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SoCal Prep & Recruiting Report

Bland and Young Say No to Cal, Yes to
UCLA and Syracuse--(November 3, 1997)

Ray Young and Tony Bland have both turned down Cal. Bland has committed to Syracuse, and Young has committed to UCLA; although neither of them has confirmed it, the Bozeman-related sanctions, the probation and inability of Cal to offer the type of exposure that comes from playing in the NCAA tournament, had to be major concerns for both Young and Bland..

Today's issue of the Daily Cal confirmed the news. The Daily Cal reported that "Young was considered the key to Cal's entire recruiting process". A 6'-4" shooting guard from Alameda St. Joseph's High School, he was considered by many to be the nation's top recruit at shooting guard.

Of course, if he was the key to Cal's recruiting, he was equally valued by UCLA, although it seems that they are getting a bit guard-heavy, and could use a big man to replace JR Henderson who graduates this year. Young's committment to UCLA has got to vault the Bruins back to the top of the recruiting classes this year, along with Arizona and Minnesota. UCLA has thus far received committments from Young and from Matt Barnes. Top prospect Tayshaun Prince has not yet committed to a school, but it is rumored that the decision is down to UCLA and Kentucky for Prince.

Young was heavily recruited by Arizona, Cal, Stanford and UCLA. Two weeks ago he reportedly had narrowed his selection down to just Cal and UCLA, and apparently UCLA pulled out all the stops this weekend when Young and his parents visited the campus. He was reportedly seen at the UCLA Friday afternoon scrimmage, and was also seen around Westwood on Saturday afternoon checking out the local scenery.

Young issued a press release on Sunday evening from his home in which he said that he had chosen UCLA because of "the opportunity to meet new people, go away from home but still be close to family and allow the chance to grow up a little" as determining factors in his decision. Young could not be reached by phone for comment on Monday.

In his statement, Young also acknowledged Cal, Stanford and Arizona as "runners-up": "Coaches Braun, (Arizona head coach Lute) Olson, and (Stanford head coach Mike) Montgomery are excellent coaches and they run first-class programs," stated Young. "But I decided to follow my childhood dream to attend UCLA. It just felt like the right fit for me."

The committment of Young to UCLA and Bland to Syracuse is a major blow to Cal's program. Ben Braun has yet to land a true top prospect since his arrival at Cal last season. The Daily Cal noted that "while NCAA rules prevent Braun or anyone on the Cal coaching staff from commenting on yesterday's setback, the news is especially disheartening considering UCLA snatched Young from the Bay Area and the Bears' own backyard."

The news about Young's committment to the Bruins follows just days after the Tony Bland reportedly "fell through because of academic eligibility problems, " according to the Daily Cal. Bland (6'-5" Sr. PG, Los Angeles Westchester) committed to Syracuse over the weekend. The Daily Cal further reported that Recruiting USA's Dave Benezra also said that Bland won't sign during the November signing period (which begins on the 12th) because he still needs to complete "major work" on his high school transcript. Benezra reported that most college coaches do not expect Bland to become eligible in time for next fall, according to the Daily Cal. Prep school? Perhaps.

Cal has three scholarships remaining for next season and Braun will have to work very hard to find players with these two rejections. He may have to look at JC transfers or wait until after some high school players finish their senior year.

The Daily Cal sought comment on Young and Bland's decisions from Recruiting expert Bob Gibbons of All-Star Sports Publications: "I know this is a bitter disappointment for Cal," said Gibbons. "(Young) was the guy they were counting on to anchor their recruiting class. I heard speculation that he would follow the tradition of fellow St. Joseph's High School alumnus Jason Kidd and play for the Bears, but I guess it wasn't meant to be. I have empathy for coaches who work hard and don't get the kids," said Gibbons. "(Braun's) got to keep trying. Unfortunately, in the early signing period most of the best high school players are taken. He'll have to look at some of the players who maybe aren't the most well-known, but end up having good senior seasons. He might have to go back and look at junior college players as well. Braun will have to go home and do whatever he needs to do to release that pent-up frustration that we all have when something like this happens," said Gibbons. "It's just so frustrating to come so close and yet be so far away."

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