eye.  He had laser surgery weeks earlier to repair a tear in his retina.

While Nelson complained about the ill-fitting protective eye wear, he gave Arizona more to complain about with his punishing play inside as the Wildcats had no answer for the 6'8 Bruin.  He finished 8 of 9 from the field and played 32 minutes.

Seniors Michael Roll and Nikola Dragovic helped their own chance to play another collegiate game by each scoring 18 points.  

Roll hit on 3 three-pointers while Dragovic was 10 of 12 from the free throw line.  The Serbian also had 3 blocks and 2 steals.

However, it was Nelson who gave UCLA (14-17, 8-10) an interior scoring threat, something the team had sorely missed the past two weeks. 

In this contest UCLA Coach Ben Howland effectively mixed up the defensive scheme - something he hasn't done often this season - by switching from man-to-man to zone defense which seemed to confuse the Wildcats at times in the halfcourt.

Arizona (16-15. 10-8) shot just 40% from the field.

While the Bruins executed better on offense and got the ball inside to Nelson, the Wildcats did not play well defensively as they gave up a number of easy shots to the Bruins.  

UCLA finished the game hitting on 53.2% from the field after starting off 64% in the first half.

With the tournament win, the Bruins will face California tomorrow at the Staples Center in the next round.  The Bears beat the Oregon Ducks 90-74 in the other tournament game.

Roll, Nelson, and Honeycutt Garner All-Pac-10 Honors

By Bruin Basketball Report

Senior guard Michael Roll was named to the All-Pac 10 First Team, Commissioner Larry Scott announced today.

Roll led his team in scoring with 13.5 points per game while shooting 46% from the field and 42% on three-pointers.

A fifth-year red-shirt senior, Roll had been primarily a role player at UCLA until this year when he was thrust into a leadership role on a very young Bruin squad.

Two UCLA newcomers were also named to the All- Pac 10 Freshmen Team.

Forwards Reeves Nelson and Tyler Honeycutt were honored as top frosh players in the league.

Nelson, who sat out the last four games of the season due to an eye injury, was a nice surprise for the Bruins by displaying a combination of grit and aggressiveness which was sorely lacking on the team.

Nelson averaged 11.0 points and 5.5 rebounds in 23.2 minutes per game this season.

Fellow frosh Tyler Honeycutt came back from a bevy of summer injuries to average 7.3 points and a team-high 6.7 rebounds a game.  

The all-purpose forward also led the team in number of steals and blocked shots this season.

Nelson and Honeycutt are solid building blocks next year for a rebuilding UCLA basketball program.

Bruin Recruiting: Prep News Roundup (3/8)

By Bruin Basketball Report

Prep News Roundup is published every Monday.  

Commits

Incoming freshmen Josh Smith and Tyler Lamb (Mater Dei) are expected to enroll early at UCLA and be part of summer workouts. OC Register 3/2

Joshua Smith doesn't want to end his senior season with any regrets. So, in his final trip to the state tournament — his first since freshman year — he's doing everything possible to extend it as long as he can. Kentwood's senior scored the first seven points of the game, leading the Conquerors to the quarterfinals. The Panthers (19-7) didn't bring a double team against Smith in the post early on, so the UCLA-bound big man went to work right away. "It just kind of gave me a green light when they played man," said Smith, who finished with 28 points, 18 rebounds and five assists. "Then I thought, hey, if they're going to play man, I've got to go every time." Once Smith established himself inside, Kentwood (17-10) got hot from outside, with Tre Tyler hitting two first-half three-pointers. It was 20-4 after just one quarter, but the Panthers didn't quit and played a competitive second half. "No team's going to quit," Smith said. "This is state." Seattle Times 3/3

Joshua Smith again made it look so effortless. Smith, the Conquerors' 6-9, 290-pound center, tossed in 23 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and added two dunks as Kentwood moved into the semifinals for the first time since 2005. The Conquerors (18-10) won for the 12th time in 14 games and will try to beat tournament surprise Wilson (20-8) at 8:30 Friday night. Smith, who's headed to UCLA, left the game with 3:06 remaining, shortly after Eastlake fans chanted "USC!" as he shot free throws. Minutes earlier, Smith threw down a thunderous two-handed dunk. Seattle Times 3/4

Joshua Smith is an imposing figure at 6-foot-9, 290 pounds. But he's really just a big teddy bear. After Kentwood beat Wilson, 57-44, Friday night to get back into the Class 4A state championship game for the first time since 2005, the Conquerors' 6-foot-9, 290-pound center showed how soft his heart is. "This is really how every kid wants to end their senior year," said Smith, who had 20 points and 11 rebounds against Wilson. "I told them (Wilson players) to keep their heads up. They had a great season. Even though we won, we kind of felt bad for them." Smith, the nation's No. 1-rated high school center, left the court high-fiving a long line of Wilson fans on the way to the locker room. Seattle Times 3/5

For four days during the Class 4A boys state tournament, teams tried to slow down Joshua Smith. After a 67-58 victory over Jackson Saturday night, no team succeeded. He beat back double teams. He scored with players tugging at his arms and jersey. He set up teammates for open jump shots and they knocked them down. For the first time since his freshman year, the UCLA-bound Smith played in the state tournament. He ended his career a champion. "I told them, 'Hey, I'm going to put us on my back and we're going to go off on a good note,' " said Smith, who had 22 points, 16 rebounds and five assists. Seattle Times 3/6

So there was a little extra oomph in the top-seeded Monarchs' celebration Saturday after they held on for a 68-65 victory over Etiwanda in the Division 1AA championship for their first section title since 2006....The senior guard duo of Gary Franklin Jr. and Tyler Lamb came up big for Mater Dei, with Lamb scoring 22 points and Franklin getting 21. LA Times 3/6

Recruits

Josiah Turner, Sacramento. No one can produce instant offense like the 6-3 junior guard, who scored 37 points and led a 22-4 fourth-quarter run as Sac High pulled away from Lincoln in the D-III quarterfinals. Turner is ninth in the state in scoring at 27.8. SacBee 3/1

In a battle that is of significantly more consequence nationally, Ray McCallum Jr., a four-star player who checks in at No. 60 of the Rivals Top 150 (video here), is picking between a host of college hoops' blue bloods ... and Detroit Mercy. Something doesn't fit, right? Ray McCallum Sr. is the coach at Detroit Mercy, so the choice is simple: be another McDonald's All-American at one of the schools like Kansas, UCLA, etc. or go be the savior for an entire school -- and your dad -- at Detroit Mercy. The latter just doesn't happen. People fantasized about Harrison Barnes staying in Ames and saving Iowa State, but he picked North Carolina. Sporting News 3/2

James Arnold scored 21 points and pulled down 10 rebounds in Mount Pleasant's 75-50 victory over Gaylord on Tuesday night. Trey Zeigler added 18 points for the Oilers MLive 3/2

Although the Rams made a nice final-quarter run, it couldn't overshadow another spectacular performance by Josiah Turner, Sac High's dynamic 6-3 junior guard. He scored 32 points on an assortment of highlight-reel runners, jumpers, putbacks and twisting layups. He also had six assists, six rebounds and two blocks....Despite playing almost the entire game, Turner had 10 fourth-quarter points. Averaging 27.8 points entering the game, he finished 14 of 24 from the field and 3 of 5 from the foul line. "Josiah is just a natural," Swafford said. "If he ever gets serious and plays the kind of defense college coaches look for, he could be one of the top players in the nation next season."  Sac Bee 3/4

Our defense let us down a bit in the second half and they beat us on the boards. Those two things hurt us," said Mt. Pleasant coach Sam Taylor. Trey Zeigler registered 24 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, and three blocked shots in the losing effort. Morning Sun 3/5

Starting fast and building a 20-point lead at one point in the first half, the No. 2-seeded Hornets held on in the final quarter for a 58-51 victory over Hoover to claim the CIF San Diego Section Division II championship at the Jenny Craig Pavilion...Hoover's 6-10 junior center Angelo Chol took game-scoring honors with 25 points to go with 16 rebounds. NC Times 3/5

The Democrats mauled South Albany 122-78 to advance to the Oregon School Activities Association Class 5A tournament, which begins Thursday in Eugene. The two-time defending champions are attempting to become the first team to win three consecutive state titles in Oregon's big-school classifications.... "We never experienced a game like that, where we were playing that fast. We got kind of tired," said the 6-foot-9 Terrence Jones, who scored 31 points and blocked seven shots. Oregon Live 3/6

UCLA Loses Regular Season Finale to Arizona State

By Bruin Basketball Report

Box Score

The UCLA basketball team ended the 2009-10 regular season the same way it started.  

With a loss.

Arizona State behind center Eric Boateng's 16 points and 14 rebounds defeated UCLA, 56-46, in Tempe to finish the Pac-10 regular season.

The Bruins (13-17, 8-10) competed for parts of the game but were never a threat to the Sun Devils (22-9, 12-6) who never let the Bruins closer than 7 points after the opening moments of the game. 

Malcolm Lee and Nikola Dragovic each scored a team-high 15 points but they shot a combined 10-26.  

UCLA shot just 32.7% and was a miserable 4 of 20 on three-pointers.  

Making matters worse, the Bruins chucked up way too many three-point brick attempts which accounted for 35% of their total field goal tries.

Led by Boateng, the Sun Devils also manhandled the Bruins on the boards 39-30.  

Freshman center Reeves Nelson sat out another game with an eye injury, and his replacement Brendan Lane responded with just 2 points and 1 rebound in 17 minutes.

Barring some miracle finish by the Bruins, UCLA is headed for its third losing season since 1947-48, and its second losing season under Head Coach Ben Howland who started coaching at UCLA in 2003.

The Bruins still have the Pac-10 tournament to play.  They open on Thursday as the fifth-seed team and will play the fourth-seed Arizona Wildcats.

Bruins Blow Big Lead, Lose to Wildcats

By Bruin Basketball Report

Box Score

In yet another chapter in UCLA's lost season,  the Bruins let the Arizona Wildcats rally from 14 points in the second half to lose, 78-73, in Tucson.

UCLA defenders inexplicably were unable to locate hot-shooting Arizona guard Kyle Fogg who hit 5 of 6 three-pointers down the stretch to help the Wildcats overcome its big deficit.  

Fogg simply patiently set up on the wing or in the corner and waited for a pass from a teammate against UCLA's soft 2-3 zone and repeatedly hit open shots.

He finished with a career-high 26 points including 19 points in the deciding final half.

This was a game for the Bruins to win.  While Michael Roll was torching Arizona for 21 points, freshman Tyler Honeycutt was controlling the boards with 11 rebounds and the defensive paint with 2 blocks.

But UCLA's inconsistent zone defense was slow in reacting and rotating in the second half as Fogg shot his team back into the game.

Freshman center Reeves Nelson did not play again due to his post-op eye surgery.  

Brendan Lane played solidly at center for 27 minutes and recorded 7 points and 6 rebounds before fouling out with a few minutes to play in the game.

The loss on Thursday ensured UCLA (13-16, 8-9) will end the regular season sub-500, the first time since Coach Ben Howland's first season in Westwood when the Bruins finished 2003-04, 11-17.

UCLA travels to Tempe for its Pac-10 regular season finale against the Arizona State Sun Devils on Saturday.

UCLA Player Updates

By Bruin Basketball Report

UCLA freshman forward Reeves Nelson has been medically cleared to play in this week's games at Arizona (Mar. 4) and Arizona State (Mar. 6) and completed a full practice today, sporting his new protective gear.

He missed both games last week against the Oregon schools after having successful laser retinopexy on Feb. 22, 2010 to repair a slight retinal tear in his left eye.

Sophomore center J'mison Morgan has been suspended for the Arizona game for a violation of team rules.

Senior forward Nikola Dragovic, who sprained his right ankle after landing on a basketball during pregame of the Oregon contest (Feb. 27), was able to play with full contact at practice today.

UCLA (13-15, 8-8) faces Arizona (14-14, 8-8) on Thursday in Tucson at the McKale Center

Bruin Recruiting: Prep News Roundup (3/1)

By Bruin Basketball Report

Prep News Roundup is published every Monday.  

Commits

Kentwood's 6-foot-10 center Joshua Smith has been selected to play in the elite Jordan Brand Classic in April in New York. Smith, a UCLA signee, is a McDonald's All-American. MaxPreps 2/22

Sophomore guard Lazeric Jones knocked down 22 points, including 12-of-12 from the free-throw line to pace the Logan attack. The Southern 2/23

Joshua Smith, a 6-foot-9 senior, had 22 points and 19 rebounds as seventh-ranked Kentwood beat rival Kentridge Tuesday night, 74-54, in a loser-out game of the West Central 4A District boys basketball tournament at Auburn High School. The Conquerors (15-11) are one win from their first state berth since Smith's freshman year. They play Beamer of Federal Way Friday at 8 p.m. at Foss of Tacoma in one last loser-out game. The Titans (17-7) stayed alive with a wild, 56-55 victory over Mount Tahoma of Tacoma. Smith, who has signed with UCLA and recently was named a McDonald's All-American, doesn't want this season to end the way the last two have, just short of the state tournament. Seattle Times 2/23

Mater Dei's Tyler Lamb made a 3-pointer to put Mater Dei on top, 38-36, King made a jump hook in the key and followed with a finger-roll, and Mater Dei had a six-point lead....Franklin scored 21 points, and Lamb scored 13 and blocked four shots. OC Varsity 2/23

Recruits

The Mt. Pleasant High School boys basketball team won its 13th straight game Tuesday as the Oilers bested host Bay City Central 73-68 in overtime....Trey Zeigler also tallied 27 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out in regulation. Morning Sun 2/24

Another key Kentucky target is big man Terrence Jones, a player from Oregon whom Biancardi coached at the Nike Skills Academy. “He is a power forward body that is chiseled. He possesses small forward skill levels. One of his best attributes is the way he handles the ball facing the basket,” Biancardi said. “With his body and soft touch he can score in the low post and in the mid-post from about 12 feet. AM News 2/25

Detroit Country Day 75, Detroit Denby 64: Ray McCallum scored 22, Amir Williams 19 and Lee Bailey 17 for Country Day (16-1). Derrick Barton scored 21 and Isaiah Sykes 16 for Denby (10-8). Detroit News 2/25

Teammates at Jefferson (Portland, Ore.) and two of the top unsigned 2010 prospects Terrence Jones and Terrence Ross attended the Washington-UCLA game last Saturday on the Husky campus. MaxPreps 2/26

UCLA Rally Falls Short On Unforced Errors

By Bruin Basketball Report

Box Score

The Bruins rallied but came up short losing to the Oregon Ducks, 70-68, at Pauley Pavilion on Senior Day.

After falling behind by 14 points, the Bruins rallied to tie the game, 65-65, with just 2 minutes remaining in the game.  

But then Jerime Anderson committed two consecutive turnovers to snuff out the Bruin rally.  

In the first play Tyler Honeycutt cut to the basket but Anderson tossed a pass low and behind him for a turnover after which Tajuan Porter hit a three-pointer to put the Ducks up 68-65.  On this same play Anderson misplayed a screen set for Porter by going under the screen, and Porter with the extra space hit the trey.

On the ensuing play Anderson dribbled up past halfcourt  but then inexplicably threw the ball away with just 50 seconds remaining to end the Bruins chances.

After crawling back from a huge deficit, it was disheartening for the team to lose on the unforced errors.

Senior Michael Roll hit a three-pointer to end the game to bring the final losing margin to one.

Roll, playing his last game at Pauley Pavilion, finished to tie a career-high 25 points.

In the first half UCLA was ineffective attacking the Duck's 2-3 zone, launching numerous three-point shots off the mark to begin the game.  They were just 4 of 14 from beyond the arc in the opening half for 28% as they fall behind 41-31 going into halftime.

The Bruins were passive offensively, unable or perhaps unwilling to attack the Oregon zone and instead were willing to slowly pass the ball around the perimeter until forced to launch a shot before the shot clock expired.

In the second half, the Bruins were more effective against the zone as they put Malcolm Lee on the baseline to run behind the zone.  It resulted in Lee getting 18 points in the game, mostly on backdoor layups.

Defensively the Bruins were unable to stop Tajuan Porter who finished with 29 points on 7 of 9 shooting from beyond the arc.  In addition, UCLA was outrebounded 33-26 by Oregon.

In the second half, the UCLA defensive 2-3 zone got more aggressive, extending and pressuring the Ducks on the perimeter,  to help cut the lead, but then the  Bruin turnovers at the end were just too much to overcome.

A couple of bright notes from a rather dreary day at Pauley Pavilion, Tyler Honeycutt finished with a game-high 13 rebounds and 9 assists, while fellow freshman Brendan Lane continued to show promise as he finished 4 of 4 from the field for 8 points and pulled down 5 rebounds in 23 mintues of action.

UCLA (13-15, 8-8) travels to Arizona next week and needs to sweep both Arizona schools to end the regular season at .500.  It will be no easy task.