Horne turning the national recruiting corner

Jamelle Horne, a 6-foot-7, 195-pound small forward from Hoover High School in San Diego, Calif., is one of the hottest prospects in the West Coast. Over the last half dozen games, the class of 2007 prospect has been a constant 20 points, 10 rebounds plus kind of guy. In the process of tearing it up in SoCal, he's starting to garner some major national attention.

On Wednesday night, Horne put in 27 points and 13 rebounds. Two games prior it was 22 points and 11 rebounds. The game before 22 and 15. It's déjà vu each night out.

"He's started to really turn it on," says Horne's coach Ollie Goulston.

Horne, an athletic wing, is averaging 16 points and just under 10 rebounds this season for a young, but talented, Hoover team. Goulston raved about Horne and thinks he has a chance to be one of the nation's best.

"His potential is unlimited," Goulston said. "By the time he is a senior, I think he could be a top 25 level of a player. He's still a bit of a sleeper nationally.

"He's a good shooter, kind of like a young Steve Smith (of Atlanta Hawk and Michigan State fame). He's got good range and a good frame but still needs 20 to 30 pounds."

Horne calls himself more of J.R. Giddens of Kansas type of player.

"My shooting is probably my best strength. I'm always locked and loaded," he said. "But I'm pretty strong, too, inside. I feel like I can rebound with the best of the them, but like I said, I feel like my shooting is my strength."

His list of other suitors also includes Washington (Lorenzo Romar has been out to see him play), Arizona State, Kansas and San Diego State. Expect that list to explode after the summer. One school, though, has really caught Horne's eye.

"I like Georgia Tech right now," Horne said. "I just like the way that they play. They are a good unit on the defensive end and on offense, they just run real smoothly with Jarrett Jack running the show. Everything goes through him. Even though he won't be there if I go there, I still like the way they do things."

Horne, a 3.75 grade point average student, is a kid that has barely scratched the surface of how good he can become, Goulston said.

"Jamelle is going to have his choice of where to go when he's finished," the coach said.