Trigonis Tidbits:

“Bayless, Love, King, Guillewater and Jennings

Among Hot Names In April Recruiting Period”

(May 3, 2006)

The recently completed April recruiting period came fast and ended as quick, but little doubt remained as who the West Coast’s “cream of the crop” was………Let’s start with the fantastic lead guard from Phoenix 6’3” junior Jerryd Bayless (St. Mary’s/Phoenix AZ).  Bayless is such a gifted scorer, it is easy to peg him as a “shooting” or off-guard, but what he really is a “pro point” in the mold of a Baron Davis or Gilbert Arenas.   Bayless is also a fierce competitor too – leading his Arizona Magic squad to a Final 4 finish at the Las Vegas Easter Classic - losing to eventual champ SCA (more on them below in this article).  Along the way, the Bayless show included a memorable battle for 1^st place in Pool D with Southern California-based Belmont Shore (a team that would reach the Elite 8 of this tourney) which quickly jumped on the AZ Magic and led by as much as 20 points in the 1^st half before settling for a 15 point half-time lead.  Bayless quickly re-energized his squad and demanded that they make a 2^nd half assault on the double-digit Belmont Shore margin.  Anchored by Jerryd’s incredible intensity and huge 36 point performance (22 of those points being scored in the second half) along with some timely 3-point shooting from 5’9” junior Isaiah Thomas (Curtis/Tacoma WA/committed to Washington), AZ Magic came back and edged Belmont Shore 83-79 for a dramatic come-from-behind win.  Bayless was also terrific at the Kingwood Classic in Houston and has made a great case for being a Top 5 player in the national Class of 2007.  There has been considerable debate among several recruiting scouts as to whether Bayless is a “1” (point guard) or a “2” (shooting guard).  But as is the case with many things in life, some answers are not always “black and white” but sometimes “gray”.  As a WCC head coached remarked about Bayless “I don’t care whether you call him a point or an off-guard, if I was Lute Olson I’d just put him on the floor and get out his way.”………..Good advice……….As I was flying back from Houston, thinking about the stellar back-to-back weekend performances of 6’10” junior Kevin Love (Lake Oswego/Lake Oswego OR), I pondered privately the question of whether Love may have a legitimate argument as being the #1 player in the nation over heralded OJ Mayo.   And that question was publicly answered very quickly as Scout.com’s Jeff Goodman made the case for Love as the nation’s # 1 player in his Kingwood re-cap.  And if you witnessed his play in April, it was hard to quarrel with Goodman assessment as Love’s dominating play powered SCA to 15 straight wins and two major national tournament championships (Las Vegas Easter Classic and Kingwood Classic).  Love may be the closest thing to Wes Unseld since…well, Wes Unseld….and his ability as an outlet passer maybe as good as it gets.  While Love was indeed dominating, it was hardly a one-man show for SCA as 6’7” junior Taylor King (Mater Dei/Santa Ana CA) and 6’1” soph Brandon Jennings (Dominguez/Compton CA and soon to be Oak Hill/Mouth of Wilson VA) were also spectacular and deserving of great recognition.  King (bound for Duke in 2007) showed what many of us “in the know” already knew, that he was not just a one-dimensional shooter, but also a scrappy rebounder and skilled passer that played with the heart of a lion and with passion to win!  Jennings re-affirmed his status as arguably the nation’s finest pure sophomore point, directed SCA to convincing win after win and showing us the poise necessary to turn back all challengers.  Additionally, 6’5” sharp shooting sophomore Malik Story (Artesia/Lakewood CA/USC verbal) was an unsung hero as his timely 3-point shooting in several big games kept opponents at bay and allowed SCA to regain the momentum to close-out games.  I also loved the play of Story’s SCA teammate (who also will be a future Trojan) 6’4” Daniel Hackett (St. John Bosco/Bellflower CA).  While Hackett is not as naturally gifted as other elite guards, he is very savvy and has the ability to make big plays on both ends as well as having the leadership and intensity necessary to make an impact for Tim Floyd’s USC program………The only player we saw this month who came close to being Love’s “equal” (at least for a half) was 6’8” sophomore Troy Guillenwater (Fremont/Los Angeles CA).  Until Guillenwater got in 1^st half foul trouble, Troy scored in a variety of ways on Love and showed he could be physical with him on the defensive end as H-Squad jumped out to 14-2 lead to start the Las Vegas Easter Classic’s title game.  That lead proved to be very fragile and quickly evaporated as Guillenwater got in foul trouble and was forced to the bench with three personals mid-way through the half.  With Troy on the bench, SCA quickly took advantage and took command of the contest en route to a sizeable half-time lead before cruising the rest of the way and joining Houston Hoops (2005) and Belmont Shore (2004) as the last three champions of this event………..6’8” freshman Joe Burton (West Valley/Hemet CA) was also sensational in Las Vegas – powering Compton Magic to the Easter Classic’s 15 & under crown.  Burton’s play drew rave reviews from many including Hoop Scoop’s Clark Francis who pegged him as Top 5 player in the soph class.   Other West Coast players that impressed us this April were 6’9” junior Kyle Singler (South Medford/Medford OR), 6’6” junior Drew Viney (Villa Park/Villa Park CA), 6’8” soph Clarence Trent (Gig Harbor/Gig Harbor WA), 6’8” soph Luke Babbitt (Galena/Reno NV), 6’5” junior Tyrone Shelly (Crawford/San Diego CA), 6’6” junior Drew Viney (Villa Park CA), 6’4” junior Isaiah Jenkins (Westchester/Los Angeles CA), 6’8” junior Malcolm Thomas (Crawford/San Diego CA), 6’9” senior James Cawthorne (Villa Park), 6’4” senior Eric Hippolito (Mountain Pointe/Phoenix AZ), 6’0” soph Larry Drew (Taft/Woodland Hills CA), 6’7” soph Tyreese Breshers (Price/Los Angeles CA), 6’8” junior Jamelle Horne (San Diego/San Diego CA), 6’8” juniors Billy White (Green Valley/Henderson NV), 6’4” junior Carlon Brown (King/Riverside CA), 6’5” senior Nate Schulte (Palo Verde/Las Vegas NV), 6’2” junior Jordan Block (Claremont/Claremont CA), 6’8” senior Steve Panos (Highland/Salt Lake City UT), 6’5” junior Julyan Stone (Dos Pueblos/Goleta CA), 6’10” junior Austin Daye (Woodbridge/Irvine CA), 6’2” junior Jesse Woodard (Centennial/Compton CA), 6’1” soph Jason Pruitt (Artesia/Lakewood CA), 6’8” senior Harper Kamp (Mountain View/Mesa AZ/Cal verbal), 6’3” senior Dezon Otis (Dominguez/Compton CA), 6’8” junior Darnell Gant (Crenshaw/Los Angeles CA), 6’10” junior Clint Amberry (Los Alamitos/Los Alamitos CA), 6’10” junior Alex English (Paradise Valley/Phoenix AZ), 6’7” junior Chase Stanback (Fairfax/Los Angeles CA/UCLA verbal),  6’4” soph Elston Turner (Roseville/Roseville CA), 6’5” senior Josh Guillory (Lynwood/Lynwood CA), 6’6” junior Robert Jones (Riordan/San Francisco CA), 6’5” senior Bruno Naylor (Notre Dame/Sherman Oaks CA), 6’7” soph Kavaris Middleton (Lakes/LakewoodWA), 6’1” junior Michael Loyd (Palo Verde/Las Vegas NV), 6’8” frosh David and Travis Wear (Mater Dei/Santa Ana CA), 6’2” frosh Justin Hawkins (Taft/Woodland Hills CA), 6’7” junior Trent Anderson (Ironwood Ridge/Tucson AZ) and 6’8” frosh Chris Cunningham (Diamond Ranch/Diamond Bar CA)……………….In other recent news, San Francisco native 6’6” freshman Dior Lowhorn will transfer back to The City as he leaves Bobby Knight’s Texas Tech Red Raiders to come back home and attend San Francisco.  USF coach Jesse Evans knows how to recruit and he got his guy the hard way – on the “bounce back” – and has the Dons looking strong again in the WCC……..New Mexico State head coach Reggie Theus got his point guard of the future as he nabbed 6’0” post-grad Jonathan Gibson (Calvary Baptist/San Fernando CA).  Gibson is much improved over a year ago and while he always had great quickness and athleticism, his lead guard decision-making and poise have dramatically improved and he should be an impact player for the Aggies. Theus is also recruiting former Lynwood product 6’4” Seketoure Henry hard and would love to land the high scoring wing who is attending his 5^th year at the prep power Patterson NC this school year.  Washington State is also on Henry’s trail and this list may get longer before it gets shorter as there is a severe shortage of available 2006 players that can really shoot the rock……………6’11” junior Sean Williams (Villa Park/Villa Park CA) committed to Syracuse this past week.  Credit current Syracuse assistant Mike Hopkins (a former Mater Dei Monarch) with using his Orange County connections and his ability to recognize the huge upside of Williams who has improved at a steady pace under the guidance of VP coach Kevin Reynolds………Scrappy 6’1” point Shane Mahoney (Stoneridge Prep/Simi Valley CA) signed with Lamar recently, giving head coach Steve Roccaforte a tough lead guard that can run a team……….6’1” senior Laith Al-Jamie (Trabuco Hills/Mission Viejo CA) has decided to attend Chico State next year.  Al-Jamie is a steady combo-guard that has range on his jump shot and is a very underrated passer………After hearing overtures from east coast programs like Wake Forest and Miami FL, 6’3” senior Russell Westbrook received an offer from UCLA and did not hesitate long before agreeing to become a Bruin.  The addition of Westbrook (who played well at last year’s Pangos All-American Camp) may take on added importance for UCLA if Jordan Farmar and/or Arron Afflalo elect to stay in next June’s NBA draft……..6’3” senior Sean Deadwiler (South Mountain/Phoenix AZ) capped off an impressive April by committing to Loyola Marymount.  Deadwiler helped spark one of the top upsets of the spring when he led his Southwest Rebels Elite to a monumental upset over the Houston Hoops at the Las Vegas Easter Classic………6’4” senior Jerren Shipp (Fairfax/Los Angeles CA) has committed to Arizona State……..It’s not often that career AAU coaches like EBO’s Darren Matsubara beat a former NCAA Championship Title coach.  In fact, I don’t believe it has ever happened until last weekend at the Double Pump Spring Classic when EBO beat (and eliminated) a Pump-n-Run Elite squad coached by former UCLA head coach Jim Harrick (who won a national title in 1996 while at the helm of the Bruins) while college coaches like former Pac-10 competitors like Lute Olson looked on.  Which raises the question: Why?  Why would a distinguished college head coach with stops at Pepperdine, UCLA, Rhode Island and Georgia and a national title under his belt agree to coach an AAU team and tarnish his coaching legacy?   It seems kind of odd that a coach who used to battle other top coaches the likes of Olson, Mike Montgomery, Roy Williams, Coach K and others, is now trying to out-coach the likes of Matsubara, Rick Isaacs, Rock Johnson, Roy White and Mona Viney………Mindboggling to say the least……… Speaking of Southern California Razorback coach Mona Viney, her direction of the SCR squad to “back-to-back” championship game and Final Four appearances in Las Vegas has been very impressive and male coaches should take notice on how importance team chemistry and attitude are in the overall big scheme of basketball things.