tyson chandler and ucla

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SoCalHoops Tournament News

Iolani Classic: UCLA Has The Inside
Track On Tyson Chandler--(Dec. 23, 1999)

That UCLA has a good shot at Tyson Chandler (7'-0" Jr. C) from Compton Dominguez is not really news. But it's nice to hear it every now and then, and we were actually kind of surprised to read that Tyson has been saying as much himself. . . that is if he doesn't opt to turn pro, which remains a distinct possibility for him. One of the little known features of the Iolani Prep Classic official website was something called "Susan's Daily Scouting Report" by Susan Shan, who identifies herself as a sophomore student at Iolani High School in Hawaii. We didn't know where these little gems (the scouting reports that is) were kept at the site, but today we stumbled across them when we visited the website and clicked on a picture of Cliff Hawkins of Oak Hill, who was selected as the tournament MVP following Oak Hill's win over Dominguez last night in the tournament finals. Up popped the following about Tyson Chandler on his feelings about UCLA, DeShawn Stevenson, and more. . . here it is:

Susans Daily Scouting Report
By Susan Shan
Tuesday, December 21, 1999

The question everyone's been asking: Is Tyson Chandler really going to turn pro? The answer: "I'm thinking about it and see how it is after my senior year," says Tyson. And if Tyson decides to go to college, which one will it be? "Well, UCLA probably," Tyson declares confidently. I had the chance to talk with Tyson Chandler and here were some of his comments:

ON DESHAWN STEVENSON:
"He's a great player and I think he'll do well at Kansas. I wish him the best of luck next year."

ON CLIFF HAWKINS:
"He's a good player. He makes some great passes and he makes everyone else around him play better."

ON OAK HILL:
"They're an all-around great team. Every player on that team is great and they play well together. I'm looking forward to playing them."

ON HAWAII:
"Hawaii is such a beautiful place. I love it here and I think it's a chance of a lifetime to get invited here to play basketball."

ON IOLANI CLASSIC:
"It's a great tournament with many excellent teams. It's very competitive and it raises the level of play for all the schools. I've enjoyed playing here and I wish all the other schools the same."

Tyson Chandler didn't have his best game today against the Montrose Christian Mustangs, but that didn't matter. His Dominguiz [sic] Dons still crushed the Mustangs 56-37. Now, Dominguiz [sic] will face the Oak Hill Warriors in the featured championship matchup. Playing for 3rd place will be the Mustangs and the Central Tigers. For 5th place we'll have the Provo Bulldogs and Washington Union Panthers. 7th place will feature the Wilson Tigers and East Anchorage Thunderbirds. And for the consolation matchup, the local schools of Radford and Roosevelt will battle it out.

Well, now you know, all those unofficial visits to UCLA having been evidently paying dividends for the Bruins. We won't count this as a definite commitment, at least not yet, but it's a pretty good indication that the Bruins have the inside track.