Jason Fraychineaud
Amidst the hoopla and hysteria surrounding the recruitment of Shabazz Muhammad, UCLA fans hoped that the small forward would overlook UCLA's poor year and choose the Bruins.
Bruin fans, you got your wish.
In the end, three years of dogged recruiting won out, and the stud from Las Vegas committed to Ben Howland and the Bruins.
What does Muhammad's commitment mean to the Bruins?
For one thing, he 'ups' the respective talent on the squad considerably. Not only is Muhammad supremely talented, but he's an incredibly hard worker with an unselfish disposition.
Without question Muhammad will start from day 1. It's naive to think he'll stay more than a season, but he'll instantly become the biggest scoring threat on the roster.
He's absolutely vicious when driving the ball to the cup. His overall strength makes him a tough matchup for smaller players, and his combination of quickness and athleticism gives him an advantage over smaller players.
Perhaps the most impressive thing about Muhammad is his overall character. He is an unselfish player who works extremely hard. He wants to be the best every time he sets foot on the floor.
His overall desire and leadership skills make him much older than his eventual freshman status will indicate.
Similarly, fellow commit Kyle Anderson exemplifies many of those same traits. His basketball intelligence is immense, as is his passing ability.
At 6'8", he is an incredibly unique prospect. His height allows him to oversee the floor, and his overall skill level is amongst the best in the entire class.
The pairing of both Muhammad and Anderson is quite salivating to think about. Anderson should start, and will right away become the Bruins' best playmaker and passer.
Jordan Adams will also represent something the current squad doesn't have: an outside shooter.
The Georgia native has unreal range - a welcome sight for a team with a glut of post players and no one to spread the floor. His value will undoubtedly exist via his ability to shoot from the perimeter. Not only will he give UCLA an outside threat, but he'll make things easier for the post players to operate on the block.
A fourth commit is very possible at this point, and it could come in the form of Georgia post prospect Tony Parker.
With Muhammad coming on board, Parker will have a hard time turning UCLA down. At this point, all signs indicate that he'll end up a Bruin.
The wildcard in this scenario would be distance. It's a long way from Georgia to Los Angeles, and it's very conceivable that Parker could opt to play at Ohio State, or his hometown team Georgia.
However, he loved his visit to Los Angeles and could very well slot into a starting role if Josh Smith declares for the draft (which seems unlikely).
The aforementioned trio of Anderson, Adams and Muhammad give UCLA three legitimate winners.
Here are the records of their respective prep teams this past year:
Oak Hill Academy: 44-0 (Jordan Adams)
Bishop Gorman: 28-4 (Shabazz Muhammad)
St. Anthony's: 32-0 (Kyle Anderson)
The three went a combined 104-4 this year...if that doesn't say "winner", than I don't know what does.
Especially with Anderson and Muhammad, they are special kids. They have a maturity level beyond their years, and they display the will to win at all costs. The same can't be said by recent UCLA teams.
Not only will the duo (along with Adams) inject loads of talent, but they'll bring a winning culture to a team in desperate need of some. These high character athletes are what made Ben Howland successful in the first place.
UCLA needs players with the character of Arron Afflalo, Lorenzo Mata, and Darren Collison. It seems as if Muhammad and Anderson fit that bill well.
In terms of roster flexibility, Howland has some interesting choices to make. Here's a projected lineup for next season..
PG: Kyle Anderson
SG: Shabazz Muhammad
SF: Tyler Lamb
PF: Dave Wear
C: Josh Smith
While this lineup is strong on length and size, quickness is yet again an issue. A quicker lineup could be seen this way...
PG: Larry Drew II
SG: Norman Powell
SF: Shabazz Muhammad
PF: Kyle Anderson
C: Anthony Stover
Howland has to be able to mesh not only egos, but the personnel. It seems as if there will be lineups that cater to the opponent. Powell and Drew will most certainly be featured against quicker teams. However, where does Anderson fit into the equation?
I don't believe Anderson came out here to not start, nor did he come to play power forward. He'll have the ball in his hands predominantly when he's out on the floor. Also, I doubt Drew transferred from North Carolina to sit on the bench. In addition, will Muhammad knock Lamb out of the lineup all together?
There are lots of questions to be answered by Howland. The good news is, this team is loaded with depth and look like a potential big time threat not only in the conference, but nationally as well.
Personally, I think this is the best lineup to use...
PG: Anderson
SG: Powell
SF: Muhammad
PF: D. Wear
C: Smith
With this scenario, Anderson will play the point on offense, but will guard the small forward defensively. Powell will play the off guard spot, but will defend the opposing team's point guard.
I tend to think that Lamb will most likely start in some capacity, but nonetheless Howland definitely has options to his disposal.
The biggest question heading into next year (and I stress big), is Josh Smith.
IF he's motivated and makes a concerted effort to lose weight, UCLA has the potential to be a title contender.
If he loafs around and doesn't take his conditioning seriously, UCLA won't truly reach their full potential. Smith's upside is incredibly immense. I'm inclined to think that with the additions of Anderson and Muhammad, that he'll be pretty motivated to work hard and get in shape.
This collection of talent might be the best of any team Howland has coached at UCLA. It includes six McDonald's All-Americans, and has depth at nearly every position on the floor.
