Some Utah State recruiting target news

If forced to choose who is the best non-national reporter at uncovering recruiting nuggets, Jay Drew of the Salt Lake City Tribune is at the top of the list. His focus is obviously state of Utah centric -- BYU, Utah, Utah State, Weber State and a number of the community colleges-- but he also includes kids who are leaving the Beehive State to sign and play elsewhere.

Here are some of Drew's latest notes, with an obvious Utah State focus:

Basketball: Bingham's 6-8 Clifford awaits first offer
Jay Miller
Salt Lake City Tribune
July 1, 2008

Readers of this blog are familiar with the top boys basketball players in Utah from the class of 2009: Lone Peak's Tyler Haws and Nate Austin, Pleasant Grove's C.J. Wilcox, Provo's Brandon Davies, Bountiful's Sean Carey and Travis Parrish, West Jordan's Reyes Gallegos, Oly's Corbin Green and Orem's Ian Harward.

It's also apparent that the top player in the class of 2011 is Brighton guard Corbin Miller.

But what about the class of 2010?

Provo's Kyle Collinsworth is probably the top prospect who will be a junior this coming season, but another player has emerged this summer: Bingham's 6-foot-8 Ben Clifford.

"Clifford is getting a ton of college interest," Bingham coach Mark Dubach said.

Clifford told me Monday that he doesn't have any offers yet, but expects some shortly. He said Utah, Utah State, Southern Utah, Portland, Miami of Ohio and Louisiana Tech have shown the most interest.

His aunt went to Miami of Ohio and told her former school about the rising star.

"I think Utah State is close to offering, and maybe Utah," Clifford said.

He said he has not been contacted by BYU. No matter, he said, because he has no interest in the Cougars, partly because he is not LDS.

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Thursday, July 03, 2008
Basketball: Box Elder soph Mecham could be the next Haws

We mentioned earlier this week that the top basketball player in Utah's class of 2001 (guys who will be sophomores this coming year) was undoubtedly Brighton's Corbin Miller, a 6-2 combo guard who helped the Bengals get to the 5A state semifinals last year as a freshman.

Well, there's apparently another 2011 prospect in the state who might be just as good, I've been told.

His name is Brant Mecham, and he is a 6-5, 191-pound phenom at Box Elder High in Brigham City. Mecham was the Bees' sixth man as a freshman most of last year, but still led the team with 33 three-pointers.

The kid can shoot it with Danny Ainge-type range, one college source told me.

His father, Keith, is also his high school coach, and his mother, Robin, is Box Elder's volleyball coach. He's got athletic bloodlines and has grown up in a gym.

Keith Mecham told me this morning that his son doesn't have an official offer yet, but that Weber State coach Randy Rahe has jokingly reminded him that when the big boys come around to remember that the Wildcats offered him first.

Recently, Utah State invited Brant to play in their weekly pickup games, and he ended up guarding Tyler Newbold for an hour.

"For his age, he's getting some nice attention and some good exposure," Keith Mecham acknowledged.

All the locals are familiar with the young man's skills, from Southern Utah coach Roger Reid to BYU coach Dave Rose to Utah's Jim Boylen. Louisiana Tech, with former Ute assistant Kerry Rupp at the helm, sends him three letters a week.

Brant spent much of the past two weeks at BYU's team and individual camps, and assistant coach Dave Rice is said to have kept a close eye on him in every game. Last October, he attended a Utah practice and got some one-on-one time with Boylen.

Mecham plays for Dave Hammer's Salt Lake Metro club team in the spring and summer, and helped Metro's 15-under team reach the championship game at the Las Vegas Easter Classic.

He will play on Metro's 17-under team later this month at a tournament in Vegas alongside Lone Peak's Tyler Haws and some of the state's other top rising seniors.

Keith Mecham said his son is good friends with Brighton's Miller and that the two have joked about being a package deal for some lucky college.

Mecham turns 19 the September after his senior season ends, so he will likely go on an LDS Church mission before enrolling at a college, his father said.

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Here's one Stew Morrill, if indeed serious in his attention, missed on:

Pierce Hornung, a 6-foot-5, 200-pound forward from Arvada, Colo., has commited to Colorado State, according to a story in today's Coloradoan newspaper. Hornung is CSU coach Tim Miles' first in-state recruit.

The article says that Hornung, who averaged 18.6 points and 10.7 rebounds a game last year for Ralston Valley High, was also receiving interest from Utah, Utah State and Weber State.

So bookmark Jay Drew's column.