Briefing Room
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Briefing Room Archive
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| PLAYER | NEWS | TEAM |
May. 16 Seattle, WA Franklin H.S. Scouts Grade: 89 ESPN100 Rank: 30 Position Rank: 5 | Playmaking point guard Siva picks Louisville Peyton Siva, an ESPN 100 6-foot combo-guard out of Franklin High School in Seattle, committed to Louisville Friday, reports the Louisville Courier-Journal. Siva chose the Cardinals over a host of other offers including Arizona, Washington and Kansas. "I just prayed on it, asked my family about it and talked to my coaches a lot," Siva told The Courier-Journal. "I just felt it was time. "So I called (Richard Pitino) and then talked to coach Rick Pitino. They were excited and happy. (Richard Pitino) said I made his honeymoon." ESPN.com's Joel Francisco says Siva has been outstanding in recent play. "Siva -- think Nate Robinson -- was spectacular throughout the regular season and was one of the top overall performers at the recent Cactus Classic in Arizona, as he clearly established himself as the No. 2 point guard prospect in the West," said Francisco. He becomes the third member of a solid class that includes ultra-athletic Rakeem Buckles (Miami/Monsignor) and sharpshooting Mike Marra (Northfield, Mass./ Mount Hernon). Francisco also talked about Siva's strengths. "His athleticism is off the charts with unbelievable speed and quickness, and he is a remarkable leaper as well. He has a tendency to play for the spectacular and leaves the floor far too often to make a pass, but he usually pulls off the play due to his athletic prowess. His change of speed and direction in the open court is impressive, and he is extremely difficult to handle one-on-one in the half-court as well." "His jump shot is very good with range out to 25 feet and he has improved his shot selection since the summer evaluation period. Although he is a prolific scorer, he does look for his teammates and is quite the nifty passer. In addition, his court demeanor is excellent as he rarely gets rattled under pressure." Francisco added that his decision-making needs to improve. "Although he does pull off the stunning play more often than not, his carelessness at times leads to unnecessary fouls and turnovers. Overall, he should excel in Pitino's up-tempo style and make an immediate impact during his freshman season in 2009-10." |  |
May. 16 Highland, UT Lone Peak H.S. Scouts Grade: 40 | BYU lands '09 center Nate Austin According to The Daily Herald, class of 2009 center Nate Austin verbally committed to Brigham Young University on Thursday. The 6-foot-10 Austin had interest from Utah, Utah State and Boise State, among others, but he's been a Cougar supporter for as long as he can remember. "I've been a BYU fan my whole life," he told the paper. "Every college that showed interest in me was pretty good and I considered them all, but I think BYU is the right choice for me." Austin plans on serving a two-year mission for the LDS church before enrolling at BYU in the fall of 2010. |  |
May. 16 Saginaw, MI Highland Community College (IL) Scouts Grade: 40 | Toledo signs JUCO point guard Ed Tucker Toledo head coach Gene Cross announced the singing of point guard Ed Tucker to a national letter of intent on Wednesday. The 5-foot-11 Cross averaged 9.7 points, 4.0 assists and 2.6 rebounds for Mott Community College this past season. "Ed is a strong, athletic, quick point guard who is going to add a level of leadership and competitiveness that I think we'll need at that position," Cross said. "One of the most important aspects in basketball is having good ballhandlers and you can never have too many good guards. Ed can score as well and will play on the ball and off the ball for us." |  |
May. 15 Baltimore, MD Hargrave Military Academy (VA) Scouts Grade: 89 ESPN100 Rank: 60 Position Rank: 17 | ESPN 100 Chris Braswell to spend prep year at Hargrave According to multiple sources, ESPN 100 prospect Chris Braswell will not sign a letter of intent with Georgetown's 2008 class and will instead spend a post-graduate year at Hargrave Military Academy. The 6-foot-8 forward is battling a learning disability and did not qualify academically for admission to Georgetown this spring. |  |
May. 15 Washington, DC Bakersfield College (CA) Scouts Grade: 40 | ULM signs JUCO guard Reggie Lassiter Louisiana-Monroe head coach Orlando Early announced the signing of junior college point guard Reggie Lassiter to a national letter of intent on Wednesday. The Washington, D.C. native averaged 8.0 points and 5.8 assists per game at Bakersfield (Calif.) College last season. "We feel like Reggie Lassiter will be a huge addition to our team," Early said. "We have struggled to stay healthy at the point guard position over the past few years. Reggie is an older kid who played on a strong Bakersfield team. He is a guy who understands how to run a team." The ULM signing class also includes Brandon Williams (Houston/Aldine) along with junior college transfers Dynile Forbes (Bahamas/Cochise College), Jarvis Hill (Starkville, Miss./East Mississippi C.C.) and Malcolm Thomas (Karmack, Tex./Tyler Junior College). |  |
May. 15 Miami, FL South Plains College (TX) Scouts Grade: 40 | Bonnies land NJCAA MVP Jonathan Hall Junior college shooting guard Jonathan Hall has signed a letter of intent with St. Bonaventure, head coach Mark Schmidt announced on Wednesday. The 6-foot-4 Miami, Fla. native recently led his South Plains (Tex.) College squad to an NJCAA Division I national championship while earning the Tournament's Most Valuable Player award. "We are really excited to get a player of Jonathan's caliber," Schmidt said. "He's a 'glue guy' who does everything well. He plays within himself, knows how to win and has a great understanding of the game. He will lead this team during his two season." Hall is the seventh signee for the Bonnies in the class of 2008. |  |
May. 14 Dallas, TX South Oak Cliff High Scouts Grade: 90 ESPN100 Rank: 42 Position Rank: 8 | J'Mison Morgan gains release from LSU ESPN 100 prospect J'Mison Morgan was granted his official release from the letter of itnent he signed with Louisiana State on Monday, according to the Los Angeles Times. It appears he is headed to UCLA next season, his mother, Bianca, told the paper, with an official announcement possibly coming on Wednesday. "UCLA now feels right," she said. The opportunity for more playing time with the Bruins arose following center Kevin Love's departure for the NBA draft. Morgan asked for his release following the coaching change at LSU. New Tigers coach Trent Johnson would not speculate where Morgan would end up, The News Star reports. "I don't know if he's going to UCLA, per se," Johnson said. "He's just been released. It's a difficult time for kids to make decisions." |  |
May. 14 Pomona, CA Diamond Ranch H.S. Scouts Grade: 73 Position Rank: 102 | Buffs ink California guard Ryan Kelley Colorado head coach Jeff Bzdelik announced the signing of combo guard Ryan Kelley to a national letter of intent on Monday. The 6-foot-4 Kelley also had interest in Gonzaga and Indiana among others. "We are proud to welcome Ryan Kelley into the Buff family," Bzdelik said. "Ryan is an excellent student, possesses high character and is a young man who has a terrific basketball upside." Kelley averaged 16.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists as a senior at Diamond Ranch High. He joins Austin Dufault (Killdeer, N.D./Killdeer), Toby Veal (Savannah, Ga./Johnson), Trey Eckloff (Englewood, Colo./Cherry Creek) and Nate Tomlinson (Australia/Lee Academy) in the 2008 signing class. |  |
May. 14 Fort Worth, TX Christian Life Center Academy (TX) Scouts Grade: 77 | Frogs sign Fort Worth native Ronnie Moss 6-foot-2 combo guard Ronnie Moss signed a letter of intent with Texas Christian, head coach Jim Christian announced Monday. Moss is a Fort Worth, Tex. native who spent one season at Bridgton Academy in Maine before winding up at Christian Life Academy in Fort Worth. "Ronnie is the type of player that we want in our program," Christian said. "He's a tough, hard-nosed player that loves to play the game. It's always an added bonus to have a talented local player join your team, and we believe that Ronnie is a tremendous addition to our program." |  |
May. 13 New Orleans, LA Fork Union Military Academy (VA) Scouts Grade: 40 | Ahyaro Phillips inks with Nevada Power forward Ahyaro Phillips signed a letter of intent with Nevada on Monday, head coach Mark Fox announced. The 6-foot-8 Phillips is a native of New Orleans who survived Hurricane Katrina in 2005 before winding up at Fork Union (Va.) Military Academy. "Ahyaro is a long and explosive player who comes from one of the most respected programs in the country," Fox said. "His athletic ability and versatility will help our front line. We are really pleased he has signed with us." Phillips is the sixth signee in the 2008 Wolfpack class which includes Luke Babbit (Reno, Nev./Galena), Mark McLaughlin (Kenmore, Wash./Inglemoor), Dario Hunt (Colorado Springs, Colo./Charis Prep), London Giles (Dallas/Kimball) and Joey Shaw (Glendale, Ariz./College of Southern Idaho). |  |
May. 13 Muncie, IN Muncie Central H.S. Scouts Grade: 75 ESPN100 Rank: 19 Position Rank: 7 | Billy Gillispie offers frosh Jeremiah Davis According to The Star Press of Muncie (Ind.), Kentucky head coach Billy Gillispie offered a scholarship to class of 2011 combo guard Jeremiah Davis on Sunday. The offer comes on the heels of the Wildcat coach landing recent verbal commitments from freshman Vinny Zollo (Greenfield, Ohio) and eight grader Michael Avery (Lake Sherwood, Calif.). "This is all pretty exciting and surprising," Davis said. "Right now I'm just honored that they would offer me a scholarship." The 6-foot-2 Davis went on to say he will not rush into a decision any time soon. He also has early interest from Ohio State, Syracuse, Tennessee and Indiana. |  |
May. 13 Houston, TX Memorial H.S. Scouts Grade: 40 | '09 PF Matthew Staff picks Lobos According to multiple sources, 6-foot-8 power forward Matt Staff verbally committed to the University of New Mexico on Monday. Staff also had early interest from Texas Tech, William & Mary and Stephen F. Austin. He is the third class of 2009 commit for head coach Steve Alford, joinging Chad Adams (Albuquerque, N.M./Highland) and Jamal Fenton (Houston/Cesar E. Chavez). |  |
May. 13 Cincinnati, OH La Salle H.S. Scouts Grade: 67 Position Rank: 52 | '09 forward Danny McElroy re-opens recruiting According to The Cincinnati Enquirer, class of 2009 small forward Danny McElroy has reneged on the verbal commitment he gave to Cincinnati before his sophomore year. The 6-foot-7 McElroy met with his high school coach and UC coach Mick Cronin recently and thay all decided it would be best to re-open the process. The family did not list any possible suitors for McElroy. |  |
May. 13 Crown Point, IN Crown Point H.S. Scouts Grade: 80 Position Rank: 37 | Toledo nabs combo guard Stephen Albrecht According to The Post Tribune, 6-foot-3 combo guard Stephen Albrecht verbally committed to the University of Toledo on Monday and will sign a letter of intent with the Rockets on Tuesday. Albrecht had some offers from small programs and had even considered walking on at Indiana before Toledo came calling. "It's definitely a weight lifted off my shoulders to get it done and know what the future holds," he told the paper. "I'm extremely excited. The situation couldn't have worked out better." The Crown Point High senior averaged 17.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game this past season. | |
May. 13 Auburn, CA Summit Prep (CA) Scouts Grade: 40 | UC-Riverside adds Konner Veteto to class of '08 According to the Auburn Journal, 6-foot-7 forward Konner Veteto is set to enroll at California Riverside for summer classes after verbally committing to the Highlanders last month. Veteto, a native of Auburn, Calif., spent one season at Summit Prep in Simi Valley in order to fine tune his skills. "I was ready to go to college school-wise, but I needed another year to get better at basketball," he told the paper. "I had to get more physical and just work on my game. Playing at Summit helped me tremendously." Veteto joins five other signees in the Riverside's class of 2008, including Bryson Hampton (Seward County C.C.), Brandon Dowdy (Imperial Valley College), Javon Borum (Wallace State C.C.), Jessie LoBue (Gavilan College) and Rudy Meo (Cloud County C.C.). | |
May. 12 Vincennes, IN Vincennes University (IN) Scouts Grade: 40 | JUCO PF Zvonko Buljan picks Horned Frogs Texas Christian signed junior college power foward Zvonko Buljan over the weekend, according to multiple sources. Buljan, a native of Split, Croatia, spent last season at Vincennes (Ind.) University where he averaged 12.7 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. He chose the Horned Frogs over Colorado State and St. John's. | |
May. 12 Suwanee, GA Collins Hill H.S. Scouts Grade: 70 Position Rank: 46 | Utes land first '09 commit Jeremy Olsen 6-foot-10 power forward Jeremy Olsen verbally committed to Utah's 2009 recruiting class over the weekend, multiple sources report. Olsen, the first '09 pledge for the Utes, had some early interest form Georgia, Clemson, Alabama and South Florida, among others. |  |
