Henderson (Nev.) Findlay Prep coach Mike Peck said this morning that former Sacramento High School point guard Josiah Turner will not transfer to his nationally recognized program.

The Sacramento Bee and Bruce Pascoe of The Arizona Daily Star have reported that Turner, a high-profile Class of 2011 recruit signed by Arizona coach Sean Miller, is no longer attending classes at Sacramento.

“No, he will not be coming here,” said Peck, a third-year coach at Findlay who added that Turner’s departure from Sacramento High School “is not uncommon these days.”

Peck, whose team includes Miller’s Class of 2011 standout signee Nick Johnson — Turner’s summer AAU backcourt mate, is accustomed to seeing players come and go from prep schools during the semester breaks.

“Nowadays, it’s not uncommon for something like this to happen,” Peck said. “It all factors around the semester break and class schedules.

“Nothing really shocks me about it. It’s becoming the norm for student-athletes at the high school level to look at their situation and do what they feel is best for them academically and athletically.”

Sacramento coach Derek Swafford told the Sacramento Bee that Turner’s mother, Doris Ward, informed him Tuesday night that her son was leaving the school.

“All his mom would say is that the family wants to go another way,” Swafford told the newspaper.

Attempts to reach Ward this morning were unsuccessful. During the Pac-10 teleconference yesterday, Miller said he is “not concerned” about Turner’s situation and his eligibility to attend Arizona.

The Sacramento Bee reported that Turner, a 6-foot-3-inch point guard, was averaging 22.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.9 assists in 10 games this season. The scoring production is down from his 27.4 average last year as a junior.

He teamed with Johnson last summer with the Drew Gooden Oakland Soldiers. Turner and Johnson officially visited the Arizona campus on Sept. 17-18 last year and Turner verbally committed immediately afterward.

Turner signed a national letter of intent with Arizona in November during a ceremony at Sacramento High School’s auditorium. During the ceremony, Turner became emotional while thanking his mother, family, friends, teammates and coaches at Sacramento High School.

Swafford told the Sacramento Bee that Ward did not discuss her son’s next academic move. Swafford said Turner was passing all his classes. The Sacramento Bee reported that if Turner enrolls at another school, it will be his fourth in as many years.

Turner reportedly played his freshman season at Cordova High School before transferring to Sac High as a sophomore. He transferred for eight days to Sheldon High School in the fall of 2009 before returning to Sac High for his junior year.

During his high school career, Turner verbally committed to Santa Clara as a freshman before de-committing and committing to ASU as a sophomore. He de-committed from ASU last July before the summer AAU tournaments began.

Findlay already has high-profile point guard Myck Kabongo, who has signed a national letter of intent with Texas.

“Our focus right now is going to Massachusetts and getting ready for a couple of tough games over there,” said Peck, whose team will participate in the Basketball Hall of Fame’s HoopHall Classic at Springfield, Mass.

Findlay, the seventh-ranked team in the nation according to ESPN Rise, plays Jersey City (N.J.) St. Anthony on Sunday and Dallas Lincoln High School on Monday. The game against Lincoln on Martin Luther King Day is televised live on ESPNU at 1 p.m., Tucson time.

After that game, Elizabeth (N.J.) St. Patrick will play Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman on ESPNU. Gorman includes Arizona Class of 2012 targets Shabazz Muhammad, Ben Carter and Rosco Allen.

Arizona’s third signee of the Class of 2011 — Sidiki Johnson of Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy — will also be in Springfield. Oak Hill plays Alpharetta (Ga.) Milton on Saturday on ESPNU at approximately 6 p.m. Tucson time.

Sidiki Johnson, a 6-9 power forward, has yet to play this season, however, because of a hairline stress fracture in his left foot.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 12th, 2011 at 11:07 am and is filed under Sports. Tags for this post: Class of 2011 recruits, Class of 2012 recruits, Findlay Prep, Josiah Turner, Mike Peck, Nick Johnson, Sean Miller, Sidiki Johnson. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.