Recently in Arizona State Category

Upland wide receiver Kenny Lawler, Miller linebacker Reshawn Hooker and Colony athlete Bryan Harper were all named to Rivals.com's California top 100 when the website released its rankings Tuesday. Lawler was the highest ranked of the three at No. 32, as he is rated a four-star on Rivals. Lawler verbally committed to Arizona State in February but is considered a soft commitment to the Sun Devils as this point, as he is listening to offers from the likes of UCLA, Colorado, Nebraska, Washington, Oregon State, SMU and Arizona.

Hooker, a three-star linebacker, checks in at No. 49. He comes to Miller from Arroyo Valley High School, where he earned third-team All-Sun honors a year ago. Hooker currently has 11 offers from the likes of Arizona, Arizona State, Boise State, Colorado, Colorado State, Fresno State, Nevada, Purdue, San Jose State, UCLA and Washington State.

Harper, who transferred to Colony from Carter in the offseason, was ranked No. 94 by Rivals. The three-star athlete, who was a quarterback last year for the Lions, committed to Washington June 28 over offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, Colorado State, Montana and New Mexico State.

Even though National Signing Day for the football class of 2011 was only two weeks ago, 2012 recruiting is going at full force, with Upland wide receiver Kenny Lawler making a verbal commitment to Arizona State Monday according to Rivals.com and Scout.com.

Lawler, a 6-foot-3, 180-pound incoming senior, led the Highlanders in receiving a year ago with 42 receptions for 887 yards and nine touchdowns. He joins Osahon Irabor, a 2009 Upland graduate who started the second half of this past season at cornerback as a redshirt freshman, in Tempe.

According to Rivals.com, Chino wide receiver Quinton Pedroza has switched his commitment to the University of Utah from Arizona State and has faxed in his letter of intent to the Utes. According to colleague Clay Fowler, Pedroza was mulling over a late offer from USC along with offers from Utah, where he visited two weekends ago, and Arizona State, which he committed to on Jan. 13 after a visit.

Either this blog or Fowler's blog will have the latest.

Chino wide receiver/defensive back Quinton Pedroza verbally committed to Arizona State Saturday according to this article by Rivals.com. Pedroza, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound athlete, was a first-team all-Sun selection at wide receiver, caught 54 passes for 1,078 yards and 16 touchdowns for the Cowboys this past season. Pedroza chose the Sun Devils over Utah and Utah State.

The Fall Signing Period for sports such as basketball, volleyball, baseball, softball and water polo starts next Wednesday and lasts through November 17. A few county athletes have set up their signings already.

Ontario Christian gymnast Kaitlyn Clark will be signing a letter of intent to the University of Alabama at Precision Gymnastics in Rancho Cucamonga at 6 p.m. Alabama is one of the top programs in the nation for women's gymnastics.

Rim of the World has also announced a signing ceremony for Nov. 16 at the school. Signing on that day will be softball player Elizabeth Caporuscio, who will be attending Arizona State. Caporuscio, a star pitcher for the Fighting Scots, verbally committed to play for the Sun Devils during her sophomore year.

All coaches and schools which will be having players sign during the Fall Signing Period should e-mail The Sun at sports@inlandnewspapers.com or tj.berka@inlandnewspapers.com or call (909) 483-9305.

With the high school football season in high gear, recruiting of local athletes is starting to pick up as well. That's definitely the case at Colton High School, as several Yellowjackets are jumping headfirst into the recruiting process.

Star running back Tyler Ervin and linebacker/tight end Rodney Hardrick made unofficial visits to Arizona State and Boise State this weekend. Ervin went to check out the Oregon-Arizona State, while Hardrick flew up to see the Oregon State-Boise State clash.
"Rodney was taking care of two birds with one stone, as he's looking at both of those schools," Colton coach Rick Bray said. "It's an exciting time for all of these kids."

Another Yellowjacket receiving a large amount of interest is Devan Hussey, who is being pursued by several Ivy League schools. The University of Colorado has also been around the Colton campus a lot recently according to Bray.

Rim of the World sophomore shortstop Elizabeth Caporuscio, who helped lead the Fighting Scots to the Mojave River League title this past season, verbally committed to Arizona State according to an e-mail sent by Rim athletic director Josh Hill. Caporuscio was a first-team all-MRL selection for Rim, hitting .510 with three home runs, 26 RBIs and 10 doubles this season.

The best is saved for last - at least when I let bias leak into my opinion. Let's go down South.

Overall theme:
Is Ty Lawson healthy? All year North Carolina has been regarded as the odds-on favorite to win the national championship, with Lawson, Tyler Hansbrough, Wayne Ellington, Danny Green and Deon Thompson expected to grab a title before (presumably) going to the NBA. Even when the the top-seeded Tar Heels stubbed their toe, it was generally theorized that they'd be the team to beat.

However, Lawson sprained the big toe on his right foot, keeping him out of the ACC tournament and almost assuredly making him less than full strength for the NCAA Tournament. Who wins this region, and perhaps the national title, might be decided on how Lawson's toe holds up.

Watch out for: Syracuse
Typically I'd see a team like the Orange - a team that played a combined seven overtimes in the Big East Tournament before losing in the final - and declare that they shot their wad emotionally and physically. I definitely would have said that if Syracuse had won the Big East tourney. But their loss to Louisville leaves some unfinished business.

And No. 3 Syracuse has the personnel and scheme to take care of business. Sophomore point guard Jonny Flynn is extremely explosive, Andy Rautins and Eric Devendorf can fill it up from outside while Paul Harris and Arinze Onuaku can score in the paint. Add in their always tough matchup zone and the recent flakiness of No. 2 Oklahoma and the Orange could cruise to the elite 8.

Stay away from: Illinois
The No. 5 Illini were a pretty good story in the Big Ten this year, as they emerged from a rare losing season to finish in a second-place tie in the conference. Illinois plays a tough, matchup defense that yields very few points and a lot of confusion. But Illinois comes into the tournament hurting, as senior point guard and floor leader Chester Frazier is out with a wrist injury.

Frazier's defense will be missed, but his ability to find the open man in Illinois' sometimes stagnant offense might be missed more. With No. 12 Western Kentucky, which made it to the Sweet 16 with the exact same seed last year, appearing in the first round, odds are that the Illini's return to the tournament will be a short one.

High risk, high reward: Michigan
You knew I was going to throw these guys in here somewhere, as the No. 10 Wolverines are making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1998. But personal loyalties aside, the Wolverines have a style that could get them on a roll of upsets - or send them to a quick, painful defeat by No. 7 Clemson in the first round.

Michigan coach John Beilein has spun magic in the tourney before, taking a No. 7-seeded West Virginia team to the Elite 8 in 2005 and a No. 6-seed Mountaineer team to the Sweet 16 a year later. The Wolverines are predicated on a funky 1-3-1 zone and a propensity for the 3-point shot. When the 3 is falling, Michigan can assert its pace and beat anyone - as evidence by wins over Duke, UCLA, Purdue and Illinois. When its not, the Wolverines - even with star guard Manny Harris - can look ugly.

Upset special: No. 11 Temple over No. 6 Arizona State, first round
Both of these teams have players that can carry a team just through scoring in Dionte Christmas (Temple) and James Hardin (Arizona State). They both have master strategists as coaches in Fran Dunphy (Temple) and Herb Sendek (Arizona State). It should be an interesting chess match and one of the better first-round games to watch.

I'm picking Temple here because, quite frankly, Temple is playing better right now. The Owls surged at the end of the year to pick up their second straight Atlantic 10 title while the Sun Devils have been prone to lapses in concentration. If another one of those happens, ASU won't be in the tourney long.

Lead-pipe lock: Mid-major powers will have fun...till Carolina takes them out.
Two of the premier "mid-major" programs of the past decade are present in this region. No. 9 Butler plays a talented, but young and somewhat struggling, No. 8 LSU team in the first round. The Bulldogs' tournament savvy should rule the day in that matchup, but they don't have the guns to take down the Tar Heels in the second round.

No. 4 Gonzaga also has its program humming and got hot after a tough start to grab its usual spot as a high seed in the tournament. The Bulldogs should make quick work of No. 13 Akron - which is likely overseeded - and should have the advantage over the Western Kentucky-Illinois winner as well. But Carolina in the Sweet 16 will be the death of the Zags as well.

Upland cornerback/wide receiver Osahon Irabor, a verbal commitment to Arizona State, cracked the Rivals250 Thursday, moving up to No. 248. In the process, the 5-foot-11, 180-pound senior was upgraded from a three-star recruit to four stars.

Other local players ranked in the Rivals250 are Arroyo Valley offensive lineman Michael Philipp (No. 38), Los Osos quarterback Richard Brehaut (No. 56) and Cajon cornerback/wide receiver Marlon Pollard (No. 148). Brehaut is committed to UCLA while Pollard is committed to Notre Dame.

Just outside the top 250 is Upland QB Josh Nunes (Stanford) and Diamond Ranch CB Brandon Sermons (UCLA).