jason signs with UCLA

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SoCalHoops Recruiting News

Jason Kapono Press Conference:
Will Attend UCLA--(May 20, 1999)

Jason Kapono (6'-8" Sr. SG/SF) from Lakewood Artesia, perhaps the best remaining and certainly the only top 100 unsigned player, one of two California McDonald's All-Americans (the other being Casey Jacobsen) announced tonight at approximately 5:45 p.m. at Legend's restaurant that he would become a UCLA Bruin. Jason did not sign a National Letter of Intent, but instead will sign a scholarship agreement.

Jason is, in our view, and the view of many others, the biggest impact signing for UCLA since perhaps the glory days of the 1960's, and we think has the capacity and skills to be even better than the O'Bannon brothers who also signed out of Artesia. We didn't have Jason's stats for his career, but Mike Miller had them with him, and flashing his legendary photographic memory, he rattled off the stats from memory after just glancing at them: 23.5 pts a game, 9 boards, 7.6 assists, 3.3 steals 92.5% from the FT line. According to Mike, Jason is Artesia's all time leading scorer. And obviously these must be the correct stats, because Jason's coach, Wayne Merino, was also quoting them to the assembled media and to various newspaper reporters.

Jason's press conference was well attended by most of the local media and television stations, and after making the announcement in the packed restaurant and bar area, Jason retreated to the upper office (see photo left) where he made some additional calls to other local media, mostly newspaper reporters from the outlying areas who weren't able to attend. We think he also called Frank Burlison who was in Jamaica on vacation, and we hope that Jason charged the call to Legends, because it's a pretty hefty toll call.

Jason also made some calls immediately after the press conference to some of the other coaches who had been recruiting him, including Rick Majerus of Utah and Quin Snyder at Missouri, and while we weren't in the room and couldn't overhear the conversations, there's no doubt that those were some very disappointed guys.

We spoke with Jason, his father, and his mother and they both told us that Jason made his decision sometime last week. Apparently, Jason decided to reconsider UCLA after Boozer and Rush decided to go elsewhere. "When we visited UCLA, we spent an hour talking to Baron before his press conference," Joe Kapono, Jason's dad told us, " and Baron was actually disappointed that he wasn't going to get the opportunity to play with Jason if he went there."

"But we left the entire decision up to Jason," Joe said. "Really, we've heard all the stories about how Jason was under "family pressure", or the news about my father's health condition (a kidney ailment), but we just let Jason make up his own mind, and didn't put any pressure on him. He was the one who decided that he wanted UCLA, not any of us. Of course we're very happy about the decision, and now I won't have to buy that DSS satellite dish package to get Missouri games or Utah games," Joe joked.

"Jason is very happy for his good friend Josh (Kroenke) and is sure that Missouri was the right choice for him, but he just felt that UCLA was the right place, and offered the right amount of opportunities," said Joe Kapono. When asked why Jason decided to wait so long to make his decision, Joe Kapono said, " Well, look at all the coaching changes that have occurred since last fall. We think he did the right thing, and obviously, he signed at a great school."

Jason was obviously elated with all the attention and secure in the knowledge that he made the right decision. "I'm very happy I'll be attending UCLA," Jason said. "I think it's the best choice for me, it's a great school with a great tradition, and I can't wait to play there."

Jason was also surrounded by several of his teammates and high school coaches at the press conference, including Aaron Hamilton, Jon Steffanson, and several others, and he was clearly enjoying himself. Jason, his family and friends and several of us who write about these great young players (Mike Miller, yours truly, Louis Johnson of the Long Beach Press-Telegram, Dinos Trigonis) all had a great dinner following the conference too, and that's principally the reason that this report is so late in getting posted. Yeah, we know that Mike called it in ahead of time to Tracy who posted in on the internet, but we bet they don't have these really cool pictures. . . . :-). And just in case you're wondering, the photos are clear evidence that Jason will probably major in business administration because after all, he sort of looks like a businessman already with the tie.

Congratulations to UCLA on pulling off one of the most stunning last-minute recruiting coups, and congratulations to Jason Kapono on the excellent decision.

Now, on with the show. Four more years.