Bruins Add Talent to Championship Program

UCLA, long considered the favorite to sign 6-foot-5 swingman Tommy Prince of Compton Dominguez High, got the good news Sunday when Prince said he would sign a letter of intent with the national champion Bruins on Wednesday, the first day of the monthlong spring signing period.

Prince, who averaged 19 points and seven rebounds last season while leading Dominguez to the Southern Section Division II-A championship, was heavily recruited. He picked the Bruins without taking any official recruiting trips.

“I really like the way they play,” said Prince, who has a 3.3 grade-point average and will take the Scholastic Assessment Test next month. “I also like the coaching staff, and the fact I can play close to home.”

Prince told UCLA Coach Jim Harrick of his intentions the day before the Bruins left for the Final Four in Seattle, but elected not to make the decision public until after returning from a high school all-star game Friday night in Atlanta. Prince scored 15 points in a losing effort for the West team, which included Mater Dei guard Clay McKnight.

College coaches and scouts consider Prince to be one of the top three senior prospects in California.

One of the other two, 6-11 center Jelani McCoy of San Diego St. Augustine, will join Prince next season at UCLA; McCoy signed with the Bruins in November. The other senior standout is 6-7 Inglewood High swingman Paul Pierce, who has orally committed to Kansas and will sign with the Jayhawks this week.

The left-handed Prince, an outstanding defensive player, figures to give UCLA added depth at guard and forward next season.

He could spell sophomore Toby Bailey at the off-guard position, and play behind sophomore J.R. Henderson and junior Charles O’Bannon in the front court.

Prince’s younger brother, Tayshaun, is also considered a top prospect. A 6-6 forward, he was a freshman reserve for Dominguez last season but figures to be a three-year starter.

Recruitng notes

Barring any late surprises, which are unlikely, UCLA has completed its basketball recruiting for this season now that Tommy Prince has committed. The Bruins had shown some interest in 6-8 forward Rico Harris of Temple City High and 6-9 swingman Kendrick Spruel of Baton Rouge, La. But Spruel orally committed to Florida recently, and Harris chose Arizona State over UCLA last week. Now that junior center Mario Bennett has decided to forgo his final year of eligibility at Arizona State and enter the NBA draft, Harris should contend for a starting position next season. UCLA also likes 6-1 point guard Shomario Richard of La Puente Nogales, but he is considered a long shot academically. California has also expressed some interest in Richard. Reportedly, Coach Todd Bozeman was not entirely pleased with the play of 6-6 freshman Jelani Gardner at point guard last season.

Add Cal: There are strong indications that Arkansas’ 6-11 sophomore center Darnell Robinson, who has played sparingly during his first two seasons and talked openly about transferring, will wind up in Berkeley. Robinson set the California career scoring record at nearby Emeryville Emery High, and chose Arkansas over Cal. Bozeman was a Cal assistant coach when Robinson made his decision, and the two have remained friends. In addition, Arkansas Coach Nolan Richardson has given every indication that he will soon transform his “40 minutes of hell” offense into “48 minutes of hell” with the NBA’s expansion Toronto Raptors.

Add Arizona State: The Sun Devils also have received a commitment from 6-3 guard Jemall Slaughter of Fontana High.

USC, which tried to make a late run for Prince, has received a commitment from another Dominguez standout, 6-6 swingman James Brown. Brown, an excellent shooter who was instrumental in the Dons’ success last season after transferring from Long Beach Poly, met with Coach Charlie Parker Friday. “If they approve my transcripts, I’m coming here,” said Brown, who is also being recruited by Washington State, Wyoming and Portland.

The Trojans are expected to sign 6-8 forward Maurice Strong of Memphis, Tenn., this week, and are continuing to recruit 6-11 Avondre Jones of Chaffey College, 6-6 swingman Saipale Tuialii of Los Angeles City College and 6-5 swingman Frank Brown of Beverly Hills High. Jones, who said last month that he would “probably” re-enroll at USC, might visit Fresno State now that Jerry Tarkanian is the head coach. Tarkanian has told friends he thinks he can sign Jones, who played for his son George last season at Chaffey.

Add Tarkanian: One of the first recruiting calls the former Nevada Las Vegas and Long Beach State coach made after getting the Fresno State job was to the home of All-American point guard Stephon Marbury of Brooklyn.

Tarkanian saw Marbury play at a tournament in San Diego last December, and was told by Marbury’s father, Donald, that his son would be interested in playing for Tarkanian. However, Marbury has since made an oral commitment to Georgia Tech.

Football report: Fullerton College transfer Jason Nevadomsky (6-2, 240) was a hit during the first week of spring practice at UCLA.

Nevadomsky is competing with his former Sunny Hills High teammate, Brian Willmer, and Jeff Ruckman for playing time at middle linebacker in the Bruins’ new 4-3 defense. “I like him,” said UCLA defensive coordinator Bob Field. “He’s physical, has good instincts and runs well. He’ll help us this season.” Says inside linebackers coach Tim Hundley: “He has some punch.”

Micah Dennison (6-1, 175), a freshman who played at Dana Hills High, is participating in spring football practice with the Bruins as a walk-on safety.

If he makes the team, Dennison’s first game next season would be at the Rose Bowl against Miami, whose starting quarterback could be a former Dana Hills teammate, redshirt freshman Scott Covington. . . . Another walk-on at UCLA is junior quarterback Bob Ioja (6-3, 210), who played at Garden Grove.

Add UCLA: The Bruins are still holding a scholarship for Chris McAlister (6-1, 180), a top safety prospect and three-sport standout from Pasadena High. McAlister, son of former UCLA and NFL running back James McAlister, has yet to reach the necessary score on the SAT to ensure freshman eligibility.

Linebacker Lester Towns, a teammate of McAlister’s and a highly regarded linebacker who signed with Washington in February, found out recently that he had scored high enough on the SAT to play next season.

Field, who recruits Orange County for UCLA, says the county’s next senior class could be “very good.”

Among the juniors who were guests of the Bruins at the UCLA-Oregon basketball game last month at Pauley Pavilion were three top prospects from Los Alamitos: quarterback Kevin Feterik (6-2, 180) and wide receivers Tony Hartley (6-1, 184) and Stan Guyness (6-2, 170).

Another highly regarded prospect is Mater Dei tight end/defensive end Brad Williams (6-5, 235). . . . A community college player to watch next season will be Saddleback sophomore safety Scott Patton (6-1, 215). Patton played at Capistrano Valley for his father, Eric Patton, t he new defensive coordinator at Saddleback.

All in the family: USC has the undisputed inside track on one of the top players in Los Angeles next season. Parker, the basketball coach, is the legal guardian of Dorsey High linebacker Nail Diggs (6-4, 215), who figures to be one of the most heavily recruited players in the area.

In addition, USC already has two former Dorsey players on its roster: wide receivers Keyshawn Johnson and Chris Miller.

The Trojans had a large turnout of recruits at their final spring scrimmage Saturday on campus. Among the players in attendance were Anaheim running back Reuben Droughns (6-0, 190) and his brother, defensive back Robert Droughns (6-1, 185).

The Droughns are coached by former USC tailback Allen Carter. The best-looking lineman on hand might have been offensive tackle Tony Ippolito (6-5, 270) of Stockton, Calif. Ippolito figures to be among the state’s most heavily recruited linemen next season. Schools that have already contacted Ippolito include USC, UCLA, Notre Dame, Washington, Oregon and Texas. College coaches are not allowed to call senior prospects until Aug. 15.

USC Coach John Robinson says as many as six members of his latest recruiting class could see playing time as true freshmen next season: cornerback/kick returner Daylon McCutcheon (5-11, 175), defensive end Lawrence Larry (6-3, 235), linebacker Mark Cusano (6-2, 215), safety Mike Bastianelli (6-1, 185) and wide receivers Billy Miller (6-3, 210) and Tony Griffin (6-3, 210).

Robinson is also high on his offensive line recruits: San Clemente guard Brett Samperi (6-5, 270), center Jason Grain (6-5, 270) of Sonora and tackle Mark Manskar (6-7, 240) of Canyon Country Canyon. “I feel good about each of them, but I’d like them to redshirt,” he said.