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SoCal Prep Recruiting News

Gadzooks! Gadzuric and Young(s) at
UCLA This Week & Next-(October 28, 1997)

Here's some not particularly "new" news, but you might not have heard it, so here goes:

Dan Gadzuric (6'-11" Sr. C) from Byfield, Massachusetts, will make his official visit to UCLA this weekend, November 1 and 2. Gadzuric was scheduled to be at UCLA during the Cal game, but rescheduled so that he could make a visit to Villanova last weekend. Our totally unconfirmed rumor is that Lavin and his staff were actually the ones who "rescheduIed" when they realized that Gadzuric's visit would also coincide with the Cal game last Saturday at the Rose Bowl. Even though Cal got it's ass kicked, the story goes that the coaches didn't want to give Gadzuric two chances to see anyone from Cal.

As previously noted here and elsewhere, Gadzuric, is also being hotly recruited and is highly sought after by Cal coach Ben Braun. Gadzuric has not yet made his official visit to Cal, but will be visiting UCLA with someone who already has: Bay Area native, Ray Young ( 6'-3" Sr. SG) from Alameda St. Joseph. Young, who's already made an official visit to Cal, (and lots of "unofficial" visits while playing with Alameda and Cal Alum Jason Kidd and other pros during the summer), is very high on Braun's list. But, it may be about a toss-up between Cal and UCLA for Young, because he reportedly has wanted to be a Bruin ever since he was a little kid. Maybe it's not a coincidence after all that both Young and Gadzuric are scheduled to visit together at UCLA.

Gadzuric has been rated by many as one of the top prospects this season. He is from Holland and has only played here one year, but has developed dramatically. He's got great presence inside, but also has nice 3 point range. He's rated as among the top 15 by Preview Sports. Dave Krider, writing for Steet & Smith's did not rate Gadzuric among his First, Second, Third or Fourth Team "All-Americans", and he only shows up there in the "High Honorable Mention" list (with his name misspelled as "Gradzuric"). That's why most people are saying that Gadzuric is a highly underrated top prospect.

At least Ray Young made it into Krider's "Fourth Team" All-American starting five along with Sam Clancy (6'-7" Sr. St. Edwards, Lakewood OH), Ted Dupay (5'-10" Sr Mariner High, Cape Coral, FL), Tony Kitchings (6'-10" Sr. South Aiken High, Aiken, SC), and Paris London--who's gotta have the coolest name in all of basketball--(6'-8" Sr. Hamilton High, Memphis, Tenn). In fairness though, Ray Young was also named as one of the Top 20 All-Americans by Krider.

Also scheduled to visit UCLA is Kansas' Korleone Young (6'-8" Sr PF) from Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia, who will visit UCLA the weekend after next, following his visit to Coach Bill Bayno at UNLV this weekend. Young has also visited Arkansas, but word is that he really likes it out here on the west coast, and who wouldn't after spending the winter in Witchita, Kansas. Young was pretty impressive this summer at the Pump-n-Run along with his CMH 76'ers. Young's teamates on the 76'ers were Corey Maggette (6-'6" Sr. G Fenwick High, Oak Park, Illinois), who rated as the starting SG on Krider's "First Team" All-American High School squad, as did another teammate, JaRon Rush (6'-7" Sr. Pembroke Hill, Kansas City, Mo). Amazingly, while Korleone is rated among the Top 20 High School Seniors by Street & Smith (gee, that's four groups of five players, i.e., four All-American teams) Young was not "nominated" by Street & Smith to either it's First, Second, Third or Fourth Team "All -Americans" either. Go figure. I guess when it's all said and done, rep doesn't mean anything, only game. And Korleone's got that. He'd be a tremendous addition to UCLA who will need to sign a big inside man after JR Henderson leaves at the end of this year.

Anyway, not new stuff, but I'm sure to some of you it's still news.

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