Detroit Country Day School point guard Ray McCallum reportedly has narrowed his choices to Detroit Mercy and Arizona

Some general media reactions surrounding Wednesday night’s McDonald’s All-American Game at Columbus, Ohio:

RELATED LINKS:
>>McDonald’s All-American Game boxscore
>>UCLA can promise Manhattan (N.Y.) Rice High School forward Kadeem Jack — another UA target — that he can return to New York City to play for the Bruins against St. John’s and new coach Steve Lavin.

• Joel Steiner of NBADraft.net reports: Somebody needs to make a strong push to get physically gifted Josh Selby because he could be the difference maker on a team that needs a point guard. Selby, a 6-1 point guard from Baltimore Lake County, finished with 13 points, three assists and no turnovers in 22 minutes for the East in its 107-104 loss to the West.
• Former UA standouts Jerryd Bayless and Chase Budinger are two of 62 McDonald’s All-Americans the last five years to advance to the NBA.
• With five current Kentucky players reportedly on their way out to potentially the NBA, what does that do to the undecideds in the Class of 2010? Selby and Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill combo guard Doron Lamb are considering John Calipari’s program in addition to Arizona.
• Calipari is letting it be known that he must reload next season to the tune of possibly six new players.
• ESPN recruiting reporter Reggie Rankin heard this week during the McDonald’s workouts that Selby is leaning toward Kansas. He also reports that NBA scouts like the way he can score.
• Detroit Country Day school point guard Ray McCallum, who reportedly has narrowed his choices to Detroit (where his father coaches) and Arizona, was graded as one of the best coaches on the floor, according to Rankin.
• Rankin, recently an assistant coach at Dayton, suggests West Virginia is closing strong on Lamb because of its influence of New York-area players.
• McCallum reiterates that his father, Ray McCallum Sr., is not pressuring his decision one way or the other. McCallum Jr. averaged 22.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists for Country Day, which produced past McDonald’s All-Americans Chris Webber and Shane Battier.
• The Detroit media has begun to make pleas for McCallum to announce he will sign to play for his father. McCallum’s itinerary includes an April 11 date in Louisville for the Derby Festival Classic. The spring signing period begins three days after that. He will announce his choice on that day.

RELATED LINK FROM GOAZCATS.COM: Josh Gershon is reporting that Chris Hill, a forward from Raleigh, N.C., Stevens Prep is favoring the Cats if he can get his academics in order by the spring.

Class of 2010 combo guard Doron Lamb

Gary Parrish of CBSSportsline.com at least got this one right: Why blue-chippers should wait until the spring to sign

A few of Arizona’s targeted recruits this summer for the Class of 2010 remain undecided as the end of the week-long fall signing period is tomorrow. I am a firm believer that these players — and even some of those who signed with other programs during the fall — should wait until the spring before making a final decision. The potential UA recruits still out there include:

1. Ray McCallum, 6-1, 175, Detroit Country Day School. Why would it benefit McCallum to wait? He can really study the programs that want him the most, including his father’s team at Detroit Mercy. McCallum can also be at ease by waiting until the spring if he decides to not play for his father. Instead of constantly being reminded during the season by hometown folks he should have stayed at home, he can concentrate on playing basketball and still support his father.
2. Doron Lamb, 6-4, 175, Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy. Although he never took an official visit to Arizona this fall, I believe the Wildcats are still very much in play for Lamb during the spring. The signing of Phoenix North guard Daniel Bejarano last week should not deter Lamb from considering the UA. It’s obvious that UA coach Sean Miller will try a rotation of eight to 10 players, so playing time will be there for the taking. Also, Lamb is a combo guard who can play the point if necessary. A McCallum-Bejarano backcourt or Lamb-Bejarano backcourt — heck, even a Lamont “MoMo” Jones-Bejarano backcourt — could evolve into one of the best the school has produced.

We should learn about McCallum’s intentions soon (mostly likely Tuesday). I will not be surprised if he waits until the spring, an approach that would be wise on his part. If he announces he will play for his dad and signs during the fall, more power to him: Family should take precedence in that scenario. As I mentioned before, if he chooses to sign with a team other than Detroit in the fall, he may get a lot grief from Detroit-area fans during his senior season. Bottom line: McCallum is better off waiting.

McCallum and Lamb waiting can only be good news for Arizona, which figures to increasingly play well by the end of the year because of its youth. That momentum and potentially another NCAA tournament appearance can spark an interest in these recruits and others who decided to wait until the spring.

The darkhorse out there might be C.J. Leslie, a 5-star power forward from Raleigh, N.C. Arizona showed interest not too long ago with the UA coaching staff phoning Leslie’s mother to gauge interest and she did not rule the Wildcats out. If the UA catches the eye of the national media as the season goes along, who’s to say that Leslie will be showcased better elsewhere? Will he become interested in the Wildcats?

With these recruits waiting until the spring, the UA has a fighting chance with any of them (if the opportunity presents itself — a BIG IF — because as it stands now only one scholarship is available if the team stays intact — another BIG IF).

Ray McCallum will soon decide among Arizona, Florida, Detroit, UCLA and Oklahoma for his college choice

After watching Ray McCallum play this summer in an AAU summer tournament in Las Vegas I am not surprised that he is calculating each of his recruiting stops and avoiding any rushed decisions.

He plays similarly under control with a sense of determination to get things right. One play in particular I recall: McCallum setting the offense on top of the key, barking out orders and waving off a teammate. He looked primed to get his own shot off. He penetrated to the side of the lane and instinctively looked for teammate Trey Ziegler on the opposite side for a spot-up three-pointer.

Unselfish and instinctive: two quality traits of a point guard and McCallum showed that on many occasions while leading Team Detroit to the Reebok tournament title.

McCallum, a 6-1, 170-pound, point guard at Detroit Country Day School, told me a couple of weeks ago shortly after visiting UCLA that he could pull the trigger on a decision at any time — “You never know. If I go somewhere and I really like it, that could be good enough for me to make up my mind right there,” he said — but I sensed McCallum would take all of his visits before deciding which school to play for in 2010-11.

He confirmed that with me tonight, less than 24 hours after returning to Detroit from his official visit to Arizona.

“Yeah, I want to visit Florida next weekend and then sit down with my parents (before making a decision),” said, McCallum, rated a 4-star recruit by Rivals.com and 5-star by Scout.com.

His decision to follow through with his plans to visit Gainesville is not a negative reflection on Arizona. He wants to see what every program is like up close before making up his mind. He has already visited Oklahoma and UCLA. His father, Ray McCallum Sr., the head coach at Detroit, also hopes his son plays for him, but more than anything, he wants his son to make his own decision after weighing everything.

The visit to Tucson was another positive development for UA coach Sean Miller, Miller’s assistants, the UA players and faculty. McCallum and his father observed the Red-Blue game on Sunday afternoon. McCallum Sr. afterward offered his educated opinion about where his son would fit into the UA lineup.

“We looked at it and thought that I could fit in pretty good at Arizona, especially with Nic Wise gone after this year,” McCallum said. “They will be needing a point guard. MoMo (Jones) is probably more of a combo guard than a point guard.

“I think I can go there and contribute right away. I know I will have to work hard to earn my spot, but I think I can be a contributor. But you can say that for all the other schools I’m looking at. I am confident that I can go to any of those schools and contribute right away.”

The UA was originally scheduled as McCallum’s last visit but McCallum had to reschedule his visit with Gators coach Billy Donovan because he was selected the homecoming king for his high school. He was supposed to visit Florida the same weekend of the homecoming events three weeks ago.

Florida, Arizona and UCLA especially offer a warmer climate than what McCallum is accustomed to at Detroit.

“It’s always nice to be in warm weather like Arizona this time of year,” McCallum said. “I liked how warm it was there especially being from the cold here in Detroit.”

McCallum debunked the idea that Arizona has an edge because Miller and assistant coach James Whitford share a coaching past and are good friends with his father.

“I guess you could say it helps Arizona because my dad knows Coach Miller,” McCallum said. “But my father has been coaching the last 25 years, so he knows a lot of coaches.”

Here is the point guard situation in 2010-11 pertaining to the schools recruiting McCallum (by the way, none of them have a point guard among their existing Class of 2010 recruits):

Arizona: Momo Jones and Garland Judkins will likely spell Wise the most of this season. If McCallum signs with Arizona — the weeklong November signing period starts Nov. 11 — he undoubtedly will be penciled in as the prospective starter at point guard next season with Jones sharing the load and Daniel Bejarano and Kyle Fogg competing for the starting off-guard spot.

Oklahoma: The Sooners have freshman Tommy Mason-Griffin, a McDonald’s All-American point guard, and little-used sophomore T.J. Franklin at that position. McCallum and Mason-Griffin would likely compete for the starting point guard position and Mason-Griffin would have a year in Jeff Capel’s system to his advantage.

UCLA: Sophomore guard Jerime Anderson is slated to start for Ben Howland this season but he is largely untested and unproven. And he’s injured. He’s out indefinitely because of a strained groin. Ask Salim Stoudamire how damaging a groin injury can be in basketball. It can easily be aggravated because of the twists and turns the body makes on the hardwood. Anderson backed up Darren Collison a year ago but only played 8.6 minutes per game. McCallum, however, is not as highly rated by Rivals.com as Anderson was last year. Anderson was the No. 3 point guard and No. 31 overall prospect in the Class of 2008 by Scout.com. He was rated the No. 7 point guard and No. 37 overall prospect by Rivals.com. McCallum is ranked the No. 7 point guard and No. 23 prospect overall by Scout.com in the Class of 2010. He is rated the No. 60 prospect overall and No. 15 point guard prospect by Rivals.com.

Florida: The Gators already missed out on Jones, who picked the UA over Florida after being released from his letter-of-intent at USC. Donovan has 5-11 sophomore Erving Walker as his starting point guard and Walker will not relinquish that spot easily. Highly-rated freshman Kenny Boynton, a 6-2 combo guard, is of the same mold as Jones — he can play either backcourt position well.

Detroit: The Titans have senior point guard Woody Payne, who won’t be around next season. McCallum obviously would be in a strong position to start at point guard and not only because his dad is the coach there. Freshman guard Jason Caliste of Ontario, Canada, was a 4-star recruit by Scout.com but he will probably not have an extended role with the Titans this season.