Prep & College Recruiting

Dixie State College in St. George has not officially sent out its list of basketball signees yet, but we do know of at least two players who will be inking with the Red Storm this week.
Guards Landon Littlefield and De'Quan Thompson from Lake Mead Christian Academy in Las Vegas will sign their letters of intent Thursday morning with Dixie State, according to an email from a family member.
The players led Lake Mead to a 33-1 record last year.
A 5-7 senior, Littlefield averaged 21 points and 3.3 assists per game last year.
A 6-1 senior, Thompson averaged 10 points and three rebounds a game.

Mary Waters of the Utah Flight girls basketball club program has provided this information on five Utah Flight players from the class of 2010 who will be signing with college basketball programs this week:

Morgan Bailey (Timpanogos): BYU
6'2 Forward, Morgan Bailey will sign with on Thursday. Morgan has a great strong basketball body, and draws double and triple teams because she is so deadly around the rim and has a range extending to the three. She will be joining fellow Utah Flight teammates Jenteal Jackson (Skyline) and Kimberly Parker (Wasatch) at BYU.  

Amy Krommenhoek (American Fork): Utah

Sharp-shooter Amy Krommenhoek will follow in her sister's footsteps and sign with the  Utes.  Amy is a big game performer with nerves of steel.  She will instantly add depth to Elaine Elliott's offense.


Whitney Jenkins (Skyline): UVU

UVU coach Cathy Nixon is getting our most versatile, athletic guard.  Whitney is a fierce competitor and gets it done everywhere on the court.  She scores, she rebounds, she defends, and picks apart defense with spot-on passing.  Whitney will join Flight teammates Cydne Mason and Kaycee Mansfield as Wolverines.  

Ashley Kuchar (Provo): Fort Lewis

Shooting guard Ashley Kuchar will sign with Fort Lewis college today.  Ashley not only brings her scoring to the Skyhawks, but her high basketkball IQ, experience, passion, and leadership make her a perfect reruit for the 6th ranked (D2) Fort Lewis program.  


Rachel Gines (Bingham): Dixie State

Dixie State is getting a great D1 level recruit in Rachel Gines.  She has quickly become one of the best post players in the Utah.  She is and athletic, strong, low block player.  As two-sport athlete (volleyball) her long arms, jumping ability and strength make her a "shot blocking machine".

 The Utah men's basketball program announced its signees, Preston Guiot, a 5-11, 175-pound guard out of Bolivar, Mo.; Dominique Lee, a 6-4, 200-pound guard out of Oakland, Calif., and JJ O'Brien, a 6-6, 205-pound guard out of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.

 Also committing to the Utes Wednesday was Neal Monson, a 6-10, 215-pound center out of Sandy, Utah.

 "I am really excited about this class," Utah coach Jim Boylen said. "Similar to what we accomplished last year, we have brought in another versatile class that fills multiple positions. This group adds even more depth, toughness and athleticism as we continue to build this program."

 Guiot averaged 24 points, five assists and three steals as a junior, Lee ranked among the top 10 upperclassmen in the state of California last year averaging 17 points and 12 rebounds and O'Brien averaged 27 points and 13 rebounds while ranking among the top 15 players in California.

 Monson, who plays for Waterford H.S., averaged 20 points and 15 rebounds in addition to six blocks a game. Waterford is coached by his father, Reid, who played for Utah from 1986-89.

 O'Brien is considered the premier player in the class after earning first-team all-CIF Div. 2 honors and being named the MVP of the Baseline Conference.

 "He is another big wing player who gives us more length, scoring ability and versatility," Boylen said. "He also possesses great lat-game scoring and decision-making ability."

Utah's gymnastics team announced the official signings of its 2010 signing class Wednesday, including two local gymnasts.

 Hailee Hansen from Bountiful and Mary Beth Lofgren from Salt Lake City headed the class, which also includes Lia Del Priore (Center Valley, Pa.), Alyssa Gale (Simi Valley, Calif.), Corrie Lothrop (Gaithersburg, Md.) and Victoria Shanley (Colorado Springs, Colo.).

 Lothrop was considered one of the top recruits in the nation and has been a member of the U.S. National Team since 2006 and as an alternate to the 2008 Olympic Team.

 Del Priore is a former junior elite and a two-time U.S. classic qualifier while Gale is known as a strong vaulter and Shanley is a junior Olympian who trains at the same club that produced former Utah standout Theresa Kulikowski.

 Lofgren, the Salt Lake City signee, finished 11th in the all-around at the 2009 Junior Olympic Championships.  Hansen attends Woods Cross H.S. and trains at USA Gymnastics.

 "We are very excited about this group of athletes," Utah coach Greg Marsden said. "It's a great mix of experience and developing talent."

The early signing period for basketball and several other sports begins today, so schools such as BYU and Utah will begin announcing their recruiting classes in the next day or two.
BYU basketball is expected to sign two players -- Provo senior Kyle Collinsworth and Anson Winder, a combo guard from Bishop Gorman High in Las Vegas.
Collinsworth, 6-foot-6, will sign his national letter of intent at 9 a.m. this morning at his high school.
Some are saying he is BYU’s most significant recruit in the past five years, at least.
This past week, Collinsworth was named first team Best in the West. He was also named the 57th best player in the country by the Web site Maxpreps.com.
Bob Gibbons’ All-Star Sports Top 250 has Collinsworth as the No. 95 prospect in the country.
Here’s part of the writeup on Collinsworth from his Best in the West award:
Why he is rated this highly: His skills are such that it is hard to project the position he is best suited for in college. His jump shot is much improved and has to be honored to the 3-point arc. And he passes and handles well enough to spend a lot of time at the point for his prep and traveling teams. But he is also a dependable rebounder and determined defender (in the post and on the perimeter), with an advanced low-post offensive game.
College commitment: Brigham Young University
Frank says: Considering the caliber of programs that pursued him, Collinsworth will be the most significant recruit landed in a while by the Cougars.