According to Josh Gershon of GOAZCATS.com, potential UA recruit Rod Odom, of Concord (Mass.) Middlesex, has de-committed from Arizona and will likely wind up at Vanderbilt. In a message sent to me Sunday night, Portland (Ore.) Jefferson forward Terrence Jones said the UA coaches “did not call me” in the aftermath of the Odom development.

With Jones and Odom likely out of the picture, it appears that Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy player Doron Lamb, who can play the point, shooting guard and on the wing, will continue to be a viable target of the Wildcat coaching staff. Calvin Lamb, Doron’s father, said, “He’s always had Arizona on his list because of Coach (Sean) Miller and Coach (Book) Richardson. That’s never changed.”

Odom has indicated to those close to him that he never felt comfortable with his decision because he did not like the idea of leaving close to home. He originally is from New York City. Attempts to reach him Sunday night were unsuccessful.

He indicated on his Facebook page: “Just made one of the hardest calls I ever had to make, but it’s what’s best for my family, and what’s best for me … feels like the weight of the world is off of his shoulders.”

The commitments of Odom and Phoenix North shooting guard Daniel Bejarano theoretically filled the potential scholarship spots open for the 2010-11 season. The UA now has at least one scholarship to fill.

The UA is directing most of its efforts at Dayton (Ohio) Jefferson center Adreian Payne and Detroit Country Day School point guard Ray McCallum and potentially Lamb to go with Bejarano. McCallum visits the UA campus this weekend.

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Detroit Country Day High School point guard Ray McCallum has Arizona high on his list partly because of his relationship with UA coach Sean Miller and assistant James Whitford

Detroit Country Day High School point guard Ray McCallum Jr. finally had his chance “to be just a kid” this last weekend when he was crowned Homecoming king. Instead of being treated like royalty by yet another coaching staff during an official visit, the Class of 2010 recruit was royalty with his classmates.

“Yeah, I definitely enjoyed it,” McCallum told me Monday night. “It was a time to relax and to be just a kid again. I got to hang out with my friends. It was a lot of fun memories, the kind of memories that will last forever.”

Many of those close friends of his are undoubtedly urging McCallum, the son of Detroit Mercy coach Ray McCallum Sr., to stay close to home and play for the Titans. The younger McCallum, 6-1, 179, has already visited Oklahoma and UCLA. He is scheduled to visit Arizona the weekend of Oct. 31-Nov. 1. He will be in attendance at McKale Center during the Red-Blue Scrimmage on Nov. 1. He is scheduled to visit Florida the week after that.

He does not need to officially visit Detroit. He knows all about the Titan program through his father. He even accompanied the team on its summer tour of Spain. Detroit perhaps does not have the same name value of the other programs he is considering, but it has his father as head coach.

“I am definitely looking at Detroit,” he said. “My dad has been my coach my whole life. Playing for him at Detroit would be something special. Right now, I’m looking at all the schools the same, including Detroit.”

After watching McCallum play in the summer evaluation events in Las Vegas, it is obvious that McCallum is a student of the game with his upbringing. He understands the role of point guard is to be an extension of the coach. He dictates to teammates where they should be on the floor. He gets his teammates involved other than by his superior playmaking skills.

Similarly, his interest in the game includes following the general recruitment of other players in his class, especially those linked with the schools he is considering the most.

“Yeah, I follow what’s going on really close,” said McCallum, who indicated he is aware of Concord (Mass.) Middlesex School forward Rod Odom and Phoenix North shooting guard Daniel Bejarano committing to Arizona.

“I know Daniel. I saw him play this summer. My (AAU) team played against Rod Odom’s team this summer in Las Vegas. I look at who these schools are bringing in to get a sense of what players might be playing around me. As a point guard, I want to get the ball to someone who can score. Both of those guys are really good players and they are scorers. That is something I definitely look at.”

McCallum said he has conversations mostly with UA coach Sean Miller and assistant James Whitford — “because they have known me since I was little,” he said — and he looks forward to the opportunity of taking the official visit to Arizona’s campus. He and his parents unofficially visited the UA in May.

Although the idea of watching Arizona in a public-scrimmage setting is enticing, he said he wants to gain more of a barometer of a program after watching it play a game.

“I’m interested in their style of play and how they use their guards in a real game,” McCallum said in general of all the teams recruiting him. “The season starts before the (Nov.) signing period. I should be able to see some of the games (before making a decision).”

The fall signing period runs from Nov. 11-18. The UA’s season begins Nov. 15 against NAU at McKale Center. The Wildcats play exhibition games against Augustana College (Nov. 4) and Western New Mexico (Nov. 10) before they play the Lumberjacks. Their next regular-season game is at home against Rice, but it occurs a day after the signing period ends on Nov. 19.

McCallum said he plans on signing during that period. He is not sure when he will make a decision.

“You never know,” he said. “If I go somewhere and I really like it, that could be good enough for me to make up my mind right there. I’m really keeping myself open to anything.”

McCallum is rated the No. 60 prospect overall in the Class of 2010 by Rivals.com, which considers him a 4-star player. He averaged 16.9 points, 5.3 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game last season for Detroit Country Day High School.

Imagine this scenario when Arizona takes the floor next November for its season-opening game:

UA coach Sean Miller and his staff have completed their most competitive preseason workouts since their coaching careers began.

Newcomers Rod Odom of Concord (Mass.) by way of New York and Daniel Bejarano of Phoenix North High School are instant starter material for any Pac-10 team. Bejarano has more of a clear path to a starting spot than Odom, who figures to bide his time until after Jamelle Horne exhausts his eligibility. But nothing is guaranteed with Miller’s system. If a player practices harder on defense than the other player, that player will likely start. Arizona has its most depth as a team since perhaps the 1991-92 season when Damon Stoudamire, Ray Owes and Ed Stokes came off the bench.

Lamont “MoMo” Jones will man the point guard position, replacing the departed Nic Wise. The starter at the shooting guard spot is Bejarano, who originally committed to Texas when he was rated a 5-star recruit by Rivals.com. Small forward starter Solomon Hill should emerge a team leader along with Horne, who will split time with Derrick Williams at the No. 4 spot. Williams figures to also spell Hill and Bejarano on the perimeter. The post position currently belongs to Kyryl Natyazhko, but don’t count out Odom, who can give the UA perhaps the most athletic lineup in the Pac-10 and the country. Odom, who has grown to almost 6-9, has worked on his interior scoring and rebounding his senior year in high school.

And this scenario does not even include top-flight prospects Ray McCallum (Oct. 30-31), Terrence Jones (Oct. 23-24), Doron Lamb (Oct. 23-24) and Adreian Payne (this weekend), who all have tentative visits set up to Arizona this month. Nobody other than the UA staff perhaps knows at this point if any of those visits will change.

Bejarano and Lamb play the same position, so after Bejarano likely commits, Lamb’s visit (which has not yet been set in stone) may be affected. But that’s just an opinion on my part. Terrence Jones literally can play any of the five positions on the court, except maybe the post position. McCallum obviously would be an instant starter at the point guard spot as would Payne at the post.

As for Odom, who became the first Class of 2010 recruit to commit to the Wildcats on Wednesday, recruiting guru Van Coleman of Hoopmasters.com gave me his scouting report of the 6-8 combo forward.

“He’s a long and lanky combo forward who can pop a 17-footer or drive and create highlights at the rim,” Coleman said. “He has length and quickness to guard both forward spots. His big hops and athletic gifts will let him to have an immediate impact on the glass. He has the tools to help the ‘Cats as a freshman.”

Versatility is the key to Miller’s roster composition. Here is one man’s opinion of Arizona’s 2010-11 players (including potential member Bejarano) who can perform at multiple positions:

MoMo Jones: PG/SG
Bejarano : SG/SF
Hill: SF/SG/PF
Williams: PF/SG/SF
Natyazhko: C/PF
Odom: SF/PF
Kevin Parrom: SF/PF