January’s friendship with USC defensive tackle and former Taft standout Antwaun Woods could give the Trojans a potential advantage.

“Antwaun, I talk to him a lot actually, me and him are pretty cool, good friends. Actually he kind of told me Coach (Coach Kevin O'neill) would really like to have me come down here... I have no problem, I would love to be at USC…if it works out it works out,” he told CLA Sports.

Anthony January. Taft High School Basketball.  Senior, Jason Hart Toreadors.

Anthony January was in full beast mode Wednesday night, leading the Toreadors with 17 points in a 84-54 thumping. CLA caught up with Anthony after the game to get his thoughts on the lopsided victory.

“It’s always like that. Most of the teams in high school basketball aren’t that big. So Coach always tells us to take advantage of that.”

Brandon Perry. Taft High School Basketball.  Senior, Jason Hart Toreadors.

January's athleticism has drawn the attention of several top college basketball programs since his decommitment from UTEP. He currently holds offers from Memphis, UNLV, USC, SDSU, Oregon, New Mexico State, New Mexico and several other programs.

Watch these highlights from Taft High School's opening round victory in the 2012 CIF State Basketball Playoffs over visiting Clovis West. Taft's outstanding senior Anthony January was the human highlight reel, once again. Head Coach Jason Hart's Toreadors came away with the victory, 84-54 and will face Bullard High School in round two.

Anthony January. Taft High School Basketball.  Senior, Jason Hart Toreadors.

Coached by former NBA player and Syracuse great Jason Hart, the Taft Toreadors, led by talented big man Anthony January, have been spanking opponents on their way to a potential state championship.

January and his teammates undoubtedly benefit from the knowledge and wisdom that Jason Hart brings to the table. There aren’t many future college level athletes that can glean first hand insight from a coach that carved out a long NBA career.

Sports recruiting blog, recruit news, socal recruits, best ca recruits, football

Danny "DSPN" Dabiri (Editor)

Taft Anthony January.  2012 High School Basketball Recruiting, Los Angeles.

The UCLA Bruins basketball team shrugged off the recent controversy surrounding the state of the program to defeat the conference leading Washington Huskies 75-69 at Pauley Pavilion last Saturday. Amid the media storm, head coach Ben Howland’s job security has never been more tenuous. Rest assured, if the Bruins were making Final Fours like they used to under Howland, there would be no controversy.

Sports recruiting blog, recruit news, socal recruits, best ca recruits, football

Danny "DSPN" Dabiri (Editor)

The eligibility of Shabazz Muhammad remains shrouded in uncertainty.

Watch the CLA Sports 2012 High School Dunk of the Year. Orange Lutheran's Gabe York shows why he's the most exciting prep baller on the scene and is not afraid to posterize the biggest of the bigs. York's Orange Lutheran squad won the 2012 CIF Southern Section crown and earned a birth in the CIF Southern California Regionals.

Gabe York (SG, Orange Lutheran HS)  2012 CIF Southern Section Champions

Anthony January has made easy work of the competition for the Jason Hart coached Taft High School Toreadors Varsity Basketball squad. The rangy 6'7" swingman has been an absolute menace for Taft in 2012, and led the Toreadors to the LA City Section Championship for the second consecutive year.

Anthony January. Taft High School Basketball.  Senior, Jason Hart Toreadors.

Xavier "X-Straordinaire" Johnson gave the 2012 CIF Southern Section Basketball Playoff crowd something to go nuts about. The best dunk of the CIF SS playoffs came after Stanley Johnson dropped a Magic Johnson-esque dime to Xavier, who finished with a beastly smash and 'Mosgov' dunked over 6'11" Loyola center Thomas Welsh (40).

Colorado basketball commit Xavier Johnson of Mater Dei HS Monarchs Center No. 11

The crowd at the Anaheim Convention Center was in a frenzy for most of the evening, as 4th seeded Loyola put up a valiant effort against Mater Dei. Jackson-Cartwright scored a team-high 17 points for Loyola, who fell 61-58 to the Monarchs at the CIF Southern Section Division 1AA Boys Basketball Semifinals.

Prior to Saturday night's Mater Dei vs. Long Beach Poly matchup, everyone was fully aware of what the Gary McKnight coached Monarchs squad had in its arsenal.

Watch Mater Dei vs. Loyola 2012 CIF Southern Section Basketball Playoffs videos.

It’s almost Spring and March Madness is about to take the country by storm. Office pools, brackets and riveting winner take all basketball will be in full force. For high school senior basketball stars, it’s a window to the future and their college aspirations. At this time next year, many of them will be leading their teams to the NCAA tournament and competing for the ultimate prize.

Sports recruiting blog, recruit news, socal recruits, best ca recruits, football

Danny "DSPN" Dabiri (Editor)

Gabe York (SG, Orange Lutheran HS)  2012 CIF Southern Section Champions
Syndicate content