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Trigonis Tidbits:
Olukemi Blazes Way To Top of JC Ranks
(September 11, 2009)
Playing on a team loaded with a future NBA lottery pick like Brandon Jennings (Milwaukee Bucks) and several other high major players like Renaldo Woolridge (Tennessee), Leonard Washington (USC), Jeff Withey (Kansas) and Darius Morris (Michigan), 6’6” swingman JP Olukemi (Vincennes JC IN) may not have been the most well-known member of a Belmont Shore squad that outlasted a 224 team field to capture the 2007 Rbk Summer Championships in Las Vegas NV, but he was as important a factor as any player in Belmont Shore’s success in that event. Attacking the rim with force and confidence as well as knocking down timely perimeter
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shots, JP would be an unsung hero that July in Las Vegas. However, the La Habra CA native would travel a different road to Division I status than the other teammates on that championship team, making a JC pit stop at Vincennes - averaging over 15 ppg (shooting 52 % from the field) and improving immensely over the course of his freshman year in 2008-09. Over this past summer, JP was outstanding at Jerry Mullen’s Top 120 JC Camp in July earning praise from the coaches and scouts present including national JC scout Mike Mitchell who pegged him as the #1 swingman returning to the JC ranks this fall and proclaimed him as an “unquestioned upper-major.” More importantly, JP has also got the job done in the classroom – putting himself on course to obtain his AA degree a semester early (he will graduate from Vincennes in December 2009). Since he has decided to sit out this upcoming season, he has become a valuable JC recruit at the moment in light of the fact that he is expecting to enroll at his school of choice in the Spring semester of 2010 and suit up the following fall with 3 full seasons of eligibility remaining. High-major schools have lined to pursue this athletic wing forward with Oklahoma State (likely leader), Oklahoma, Providence, South Florida (will visit this weekend), Auburn and UAB among the growing list of schools that are very interested in this impact JC transfer.……..……….…One of the fastest rising 2010 wings in the nation 6’6” Bryce Jones (Taft/Woodland Hills CA) committed to USC last weekend giving new Trojan coach Kevin O’Neil the greatest recruiting coup of his newly minted tenure - besting Arizona, Oregon State and Arizona State for his services. USC also picked up a second 2010 commitment on the heels of the Jones announcement when scrappy 6’6” senior combo-forward Garrett Jackson (Westview/Portland OR) pledged allegiance to the Trojans…………….
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Speaking of Taft, coach Derrick Taylor continues to load up as both 6’9” junior Kevin Johnson (formerly at Serra/Gardena CA) and 6’2” senior Jordan Gathers (formerly at Loyola/Los Angeles CA) have both transferred into the San Fernando Valley school. The Toreadors led by Jones and Texas-bound 6’8” junior DeAndre Daniels and beefed up by the recent transfers look to be a real threat to Westchester for LA-City CIF supremacy………….. Daniels and 6’0” junior Cezar Guerrero (St. John Bosco/Bellflower CA) have been invited to participate in the Gymrats Midnight Madness event being held on Saturday September 26th at Cherry Hill East HS (Cherry Hill NJ). Also expected to play in that event that evening is Top 5 national junior 6’8” Jared Sullinger (Northland/Columbus OH), Syracuse-bound 7’0” Fab Melo (Sagemont Upper/Weston FL) and 6’9” elite junior Rakeem Christmas (Academy of the New
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Church/Bryan Athyn PA)………………………….New Mater Dei Monarch 6’4” senior Keala King (a Dominguez transfer) has committed to Arizona State – giving Sun Devil coach Herb Sendek a skilled perimeter scorer with a confident on-court swagger………………..Another former Dominguez (Compton CA) stand-out 6’9” rising junior Norvel Pelle has transferred to Price (Los Angeles CA). This late summer addition has given Price coach Michael Lynch a potent trio of Pelle and Cal-bound seniors 6’9” Richard Solomon and 6’5” Alan Crabbe to work with this season…………..……..6’5” senior Shelton Boykin (Poly/Long Beach CA) committed to Long Beach State in August. In addition to landing an athletic slashing scorer, the 49’ers also acquired the 1st Long Beach Poly recruit of the Dan Monson era – an important link considering that Poly has a bevy of promising underclassmen including 6’7” junior Ryan Anderson, 6’1” junior Alexis Moore, 6’2”
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junior Alex Carmon and fabulous 6’5” frosh Roschon Prince…………………La Verne Lutheran (La Verne CA) boasts one of the deepest young rosters of talent in the West this season including juniors 6’1” Bruce English, 5’11” CJ Cooper, 6’7” Xavier Jones, sophomores 6’8” Grant Jerrett, 6’2” Cameron Osorno and freshmen 6’2” Eric Cooper Jr., 6’4” Nick Colletta and 5’10” Jay Miller. With a roster so deep, there was a good reason that Trojan coach Eric Cooper Sr. had visitors at his practice last Wednesday – the first day of the fall NCAA contact period. Coaches from Arizona, Arizona State, Stanford, UNLV and Washington State were on hand to get a first-hand look at Cooper’s young but impressive squad………….......Speaking of La Verne Lutheran, the Trojans’ lone key senior 6’7” Jordan Salley who suffered a devasting ACL tear just prior to the July evaluation period is making good progress in his rehab and is hoping to
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return by this upcoming January. Prior to the summer, Salley (one of the top 2010 post prospects in Southern California) had been receiving interest from Tulsa, New Mexico, San Francisco, Santa Clara and Pepperdine. Due to the injury, college interest has been somewhat sluggish, but Creighton is in the process of setting up an on-campus visit soon. If Salley can make a full recovery, look for the rugged and bouncy PF to be a valuable spring 2010 signee………………………Former Long Beach State star and Houston Rockets draft pick Joedy Gardener has been named as the new head coach at Junipero Serra HS (San Juan Capistrano CA). Gardner had coached the Southern Cal All-Stars club team the past few years……………………Former Dominguez star 6’5” forward Thurman Woods originally signed with Montana last year but did not qualify for freshman eligibility and is now at Santa Ana JC (Santa Ana CA)………….…
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One of top Southern California sleepers in the 2011 class is multi- dimensional 6’7” forward Jonathan Davis (Simi Valley/Simi Valley CA). Davis has nice agility, an impressive all-around skill set and the versatility to play both inside as well as out on the perimeter. Due to a variety of injuries, college coaches had limited opportunities to view Davis in July, but expect interest to pick up this season as Davis figures to play a key role on his HS squad this year……………….…….6’4” senior wing Moses Morgan (Palo Verde/Las Vegas NV) is visiting Indiana this weekend. Moses’ dad Winston was a star forward for Indiana during the Bobby Knight era……….…...Los Alamitos (Los Alamitos CA) is expected to name Bellflower HS coach Eddie Courtemarche to replace Russ May who decided to take the Cerritos College job late last month. Courtemarche is a former Los Al player and was an assistant coach at his alma mater prior to his first head coaching stint at Bellflower.
*** Photos courtesy of Nick Koza (SportsAmp.com)
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