Rebels in running for elite recruits Jones, Wroten

A winter spent in seclusion has motivated Bryce Jones to show something special in Las Vegas.

“This is a big summer for me. I believe it’s important,” said Jones, a 6-foot-6-inch guard for Compton Magic Black.

Jones was ruled ineligible to play basketball last season after transferring from View Park Prep in Los Angeles to Taft High School in Woodland Hills, Calif. Despite a lack of exposure, he is attracting interest as one of the best uncommitted players in the West in the class of 2010.

Jones said UNLV is recruiting him along with Southern California, UCLA, Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon State and Washington.

“I’m interested in UNLV,” he said. “I’m going to weigh my options and make my decision in the fall.”

Jones’ breakout performance did not come Thursday in the adidas Super 64 tournament at Rancho High. He rolled an ankle, shot poorly and was held to six points in Compton Magic’s 78-67 loss to the Ohio Basketball Club.

At least five high-major Division I prospects were on the floor, including Compton’s Allan Crabbe, Kareem Jamar and Richard Solomon.

The game drew an impressive turnout of college coaches. Some of the faces in the crowd: Sean Miller (Arizona), Mike Montgomery (California), Craig Robinson (Oregon State), Mark Few (Gonzaga), Jamie Dixon (Pittsburgh), Bob Huggins (West Virginia), Paul Hewitt (Georgia Tech), Gary Williams (Maryland) and Travis Ford (Oklahoma State).

UNLV coach Lon Kruger has more than Pac-10 Conference competition to beat out for 6-5 point guard Anthony Wroten Jr., who is ranked by Rivals.com as the No. 9 player in the 2011 class.

Wroten said he’s considering several schools, and the Rebels are in the running. His sister lives in Las Vegas and he visits often.

“Everybody in the Big East and the Pac-10,” Wroten said of the schools on his list. “UNLV is up there.”

Wroten, playing for Seattle Rotary Select in the Center Stage tournament on the UNLV campus, scored nine points in a 65-54 win over Team Takeover (Md.). His defensive effort was weak, but he showed exceptional playmaking ability.

Realistically, the Rebels are a long shot to land Wroten, who mentioned Arizona, Villanova, Syracuse and Louisville among his favorites.

Shabazz Muhammad, who will be a sophomore at Bishop Gorman, is another UNLV target. He and his Dream Vision (San Diego) team play at 11:40 a.m. today in the Centennial auxiliary gym.