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ROUNDUP: ARIZA PICKS BRUINS

By Rob Harrington
robharrington@prepstars.com
October 24, 2002

In a critical recruiting win for UCLA, Steve Lavin and his crew have received a commitment from Trevor Ariza, a 6-7 WF/BF from Los Angeles (CA) Westchester.

Ariza is more important for than just his status as a top-30 player. The slender wing's job at UCLA will be to replace would-be star freshman Evan Burns, a McDonald's All-American last year who was surprisingly denied admission to the school at the beginning of the academic year.

Ariza attracted interest from numerous high-major programs through the spring and summer, but he finally settled on a list of UCLA, Florida, UNLV, Georgia, Indiana and Oregon, though most believed his decision would be for the Bruins or Gators.

For a closer look at Ariza's game, here's PrepStars.com guru Brick Oettinger's evaluation from the fall Recruiter's Handbook:

"When he hits perimeter jump shot, which he does sometimes but not with regularity, this very good 200-pound athlete is quite difficult to defend. He zooms up and down the court, acrobatically finishes the break in traffic with either hand, dribbles well enough to drive hard and under control in any direction, and rebounds like the best big forwards. His passing is generally OK, his defense quite solid and his free throw form is acceptable. Yet the key for real stardom his the jump shot, which is pretty reliable from mid-range but inconsistent from beyond the three-point arc."

THOMAS TO KENTUCKY

It certainly didn't take long for Sheray Thomas to have a shift in his leaders. Thomas, 6-8 BF from Upper Marlboro (MD) Riverdale Baptist, had called Virginia his leader after taking a visit to the Cavaliers' campus. But after touring Kentucky last weekend, the skilled athlete picked the Wildcats over UVa, West Virginia, Richmond and others.

"Virginia was in the lead before last weekend," Thomas told PrepStars.com. "Kentucky was right behind them, but that definitely changed after my visit. I liked everything about it. The horse farm, the campus and being at Coach Smith's house were the highlights.

"I liked the coaching staff and facilities, and they have a lot of seniors leaving so there will be an opportunity for me to play right away."

From Brick:

"This slightly above-average (by today's high standards) athlete is a solid rebounder with a good high post game. He isn't a bad scorer, because he exhibits some post moves and also has an OK jump shot to 15 feet. To his credit, he plays consistently hard at both ends of the court. A major need is to hit the weight room and strengthen (in particular) his upper body, although physical maturity should help somewhat in this area. His offensive tools also require continued polish."

GRAY CHOOSES PITT

In something of surprise, Aaron Gray committed to Pittsburgh over co-finalist Rutgers.

It isn't at all surprising that a talented big man would want to play for the Panthers, of course, but in light of Dante Milligan's commitment earlier in the week, it figured that the Panthers may -- for scholarship reasons, especially because they need a guard -- be out of the running for Gray.

Gray certainly is more future than present, but the 6-11 C at Emmaus (PA) High already has decent feet and developing post moves. Most promising of all is his bulk; at 6-11, 280 pounds, he'll be a load rebounding and playing interior defense. He isn't a great leaper, but he runs the floor fairly well and has solid hand-eye coordination.

PrepStars.com currently ranks Gray No. 109 in the Class of 2003.

LONGAR OFFICIALLY TO OU

In the first of a pair of commitments to The Sooner State, Oklahoma as expected picked up Longar Longar, a 6-10 C/BF at Rochester (MN) Marshall who chose Kelvin Sampson's program over Fresno State, UConn and others.

Here's Brick on Longar:

"His name may sound like a punch line to a joke, but his roundball game is deadly serious. This angular, 200-pound African import is a superb athlete who always seems to be around the ball. He's a high-flying rejector deluxe who runs extremely well, attacks the glass to convert lots of putbacks, exhibits impressive body control and has developed a fairly accurate jump shot (turnaround or facing) to 16 feet. On the other hand, he misses too many easy inside shots, neither dribbles nor passes particularly well and needs considerably more physical strength plus a jump hook."

Oklahoma has put together an outstanding recruiting class. The Sooners landed the Ohio package of PG Andrew Lavender and combo forward Brandon Foust as well as MN WG Lawrence McKenzie, in addition to Longar. Lavender, Foust and Longar all rank among the nation's top 60 senior prospects.

DOVE FLIES TO OSU

No shocker here -- Marcus Dove committed to Oklahoma State. Dove, an athletic 6-8 WF/BF at Long Beach (CA) Millikan, chose the Cowboys over co-finalist Arizona State, which already has loaded up on frontcourt recruits from the senior class.

Dove is an excellent pickup for OSU. He's a versatile athlete who has the clear potential to become a top-100 caliber player -- at the very least -- down the road. He has the size to post up smaller defenders and the improving ball skills to make things happen from the wing. He needs to become more consistent, but he could be a classic underrated Eddie Sutton recruit who explodes at the college level.

NELTNER CHOOSES TIGERS

Ross Neltner ended his recruitment, picking LSU over Utah, Stanford, Virginia and others. The 6-8 BF at Ft. Thomas (KY) Highlands is a mobile top-250 caliber forward who projects as a good utility man at the next level.

One thing is for sure: Neltner won't have trouble qualifying. He's a terrific student who boasts a 3.9 GPA and eye-popping 27 on the ACT.

GUARD ACCEPTED BY, ACCEPTS STANFORD

It hasn't been an easy year for Stanford on the recruiting trail. The Cardinal maneuvered into strong position with some blue-chip athletes, only to have their transcripts denied -- or held up -- by school admissions.

That unique academic process for awarding scholarships (the Cardinal may not even offer until a player is cleared) may have caused some pain with earlier Class of 2003 targets, but it certainly didn't hurt with the latest reported commitment, Fred Washington, who's a good hoops prospect and top-notch student.

Washington is a 6-5 WF at Torrance (CA) Bishop Montgomery who was considered a Stanford lean for months, should an offer come through. Upon getting his offer, he turned down interest from Washington, California-Irvine and others to take the bid.

AROUND AND ABOUT

Chris Devine, a 6-7 WF at Eagle River (AK) Chugiak, reportedly has committed to Cal-Santa Barbara. Devine had narrowed his list to the Gauchos and Montana State. ... A player we profiled yesterday, OH WF/BF Mike Pilgrim, will make his choice public tomorrow at an afternoon press conference. The Cincinnati native is prepping at Wolfeboro (NH) Brewster Academy. His top two choices are Cincinnati and Seton Hall, where his cousin Louis Orr is head coach. ... Another player we profiled this week reportedly has made a decision -- Konimba Diarra, a 6-9 C at Centereach (NY) Our Savier. Diarra told us that South Florida led St. Joe's, and sure enough the Bulls have the pledge. Diarra is ranked No. 117 in the senior class and is a huge pickup for USF. ...