5 star small forward gives Ucla the number one recruiting class in the country.

How much are they paying these kids down there? I can't see any evidence that the coaches are the reason for these kids choosing UCLA, and there hasn't been a lot of success down there lately.

Maybe he wants to constantly be asked if there's any relation to Keith, aka Jamaal.

concordtom;842761107 said:

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Maybe he wants to constantly be asked if there's any relation to Keith, aka Jamaal.

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Is there?

south bender;842761110 said:

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Is there?

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Doesn't appear to be.
He's from Indianapolis and he doesn't look like them (dad, Jordan, Omar).



And in doing a search, I could only find others asking the question, with no answers. Were he related, there would be an article on it, I'd think. So, I'm saying no.

CALiforniALUM;842761097 said:

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How much are they paying these kids down there? I can't see any evidence that the coaches are the reason for these kids choosing UCLA, and there hasn't been a lot of success down there lately.

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In addition to all their traditional advantages, Ucla is able to sell kids on the NBA success of their players and have both the high profile guys like Westbrook, and the number of pros, to back it up.

Sure, but how many in recent years have reached that zenith under Alford?

LaVine
Wear x2
Parker
Adams
Anderson
Looney

And why wouldn't today's recruits not reach it somewhere else? Given the evidence, I just can't see why today's high school players would ever think of UCLA as a destination school. I could think of several coaches in the Pac alone that seem better at coaching. Alford has to be 4 at best. If you are as good as you are at something, why play for a middling coach and for a team that has under performed for him?

Who did Jason Kidd bring us?

CALiforniALUM;842761123 said:

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Sure, but how many in recent years have reached that zenith under Alford?

LaVine
Wear x2
Parker
Adams
Anderson
Looney

And why wouldn't today's recruits not reach it somewhere else? Given the evidence, I just can't see why today's high school players would ever think of UCLA as a destination school. I could think of several coaches in the Pac alone that seem better at coaching. Alford has to be 4 at best. If you are as good as you are at something, why play for a middling coach and for a team that has under performed for him?

Who did Jason Kidd bring us?

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The coach matters a lot less than the -perception- (not necessarily reality) of putting players in the league. Even Romar is getting better recruits than ever because he has been able to sell that (and hire Michael Porter's dad).

CALiforniALUM;842761097 said:

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How much are they paying these kids down there? I can't see any evidence that the coaches are the reason for these kids choosing UCLA, and there hasn't been a lot of success down there lately.

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Dude it's ucla and it's in Los Angeles.

What other city would you rather spend a year? Kentucky? Arizona? Michigan state? Kansas? Indiana?

Nah give me the girls and the sun every time.

ducky23;842761256 said:

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Dude it's ucla and it's in Los Angeles.

What other city would you rather spend a year? Kentucky? Arizona? Michigan state? Kansas? Indiana?

Nah give me the girls and the sun every time.

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Duh....how about San fricking sisco?

CALiforniALUM;842761260 said:

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Duh....how about San fricking sisco?

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I mean sure, it'd be nice if we could get every recruit.

But to imply that a kid is crazy for wanting to go to ucla for basketball?

I think kids are crazy for wanting to go to Oregon or Arizona for basketball. But I will never question a kid wanting to go to ucla. Cmon if a kid is good enough, who cares who the coach is. You really think Ball isn't going to make it cause Alford is the coach?

If I had my choice of schools and I was from Indianapolis, hell yeah I'd pick ucla. Duke may be my second choice, but that was before trump was elected. Not sure id want to be a minority in the south right now.

CALiforniALUM;842761260 said:

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Duh....how about San fricking sisco?

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I know we dont like to admit it but for 18 year olds LA shits on the bay just sayin.

tim94501;842761269 said:

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I know we dont like to admit it but for 18 year olds LA shits on the bay just sayin.

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Depends on the 18 year old ...

Back in the day this kid went north and never looked back.

Kentucky and Duke replenish OADs in the late signing period every year. Best high school QB recruits announce, sign, and may enroll early. Many elite hoops recruits (Jaylen) now wait until Spring to let the OAD smoke clear.

ducky23;842761268 said:

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I mean sure, it'd be nice if we could get every recruit.

But to imply that a kid is crazy for wanting to go to ucla for basketball?

I think kids are crazy for wanting to go to Oregon or Arizona for basketball. But I will never question a kid wanting to go to ucla. Cmon if a kid is good enough, who cares who the coach is. You really think Ball isn't going to make it cause Alford is the coach?

If I had my choice of schools and I was from Indianapolis, hell yeah I'd pick ucla. Duke may be my second choice, but that was before trump was elected. Not sure id want to be a minority in the south right now.

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Not sure I'd want to be Anybody in the South right now.
The midwest is starting to look sketchy, too, by the way...

Ucla plays in an empty arena

barabbas;842762286 said:

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Ucla plays in an empty arena

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Not this year they won't . They are very exciting team to watch with Ball as their point guard.

Basketball Bear;842763109 said:

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Not this year they won't . They are very exciting team to watch with Ball as their point guard.

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Do you think that guy is going to amount to much?
Yes, he's extremely quick (like Jason Kidd). Yes, he is a happy passer dropping dimes at the rim (like Jason Kidd).
But, have you seen his jump shot? It looks far worse, than, say, Jason Kidd.
Hmmm, maybe I just answered my own question. Shucks.

concordtom;842763141 said:

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Do you think that guy is going to amount to much?
Yes, he's extremely quick (like Jason Kidd). Yes, he is a happy passer dropping dimes at the rim (like Jason Kidd).
But, have you seen his jump shot? It looks far worse, than, say, Jason Kidd.
Hmmm, maybe I just answered my own question. Shucks.

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They are looking crazy good against USD. That leaf guy is just as good.

fat_slice;842763172 said:

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They are looking crazy good against USD. That leaf guy is just as good.

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I'm kinda not impressed with UCLA tbh..Ball looks like a specimen..but he's not lighting it up. Their perimeter shooting is kinda meh..they're abusing a really short USD inside..that's about it. USD has dudes that are 6'5 guarding 6'9+ on the inside lol.


edit just as I say that..UCLA hits 1st 3 of the game...1 for 13...

MinotStateBeav;842763177 said:

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I'm kinda not impressed with UCLA tbh..Ball looks like a specimen..but he's not lighting it up. Their perimeter shooting is kinda meh..they're abusing a really short USD inside..that's about it. USD has dudes that are 6'5 guarding 6'9+ on the inside lol.


edit just as I say that..UCLA hits 1st 3 of the game...1 for 13...

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Hop you're right. He was not good from three point tonight but almost had a triple double.

CALiforniALUM;842761123 said:

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Sure, but how many in recent years have reached that zenith under Alford?

LaVine
Wear x2
Parker
Adams
Anderson
Looney

And why wouldn't today's recruits not reach it somewhere else? Given the evidence, I just can't see why today's high school players would ever think of UCLA as a destination school. I could think of several coaches in the Pac alone that seem better at coaching. Alford has to be 4 at best. If you are as good as you are at something, why play for a middling coach and for a team that has under performed for him?

Who did Jason Kidd bring us?

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You realize that when Braun took the program over from Bozeman, his first roster in 1996-97 (the last Cal team to make the Sweet 16) had no less than 3 NBA players on it? Here's a sampling of the recruits over the 4 years following Kidd's departure:

• Tremaine Fowlkes (Top 50 player on most lists, transferred to Fresno State) - NBA
• Ed Gray (Pac-10 Player of the Year) - NBA
• Michael Stewart - NBA
• Sean Marks - NBA, though he was a project who bloomed late
• Shareef Abdur-Rahim (McDonald's All-American and Pac-10 Player of the Year) - NBA
• Tony Gonzalez (Consensus Top 100 player, future NFL Hall of Famer) - NBA Summer League
• Kenyon Jones (Top 100 player, transferred to USF and became WCC Player of the Year) - NBA Summer League
• Jelani Gardner (McDonald's All-American...yes I know of the scandal; transferred to Pepperdine)
• Prentice McGruder (Top 3 national JuCo PG)

*Near-misses who Bozeman finished in top 3 for: Chauncey Billups (Colorado), Keith Van Horn (Utah)
**Near-misses who Bozeman finished in top 5 for: Jerod Ward (then the #1 recruit in the nation; went to Michigan), Baron Davis (UCLA, though the NCAA cloud was hovering over Cal by then)

So yes, Jason Kidd's arrival had a HUGE impact on the incoming talent level of this program (at least until the NCAA came calling). But you still have to do something with those recruits to sustain the intrigue, and despite this incredible influx, Bozeman could not bring home a conference title. And he didn't have a deep Cal winning tradition to fall back on when the doubts on his ability to get results began to surface.

At UCLA, Alford hasn't won yet but the program has. Hard to say no with 11 national banners hanging from the rafters. That and the allure of L.A. will always give them up a leg up in recruiting blue-chippers by default.

CGB2813;842763206 said:

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Keith Van Horn (Utah)

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Keith Van Horn was a Campanelli recruit, Fall '92
I believe we recruited, the same year, but failed to offer Austin Crochere, from Los Angeles, who ended up at Providence and taken 12th overall 97 draft.