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SoCalHoops College News Report

UCLA's Recruiting Class: Is It
Really No. 1 This Year?--(May 6,1998)

It isn't over until it's over, but so far, UCLA probably has the No. 1 recruiting class in the country with the announcement officially yesterday of the signing of Dan Gadzuric (6'-11" Sr. C) from Governor Drummer Academy in Byfield, Massachusetts. At least that's the consensus among most "recruiting experts". Who are these "experts"? You know: Bob Gibbons, Clark Francis, Mike DeCourcey, Frank Burlison. We'd even bet Greg Swaim is seeing things that way too. Oh, don't forget Jim Downs, Mike Miller, Tracy Pierson (but these guys would say that UCLA's got the best class anyway. . . well Jim would for sure), and probably even Stephen Finnamore. And SoCalHoops has to agree with them. Looks like No.1 to us. So far.

Remember though, it's not over until it's over, and Al Harrington hasn't declared. Neither has Dirk Nowitzki, and Cal could sneak into the top 5 if Moiso doesn't qualify and Nowitzki elects to go to Cal. But that's a lot of ifs or maybes. Right now, the consensus pick for No.1 class has got to be UCLA.

UCLA has now signed three McDonald's All-Americans in a single class: Gadzuric, JaRon Rush, and Ray Young. And add Moiso (HoopSummit, Eddie Jones) and Matt Barnes (Eddie Jones, Pump Classic) and this is really a pretty amazing signing group.

Gadzuric was thought to be a probable lottery pick in the NBA draft, and would certainly have gone in the first round. He's already got an NBA body, far better developed than say Rashard Lewis, and he could take Korleone Young out any day. And the best thing about Gadzuric, from a developmental point of view (and if you happen to be a Bruin fan) is that he's indicated several times--most recently during his Monday press conference-- that he intends to get an education and spend all four years at UCLA. Ok, we'll see when the pros start to wave the really big dollars in front of him in a year or two, but for now, it's a pretty good sign that he means what he says.

Moiso, is another story though, and he still is short on qualifying under NCAA guidelines, and there is some question about whether he will ever be able to bring up his test scores. He took the test last week again, needs to bring up the score by at least 50 points to be eligible.

Tim Kawakami of the LA Times today wrote:

The addition of Gadzuric, assuming Moiso qualifies, to a group that also includes forward Matt Barnes from Fair Oaks Del Campo, means that this year's recruiting class will be UCLA's best and deepest at least since the 1994 collection of Toby Bailey, J.R. Henderson, omm'A Givens and Kris Johnson.

Actually, we think its a lot better than that class. But who knows how things will turn out...

It possibly rivals that famous incoming group of 1975, a class that included Roy Hamilton, David Greenwood and Brad Holland.

Sure, that was a great class, but this one we think is better...well, but you never know how things will turn out.

And the Times also published this handy-dandy little chart of the team thus far. Remember, Division I teams can only have 13 scholarship players. With the signing of Gadzuric, and if Moiso qualifies, somebody's gonna have to give up their ride, or maybe Moose Bailey doesn't get one after all. Here's how the team looks next year:

Seniors:
Brandon Loyd (5'-10" Sr. G)

Juniors:

Kevin Daley (6'-6" Jr. G)
*Sean Farnham (6'-6" Jr. G)

Sophomores:

Baron Davis (6'-1" So. PG)
Rico Hines (6'-3" So. SG)
Billy Knight (6'-4" So. SG)
Travis Reed (6'-6" So. F)
Earl Watson (6'-0" So. PG)

Freshmen:

Matt Barnes (6'-8" Fr. F)
Dan Gadzuric (6'-11" Fr. C)
Jerome Moiso (6'-9" Fr. F/C)
JaRon Rush (6'-6" Fr. F)
Ray Young (6'-4" Fr. G)
Ryan Bailey (6'-1" Fr. G)--Redshirt Transfer last season

That's 14 players by our count. So someone is going to have to go, or at least not get a ride. The Times' Kawakami speculated that Farham's scholarship "could be withdrawn for '98-99." It most surely won't be Loyd's, since he's been about as loyal a player as could have been asked under the circumstances, even if he couldn't find his shot all season--if UCLA revoked his scholarship in his last season, they'd be pilloried, and rightly so. But besides Farnham who else could go? Knight? He didn't see much playing time last year, but given half a chance to show his stuff, he's every bit as good as Barnes and Young. Hines? Again, with Baron Davis' return uncertain, there's no way. Bailey? Maybe he just won't make it, maybe he will. Who knows what promises were made to him to get him to transfer from Penn. Certainly not Reed or Watson. Daley? Maybe, but then again, he's got experience which Lavin can't afford to lose next year without Davis at full strength.

Well, we sure don't know who it will be but we do know that if Moiso qualifies, this group could match up with almost anyone in the Pac-10, and perhaps be one of the best in the country. A lot of things will change between now and next year: Test scores will come and go, some will make it others won't, some who have announced for the NBA draft will get the call, others might return for more college play. There are still a few top prospects unsigned, but most of the big names have gone.

But for now, UCLA can matchup with Stanford and Washington, Arizona, Kentucky, Utah, and just about anyone else with this recruiting class.

At least that's our opinion. What do you think?