RECRUITING NOTEBOOK / JEFF FELLENZER : Lineman Gray Leaning Toward Arizona State Over UCLA, USC

Highly recruited defensive lineman Germaine Gray of Rialto Eisenhower, who has not yet signed a college letter of intent, is planning to take an unofficial trip to Arizona State this weekend. The 6-foot-5, 255-pound Gray is one of the best defensive lineman prospects in the country. He has already made an official visit to Arizona State but plans to drive to Tempe with his father on Friday, mostly to get a firsthand feel for the distance from Southern California to the Phoenix area. Gray gave an unwritten commitment to Florida State in January, only to decide to stay closer to home. Arizona State may now have a slight edge over UCLA and USC, according to Gray, who has a 3.5 grade-point average. Hoop Report Kentucky Coach Rick Pitino deserves some credit for the timing of standout forward Jamal Mashburn’s announcement last week that he would bypass his senior season with the Wildcats to enter the NBA draft. Besides wanting to end speculation about Mashburn going into the NCAA tournament, Pitino was no doubt hoping to send a message to Lakewood Artesia’s 6-6 All-America forward Charles O’Bannon that there would be a spot open for him in the Kentucky starting lineup next season. Most observers believe that O’Bannon has narrowed his choices to UCLA, where he would join older brother Ed O’Bannon next season, and Kentucky. . . . The case of O’Bannon’s teammate, 6-11 Avondre Jones, seems more clear-cut. Indications are that Jones will sign with USC when the spring letter-of-intent signing period begins April 14. Still, UCLA, Arizona and Michigan haven’t given up recruiting the center. USC Coach George Raveling got some good news when 6-6 swingman Jaha Wilson of San Francisco Riordan passed his college entrance test, thus assuring eligibility next season as a freshman. The Trojans are hoping for similar test results from 6-4 guard Stais Boseman of Inglewood Morningside, who is reportedly close to achieving the necessary score for freshman eligibility. In addition, USC may try to sign 6-2 guard Claude Green of Dunbar High in Washington, D.C., one of the better unsigned shooting guards in the East. Adding Jones and Green, a good athlete with three-point range, would give USC arguably the best recruiting class in the West. The left-handed Green would help the Trojans offset the loss of senior guards Rodney Chatman, Phil Glenn and Dwayne Hackett. . . . Add Raveling: While watching Boseman lead Morningside past Costa Mesa Estancia, 80-50, in a Southern Section Division III-AA quarterfinal game at Inglewood High Friday night, the coach couldn’t help but notice the shooting touch of Estancia’s 6-4 senior Jim Faulkner, who made three three-point baskets. Raveling was so impressed that he called Estancia Monday morning to inquire about Faulkner, who averaged 18 points a game and shot 51% from the field this season. That’s when Raveling got the bad news: Faulkner signed with Southern Utah State during the early signing period in November. UCLA would like to sign one of the country’s top community college prospects, 6-6 swingman Calvin Curry of Ventura College, the No. 1-ranked team in California. Curry, an outstanding shooter who attended Compton High, was in attendance at last week’s UCLA-USC game at Pauley Pavilion. If he does not qualify academically for UCLA, Curry would most likely sign with Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Arkansas or Arizona State. The Bruins also may be the leaders for 6-1 point guard Cameron Dollar of St. John’s at Prospect Hall in Frederick, Md. In a recent tournament championship game in Hagerstown, Md., he was matched against North Carolina-bound point guard Jeff McInnis of top-ranked Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va. Dollar scored 16 points as Oak Hill rolled to a 91-74 victory. McInnis had 19 points and 13 assists and fellow North Carolina signee Jerry Stackhouse, a consensus choice among coaches and scouts as one of the top three players in the country, had 33 points, including four three-point baskets, and nine rebounds. Among other schools who have shown interest in Dollar are North Carolina State, Boston College and Temple. UCLA hopes to get campus visits from 6-6 All-America forward Keith Booth of Baltimore Dunbar, who visited Duke last weekend (Maryland is considered the favorite, although Kentucky is making a pitch); 6-4 guard Eric Washington of Pearl, Miss. (Alabama is reportedly the leader); 6-9 power forward Jerald Honeycutt of Grambling, La. (Louisiana State, Arkansas and Tulane are the favorites), and 6-2 point guard Robbie Reid of Spanish Fork, Utah, the son of Brigham Young Coach Roger Reid. Reid surprised many observers by not signing with BYU in November. He is now thought to be considering UCLA and Arizona. Roger Reid and UCLA Coach Jim Harrick are old friends. The nation’s best center prospect, 6-11 Rasheed Wallace of Philadelphia, who was expected to decide between Villanova and Temple, will visit North Carolina this weekend. Not coincidentally, the Tar Heels play host to archrival Duke on Sunday. Wallace, who has not yet qualified academically, has also visited Georgetown. Two of the best junior athletes in California were on display Friday night at Cal State Los Angeles during a Division I-A quarterfinal playoff game between Loyola High and Huntington Beach. Loyola’s 6-5 forward, Toby Bailey, played against Huntington Beach’s 6-5, 220-pound Tony Gonzalez. The game was no contest: Huntington Beach cruised to an easy 76-58 victory behind Gonzalez (17 points, 11 rebounds) and 6-6 senior Matt Ambrose (17 points, 10 rebounds). But Bailey, who is expected to be among the most recruited players in the state as a senior, scored 22 points, including three dunks and a three three-point baskets.