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Two recruiting targets for the Arizona Wildcats played against each other last night with Ivan Rabb and Oakland (Calif.) Bishop O’Dowd High School defeating Stephen Zimmerman and Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman.
Rabb finished with 28 points on 10 of 17 shooting from the field and 8 of 12 from three free-throw line in O’Dowd’s 63-55 victory in the Prep2Prep NorCal Tip-Off Classic in Newark, Calif. The 6’10” and 210-pound post player also had 20 rebounds, four blocked shots and three steals.
Zimmerman, 7’0″ and 230, finished with 14 points and a team-high 11 rebounds and three blocked shots. Gorman post player Chase Zeter, who signed with Duke, had 10 points and four rebounds.
“It’s definitely a lot of fun; it’s always competitive,” Rabb said when asked by Bear Inside Videos about matching up with Zimmerman and Jeter. “They kind of bring out the competitive juices in me and I know I do the same thing for them. They force me to play hard. That’s why I get excited to play them.”
Zimmerman and his parents have made official visits to Arizona, Kansas, Kentucky, UCLA, and UNLV. They are waiting until the spring signing period to make a decision because they want to observe roster movements at that time, specifically who is coming and going, and what role he might have on that team.
“We’re hoping some of our concerns will work themselves out in time,” Zimmerman told ESPN.com. “Like who they pick up and who’s leaving. That’s going to help a lot. Roster movement is important. I am not sure I want to go to a team full of seniors, and being showcased is important. The ultimate goal is to get to the NBA.”
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2015 Bishop Gorman C Stephen Zimmerman played well in loss. Showed face up game, scored w/hook shot & also passed very well from perimeter.
— Josh Gershon (@JoshGershon) November 30, 2014
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Rabb, who did not officially visit Arizona unlike Zimmerman, has the Wildcats among his final five teams. The others are hometown team Cal, UCLA, Kentucky and Kansas. Cal’s entire staff, which is going full bore over recruiting Rabb, reportedly attended last night’s game.
Arizona coach Sean Miller, who has watched Rabb often and conducted an in-home visit, was the first to offer the prospect a scholarship when Rabb was in the ninth grade. Rabb is also a former member of the Oakland Soldiers AAU team of which Miller and his staff have successfully recruited.
Some of the Oakland Soldiers’ alums who have signed with Arizona include Nick Johnson, Josiah Turner, Brandon Ashley, Aaron Gordon and Stanley Johnson. Zimmerman played with the Soldiers this summer.
Up next for Bishop O’Dowd is a game against San Francisco Archbishop Riordan on Saturday at the Merv Booker Classic at Kezar Pavilion in San Francisco.
Bishop Gorman next plays Thursday in the Wild West Shootout in Reno, Nev., against Sparks (Nev.) Reed.
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ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He also writes articles for Bleacher Report and Lindy’s College Sports.
