I checked in today with Oak Hill coach Steve Smith on a number of issues, including the status of Arizona commit Brandon Jennings, New York native Danny Jennings and rising New York star Doron Lamb.
There has been some speculation that Jennings might follow coach Josh Pastner to Memphis from Arizona now that Pastner has become part of John Calipari’s staff.
Yet Smith said Jennings, a 6-foot native of Southern California, remains committed to Lute Olson’s club.
“As of right now, he says he’s going to Arizona,” Smith said Friday by phone. “I don’t know if he could get out of it. Arizona would have to release him but he doesn’t seem to have a desire to do that.”
Smith also said Jennings, one of the MVPs of last summer’s Boost Mobile Elite 24 Hoops Classic, was still awaiting a test score to become qualified.
“He doesn’t have his test score,” Smith said. “He has taken both the SAT and the ACT. He needs to get his test up a little more to correlate with his GPA.
“I think he’ll make it. I’ve had guys in this boat before. I obviously have some concern. “He won’t get his scores back until the end of June.”
As for Danny Jennings, the 6-8 forward from Staten Island who transferred last season to Oak Hill from Bishop Loughlin, Smith said Jennings would likely end up prepping a fifth year at either Brewster (N.H.) or South Kent (Conn.)
Jennings previously told me he held offers from Rutgers, Seton Hall, St. John’s, Pitt, Xavier, Memphis, South Florida and that Arizona had shown interest.
“He has offers from a lot of Big East schools,” Smith said. “I don’t think any of them would say no.”
On the topic of Doron Lamb, a 6-2, 170-pound sophomore PG from Bishop Loughlin who reportedly holds offers from Georgia Tech, Louisville and Rutgers, Smith said it was possible Lamb could follow Jennings to Mouth of Wilson, Va.
“I talked to his mom,” Smith said. “She contacted me. His dad called me as well within the last 10 days or so. To my knowledge I don’t know that he’s coming for sure. They inquired about the school. We’ll wait and see.”
On a scheduling note, Smith added that Oak Hill, which was ranked No. 1 in the nation briefly last year before losing to Samardo Samuels and St. Benedict’s, will play St. Patrick of Elizabeth in the PrimeTime Shootout in February Trenton, N.J.
(Photos courtesy Rivals)
