Horne names a favorite

As the top prospect other than Chase Budinger in the San Diego, Calif., area, Jamelle Horne has a number of top programs across the country recruiting him. As it stands now, there is a good chance that the 6-foot-7, 205-pound small forward from San Diego High School, will attend the same college as Budinger.

"I'm interested in Arizona, Connecticut, Kentucky, Georgia Tech, Boston College, USC, Washington, Louisville and North Carolina," said Horne, the No. 22 ranked prospect in the class of 2007. "My favorite is Arizona because they were the first to offer me. I took an unofficial visit there a few weeks ago and had a great time. The coaches were really cool and the campus was super nice."

Besides his offer from Arizona, Horne also claims an offer from USC.

With such a prominent and respected coach as Lute Olson, Arizona is also in good shape with Horne in that playing for a father figure type coach is an important part of his criteria for choosing a school.

"I'm looking for a coach that goes beyond his coaching job," he said. "I'm not always going to have my dad around, so I want a coach who is a father figure. I'd also prefer not to go too far from home."

Full of tremendous potential and well on his way to achieving it, Horne gave Rivals.com a very realistic assessment of his game.

"I definitely need to work on my ball handling in transition and work on my strength," he said. "At 4 AM I am in the weight room lifting. I finish well with my athleticism and also feel good about my midrange jumper."