Oh, vell...Zona gets Josiah Turner, too

We'll just have to beat these guys to a pulp in every game to show these kids what kind of "tradition" they seem to think Zona has in basketball.

ARIZONA BASKETBALL

Turner could be running point for Cats in 2011-12

'Crazy' Iowa football game sways point guard's choice

Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily Star Arizona Daily Star | Posted: Monday, September 20, 2010 12:00 am


When Josiah Turner arrived Friday on Arizona's campus for an official visit, Wildcat basketball coaches hardly had to recruit him anymore.

Plenty of others successfully stepped in, generating UA's third commitment from the 2011 class.

Committed Arizona guard Nick Johnson of Nevada's Findlay Prep was on hand for friendship and a bit of persuasion. So were the current Wildcat players, who played with Turner and Johnson informally on Saturday.

Then there was the UA football team, whose showing against Iowa provided an environment that bowled over the Top 25 point guard.

"The game was crazy," Turner said.

So just before he left town Sunday morning, Turner told UA coaches at his Tucson hotel that he was committing to the Wildcats.

"I had a lot of fun here," he said via telephone as he was preparing to fly home to Sacramento, Calif. "I bonded with everybody. I liked the teammates, the coaches and I got to meet the AD."

Turner visited Louisville and UCLA earlier this month and was scheduled to go to Kansas on Oct. 15 for its vaunted Late Night in the Phog practice-opening ceremonies but decided to cancel.

"I'm pretty surprised that he didn't make the Kansas visit," Scout.com analyst Dave Telep said. "That tells me about the job that Arizona did this weekend."

The job even enlisted the help of Johnson's mother, Michelle, who attended the football game along with Turner's mother, Doris Ward, and UA assistant coaches Archie Miller, Book Richardson and James Whitford. Turner and Johnson sat in the student section.

"We had an idea (Saturday) night that it was looking good," Michelle Johnson said. "Doris wanted to wear a U of A shirt to the game, so I figured that was a good sign."

Michelle Johnson said her son told UA coaches upon committing last month that he wanted to help recruit another player from the 2011 class, and that Turner was his top choice. Turner and Johnson played together on the Drew Gooden Soldiers traveling team, with both having scoring and point- guard skills - though Turner is considered a more regular point guard with quickness and court vision.

"Although Nick's a point guard, he's also a two, and they played really well together" with Turner at the point, Michelle Johnson said. "I was there when Josiah committed and there were smiles all around."

The Wildcats have several other combination guards already on hand, and are expected to have sophomore MoMo Jones run the point this season, but both Turner and Johnson likely will work their way onto the floor during the 2011-12 season.

At 6 feet 3 inches and 175 pounds with a keen ability to get to the basket, Turner is rated No. 10 overall in the class of 2011 by Rivals.com, No. 24 by Scout.com and No. 29 by ESPNU. Johnson, known for his athleticism and scoring, is rated No. 21 by ESPNU, No. 26 by Scout.com and No. 40 by Rivals.

"Between Johnson and Turner, those are two guys you expect to play heavy minutes as freshmen," Telep said. "They're talented."

Telep said Turner's point-guard skills improved significantly over the summer, while he also showed potential to be an elite defender.

As a point guard, Turner is embracing the kind of ground he will be stepping on as a Wildcat.

"I wanted to be a part of the U of A tradition," he said.

Turner and Johnson will join another 2011 commit, New York forward Sidiki Johnson, and it is also possible the Wildcats will pursue a fourth 2011 commitment even though they face a tight scholarship situation. Arizona is scheduled to host Top 10 forward LeBryan Nash of Dallas next weekend, while Sidiki Johnson is expected to visit next month.

Because of NCAA sanctions, UA is restricted to 12 scholarships in 2011-12, one fewer than normal. The Cats would be two over that limit if all their current players with eligibility return with the three committed players, but they are expected to suffer early pro departures and/or other transition the next 12 months.


Arizona'S 2011 COMMITMENTS

Josiah Turner, PG

• Ht./Wt.: 6-3,175

• Hometown: Sacramento, Calif.

• School: Sacramento HS

• Ratings: 10, Rivals; 24, Scout; 29, ESPNU

Sidiki Johnson, PF

• Ht./Wt.: 6-8, 220

• Hometown: New York

• School: Oak Hill (Va.) Academy

• Ratings: 41, ESPNU; 58, Scout; 71, Rivals

Nick Johnson, SG

• Ht./Wt.: 6-2, 175

• Hometown: Gilbert

• School: Findlay (Nev.) Prep

• Ratings: 21, ESPNU; 26, Scout; 40, Rivals

_________

Arizona lands top recruit Josiah Turner -- with an assist from football team?

By Tim Gardner
USA Today, Campus Rivalry, "The passion of college basketball and football live here"
Sep 20, 2010

Guard Josiah Turner made his official visit to Arizona this past weekend.
By the time Turner left, he told coaches he would be playing basketball for the Wildcats.

During his visit, Turner, the No. 10 recruit in the Class of 2011 according to Rivals.com, played some hoops with current Arizona players -- as well as fellow 2011 recruit Nick Johnson -- and was on hand for the Wildcats' stunning football upset of then-No. 9 Iowa.

"The game was crazy," Turner said, according to the Arizona Republic.

What's more impressive for Arizona is that Turner still had an official visit planned at Kansas before he committed to Sean Miller's program.

More from the Arizona Republic:

"I had a lot of fun here," he said via telephone as he was preparing to fly home to Sacramento, Calif. "I bonded with everybody. I liked the teammates, the coaches and I got to meet the AD."

Turner visited Louisville and UCLA earlier this month and was scheduled to go to Kansas on Oct. 15 for its vaunted Late Night in the Phog practice-opening ceremonies but decided to cancel.

"I'm pretty surprised that he didn't make the Kansas visit," Scout.com analyst Dave Telep said. "That tells me about the job that Arizona did this weekend."

Miller and his coaching staff might want to give at least partial credit to the Wildcats football team after its huge win -- and inviting atmosphere -- from the weekend.

As for Turner, he looks forward to joining a long line of top guards to play at Arizona.

"I wanted to be a part of the U of A tradition," he said.

UCLA 2011 prospect 6-2 180 PG Josiah Turner (Sacramento, CA) visits UCLA but does not commit

Sacramento Bee interview with Josiah Turner


Thanks to justme for posting on Bruin Zone.

Turner remains on the board

Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily Star | Posted: Monday, September 13, 2010 2:30 pm

Josiah Turner left Westwood without a commitment over the weekend, which is probably a good sign for the Arizona Wildcats.

But there are several obstacles to come for Arizona. One is the fact that Kansas coach Bill Self has arrived in Sacramento to watch Turner work out and to meet with him tonight, according to Doris Ward, Turner's mother.

Then Turner may visit Oregon in early October and is scheduled to visit Kansas officially for Late Night in the Phog, which he attended on an unofficial visit last year. Ward said today that her son may commit during the visit process, though, so if he goes to Kansas, that obviously doesn't bode well for the Wildcats.

"If he finds somewhere he likes, I'm sure he'll commit as opposed to taking the five visits," Ward said.

Ward also said that Sean Miller seems to have made Turner a "top priority" - he visited Turner in-home last Thursday - and complemented his staff.

"They've done a great job of recruiting him," she said. "The coaches came down and made him feel very comfortable. I think he's comfortable with coach Miller's system."

While Turner had been to UCLA many times before to play, he had a chance to play with the Bruins and meet various school officials this time, Ward said.

"It went fine," she said. "It was a good trip."
___________

Just a week ago...

Jerry Meyer of Rivals.com answers recruiting questions from Meyer's Mailbag (via JacketsOnline.com)

PG search is on at UCLA

When will UCLA recruit a point guard to play for them?

- Ben from Los Angeles

UCLA is in hot pursuit of five-star point guard prospect Josiah Turner out of Sacramento (Calif.) High School. In fact, the Bruins will host Turner on an official visit this weekend.

Kansas has been considered the favorite to land Turner, but Louisville made a favorable impression on Turner when he visited last weekend and UCLA is apparently gaining ground as well.

Arizona and Oregon will also host Turner on official visits, so UCLA has plenty of competition for Turner.

UCLA is also in the hunt for Quinn Cook, but it might be a long shot at best for UCLA to lure him off the East Coast.

Local prospect Spencer Dinwiddie is a viable backup plan for the Bruins at the point guard position.

UCLA 2011 prospect 6-2 180 PG Josiah Turner (Sacramento, CA) down to 7 schools, will decide before Nov 10 (whoopee!)

Short article follows all these videos...









Sacramento Bee interview with Josiah Turner


Thanks to Puffdaddy for posting this on Bruin Zone.

Sac High basketball star Turner narrows college choices
By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com
Sacramento Bee, Sports - High School Sports
Published: Sunday, Aug. 15, 2010 - 12:00 am

Point guard Josiah Turner plans to select his college before the early signing date of Nov. 10.

Sacramento High School's Josiah Turner, one of the nation's top class of 2011 basketball prospects, has narrowed his list of scholarship offers to seven schools and has set his five official visits this fall.

Doris Ward, Turner's mother, said the 6-foot-3 senior, rated the No. 3 point guard prospect in the country by Rivals.com, will visit Louisville (Sept. 4), Connecticut (Sept. 11), Oregon (Oct. 2), Kansas (Oct. 15) and Arizona (Oct. 22).

Ward also said her son is still considering UCLA, where he already has taken several unofficial visits, and Oklahoma, which he may visit unofficially the weekend he attends the "Late Night in the Phog" event at Kansas.

While Ward says Turner has received "well over 30 offers," the final seven are firm. She said he will announce his college choice before the NCAA early signing date of Nov. 10.

"He wants to get it done before the start of basketball so he can focus on trying to help Sac High win state before he leaves for college," Ward said.

Turner wound down a hectic summer by playing for the United States West team in last weekend's Nike Global Challenge in Hillsboro, Ore.

He made all six of his free-throw attempts and finished fifth overall in the tournament in assists with 14 during the three days in which four U.S. regional squads competed in a field of eight against teams from Asia, France, Canada and Brazil.

Turner also was a member of the powerhouse Drew Gooden Soldiers team from Oakland that won the Best of the Summer Tournament in Anaheim and the Fab 48 championship in Las Vegas last month.

Class of 2011 Point Guards

All the HS junior point guards mentioned in this article - Jahii Carson, Cezar Guerrero, Quinn Cook, Nick Johnson, Josiah Turner - are UCLA targets for 2011. For videos on these gentlemen, please check out "UCLA Prospects" on right side bar.

Landing quality Class of 2011 point guard important for Arizona (and UCLA)
by Javier Morales on Aug. 04, 2010, under Sports
Wild About AZ Cats
Roundball Recruiting Roundup & the Rest


My observations of the following point guard prospects were in bits and pieces, moving from one venue to the next, during a five-day stretch in Las Vegas a couple of weeks ago.

The Arizona coaching staff has a couple of years, much more communication and a heck of a lot more scouting time put in for the Class of 2011. Take my observations for what their worth, although how can you argue with my opinion that Nick Johnson is the best Class of 2011 prospect Sean Miller and Co. can land?

Signing Johnson goes beyond acquiring an explosive athlete on the perimeter who can play either guard position. He can evolve into a leader at Arizona the same way popular players such as Luke Walton and Richard Jefferson became the backbone of the Wildcats. Johnson can legitimately become the face of the program by the time he is a junior.

A lot has been written and discussed about Miller’s No. 1 recruiting priority for 2011. In my opinion, Johnson, 6-2, from Henderson (Nev.) Findlay Prep by way of Gilbert, should be 1-A and all the others can slip to the B category. Also well-chronicled is the idea of Johnson and good friend Jahii Carson of Mesa attending the same university, thereby giving the UA a good chance of having both.

Miller and his staff likely want to sign an assertive, scoring point guard such as Carson to complement Johnson. Other top-notch Class of 2011 point guard prospects showing interest in the Wildcats include Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill’s Quinn Cook and Sacramento’s Josiah Turner (who teamed with Johnson over the summer with the Drew Gooden Soldiers).

The chances of landing either Cook or Turner are more remote than acquiring Carson (a prized in-state target), but Cook and Turner have shown interest nonetheless.

Cook and Turner spoke favorably about Miller and his staff, and each talked about wanting to visit the UA campus either officially or unofficially. Turner went so far as to tell me that Arizona is one his leaders among schools he wants to officially visit. Understandably, those comments may have been made because he knew I represented TucsonCitizen.com and WildcatSportsReport.com, but nonetheless, the chance is there for Arizona to improve its standing with them.

Turner, 6-3, has Kansas ahead of Duke and Arizona on his pecking order, according to Rivals.com. Name an East coast power and Cook, 6-1, is likely recruited by its coaches. He told me he narrowed his list to seven East coast and two West coast teams: Arizona, UCLA, Villanova, Duke, Wake Forest, North Carolina State, West Virginia, St. John’s and Georgetown.

UCLA coach Ben Howland and his staff are selling to Carson the NBA standouts the Bruins have produced at the point guard position, which is more impressive than Arizona in the last decade.

The Bruins boast recent point guards who are on the cusp of making it big in the NBA — Jrue Holiday, Russell Westbrook, and Darren Collison. Arizona’s last three regular starting point guards — Jason Gardner, Mustafa Shakur and Nic Wise — have yet to play an NBA game in the regular season.

If you're going back as far as Jason Gardner, then I'd add Jordan Farmar to the UCLA list - ATB

The letters NBA catch a recruit’s attention as much as the words, “Playing time.” UCLA is offering both to Carson. Hence, Carson’s comment recently that UCLA is the new leader for his services. The merits of that comment lasted a day before Carson started playing in the Duel in the Desert in Phoenix (in front of Miller and ASU coach Herb Sendek) last week.

Arizona can also offer Carson playing time, albeit shared with other guards such as Lamont “MoMo” Jones and the underrated Jordin Mayes (UCLA offered but lost out on Mayes - ATB). Jones and Mayes project to be off-guards more so than point guards. Make no mistake, Miller and his staff desire a point guard who will unequivocally run the show and be able to score as well (Mike Bibby comes to mind as an example).

UA’s current roster is void of a player with those particular attributes, or it at least lacks somebody proven to be that kind of player on a regular basis.

After observing Carson, Turner and Cook in a few games in Las Vegas, which one would I take over the other if I was a Division I coach? Not to sound like I am sidestepping the question, but it all depends. All of them provide something different.

Cook’s strength is his defense and ability to get his teammates involved. Carson, the best athlete of the three, also excels defensively and he is perhaps the most difficult to defend off the dribble. Turner has more size than Cook and Carson and is more fluid with his shot, mid-range and beyond.

All have the knack for knocking down the three-pointer. Turner, in my opinion, is the best finisher in terms of making his shot in traffic. Cook tops the others in finding the opening man off his penetration. Carson has a quick first step to get past the defender (similar to Turner), although he has room for improvement with how he finishes plays, shooting and passing the ball.

Cook is perhaps the best coach on the floor with his communication skills with teammates and keeping mistakes to a minimum. Landing him will broaden Arizona’s successful East coast recruiting effort led by assistant Book Richardson.

Carson’s importance to Arizona goes beyond his skills being a coveted in-state and West coast player. Turner likewise is important for Miller enhancing his image with California prospects and their coaches.

The UA coaches can’t go wrong with any of them. If they don’t land any, their attention may shift to Cezar Guerrero of Bellflower (St. John Bosco), a Rivals.com Four-Star player who impressed me in Las Vegas with his aggressive style.

Not once in three games that I watched him play for Belmont Shore did he attack the basket out of control. Also not once did I see a defender impede his path to the basket. Guerrero is fearless; the type of player Miller needs at that position to set the tone for others. Guerrero’s size (listed at 6-feet but is more like 5-10) is a concern, and he is not in the same class defensively as Cook and Carson.

If landing Nick Johnson should be 1-A on Arizona’s objectives for the Class of 2011, its 1-B slot should be the guy who complements Johnson the most. Turner and Johnson put on a show with the Drew Gooden Soldiers with alley-oop passes and pushing the ball up the court. Carson and Johnson are good friends with their Arizona backgrounds. Cook and Johnson are not as well connected.

The next three months leading up to the fall signing period are the most important in Miller’s brief time in Arizona. Will he continue what he’s started in terms of solid recruiting, building on his resume for a pivotal Class of 2012? Or will he suffer a setback not signing either Cook, Carson or Turner, which will put increased pressure on the staff to deliver in 2012?

For videos and writeups on the point guards mentioned, check out right sidebar "UCLA Prospects" for video links. If there are more recent videos on these gentlemen, please let me know in your comments. Thanks - ATB.

2011 Prospects: Caudill, Chol, Dawson, Johnson, Royal, Turner, Wiltjer

Videos on 2011 prospects

Kyle Caudill (Brea Olinda, CA) 6-10 270 C


Angelo Chol (Herbert Hoover, CA) 6-8 205 PF






Branden Dawson (Lew Wallace, IN) 6-5 190 SF - OFFERED


Nick Johnson (Findlay Prep, NV) 6-3 185 PG






Norvel Pelle (Dominguez, CA) 6-9 190 PF
Video from July 2009 courtesy of scout.com, link

Julian Royal (Milton, GA) 6-8 195 PF


Josiah Turner (Sacramento, CA) 6-2 180 PG






Kyle Wiltjer (Jesuit, OR) 6-9 200 PF


Another video on Kyle Wiltjer: link

2011 UCLA PG target: Josiah Turner (Sacramento, CA)

video credit: yayarea's finest on youtube


photo courtesy of The Sacramento Bee

Josiah Turner | PG

Hometown Sacramento, CA
Class Junior
High School Sacramento High School Dragons
Height 6'3"
Weight 185 lbs.

Josiah Turner is taking a liking to Los Angeles

After attending UCLA's game against Delaware State, the junior guard who is being recruited by the Bruins scores a career-high 48 points and hits a game-winning shot against Pasadena.

By Eric Sondheimer
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
The Los Angeles Times
December 29, 2009

Josiah Turner, a junior guard from Sacramento, is starting to like Los Angeles. He attended UCLA's game at Pauley Pavilion on Sunday, and he experienced exhilaration on Monday with a career-high 48-point performance in the Oaks Christian tournament that culminated with a game-winning three-pointer from the top of the key at the buzzer to beat Pasadena, 71-70.

"It was fun," Turner said.

UCLA Coach Ben Howland was sitting at the top of the bleachers watching Turner's show. He's recruiting the 6-foot-3 Turner, who has the athleticism and firepower to play at the collegiate level.

The dramatic ending in a quarterfinal game was helped by a strange timeout from Pasadena (6-4). The Bulldogs scored the go-ahead basket on a layup by Tyler Barber with six seconds left to lead, 70-68. Sacramento had no timeouts left, but the Bulldogs called timeout with 3.6 seconds left.

That enabled the Dragons to set up a final play. They in-bounded the ball in the backcourt, got the ball to Turner, who pulled up for the game-winning shot.

"I was surprised," he said of the timeout. "That helped us win the game."

Turner, who came in averaging 28 points, originally committed to Arizona State but has since opened up his recruiting. He said UCLA is near the top of his list.

"I liked the way they got up and down," he said of Sunday's UCLA-Delaware State game.

It was a tough loss for Pasadena because the Bulldogs overcame a double-digit deficit and had five players reach double figures in scoring, led by Barber and Chris Bridges with 15 points each.

Sacramento will play Los Angeles Loyola in a semifinal game Tuesday at 8:30 p.m.

For the rest of this article, click here.

Thanks to puffdaddy for posting the story on the Bruin Zone basketball board.