Going to be fairly light this week and next with the dead period and the holidays, but should return with full force after all-star weeks. Anyway, here we go:
De La Salle update...
Spoke with a source close to the De La Salle duo of Devin Asiasi and Boss Tagaloa this week. The source said when Tagaloa returned to NorCal from the UCLA official visit last weekend, he said he "was done." The source said he's all UCLA at this point. Some have worried about the USC offer he recently landed, and while he might visit, the source said the Trojans are "too late."
On Asiasi, the source said the vibe was a little different. The source said there's still some concern in Asiasi's camp that he'll be a defensive end at UCLA. While the source certainly didn't rule out the Bruins, I was told to actually watch out for Michigan here. Asiasi apparently really likes the way TEs are used in Harbaugh's offense.
On David Long...
Four-star CB David Long decommitted from Stanford this week, which wasn't a surprise. What was a surprise was he named Michigan and Washington his two new leaders - not USC and UCLA.
USC losing most of its staff obviously hurt them. As for UCLA, a source told us this week that Long actually didn't feel enough love from Jim Mora during the season, and that's why the Bruins aren't up there with Michigan and Washington now.
This is something we've heard a bit over the years, usually with national targets. Mora is a bulldog on the recruiting trail before the season and after it, but during it (and I can't say I blame him), he's not willing to coddle most of these targets.
Some hoops updates
Eric Bossi was at the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas this week. Russ Wood was at the City of Palms Classic. Here were the notes they had on UCLA commits:
*He needs to add weight to his skinny frame before he gets to UCLA, but junior point guard Jaylen Hands was in all out attack mode on Friday. The No. 23 ranked player in 2017 took the ball to the rim over and over and his quickness was too much for defenders to handle. At times, the San Diego (Calif.) Balboa product can look a little disinterested, but it seems to just be his natural way of carrying himself and not a lack of effort.
*Another player who deserves a second day of mention is UCLA-bound big man Ike Anigbogu of Corona Centennial. Though Childs and early foul trouble frustrated him some early, he was downright dominant late as Centennial tried to come back. There may not be a better pure rim protector in the class and he's gotten quite aggressive offensively and embraces playing like the strong, 6-foot-9 240-pounder that he is. He's already ranked No. 37 nationally, which puts him into the conversation as a potential McDonald's All-American, but he's moving from guy you need to think about as a voter to serious contender for the game. At least in the eyes of this voter.
*Chino Hills (Calif.) senior point guard Lonzo Ball did a little bit of everything for his No. 6 ranked (USA Today) team in a win over Thomas Jefferson (N.Y.). He looked to get his teammates involved whenever he could using his elite court vision to make crisp passes he should his quickness and his ability to finish above the rim. Ball finished with 22 points, 10 assists, five rebounds, five steals, five blocks -- including two blocks with 3.1 seconds left to preserve the Chino Hills victory -- and just three turnovers, while playing every minute in a game that featured a combined 181 points. He is a big time pick up for Steve Alford at UCLA.
*UCLA 2017 commit LiAngelo Ball may play in the shadow of his five-star brother but the Chino Hills junior is a high level scorer with the versatility to play either small forward or slide over one spot and be a big shooting guard. Ball showed good footwork in the post along with a determination to extend possessions by gobbling up offensive rebounds -- he had six. "Gelo's" 28 points led Chino Hills in their win.
*There are two main reasons why I ranked center Ike Anigbogu in top 40 of the class of 2016. First is that the future UCLA Bruin is a true rim protector with college ready strength and the second is that I could see him emerging as a reliable low post scorer after a few years in college.
It looks as if Anigbogu is accelerating that development rate. In his Corona (Calif.) Centennial team's win over a scrappy Las Vegas (Nev.) Desert Pines team Anigbogu dominated the paint on both ends of the floor. He swatted shots and gobbled up rebounds but it was the jump hooks, spins for dunks and general level of aggression on the offensive end that was most impressive.
Short Shots
-UCLA announced its early enrollees in this video this week:
Here's when they'll be on campus:
-Leni Toailoa - January
-Lokeni Toailoa - January
-Theo Howard - January
-Breland Brandt - January
-J.J. Molson - January
-Matt Lynch - March
-Demetric Felton - March
-Nick Terry - March
-UCLA offered 2016 QB Nick Starkel this week. He told Rivals.com after the offer that, "I am interested in any schools offering. I will figure out where I want to visit when schools contact me."
-Four-star receiver Dylan Crawford named his final six on Twitter this week, and while UCLA was in it, I'd be shocked if they would take his commitment at this point.
-JUCO cornerback Devron Davis says he will commit to Miami when he visits there later this winter after landing the offer this week. Sources told us the same thing about UCLA when he landed the offer earlier this summer. I think it's pretty safe to say UCLA has fallen off of this recruitment.
De La Salle update...
Spoke with a source close to the De La Salle duo of Devin Asiasi and Boss Tagaloa this week. The source said when Tagaloa returned to NorCal from the UCLA official visit last weekend, he said he "was done." The source said he's all UCLA at this point. Some have worried about the USC offer he recently landed, and while he might visit, the source said the Trojans are "too late."
On Asiasi, the source said the vibe was a little different. The source said there's still some concern in Asiasi's camp that he'll be a defensive end at UCLA. While the source certainly didn't rule out the Bruins, I was told to actually watch out for Michigan here. Asiasi apparently really likes the way TEs are used in Harbaugh's offense.
On David Long...
Four-star CB David Long decommitted from Stanford this week, which wasn't a surprise. What was a surprise was he named Michigan and Washington his two new leaders - not USC and UCLA.
USC losing most of its staff obviously hurt them. As for UCLA, a source told us this week that Long actually didn't feel enough love from Jim Mora during the season, and that's why the Bruins aren't up there with Michigan and Washington now.
This is something we've heard a bit over the years, usually with national targets. Mora is a bulldog on the recruiting trail before the season and after it, but during it (and I can't say I blame him), he's not willing to coddle most of these targets.
Some hoops updates
Eric Bossi was at the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas this week. Russ Wood was at the City of Palms Classic. Here were the notes they had on UCLA commits:
*He needs to add weight to his skinny frame before he gets to UCLA, but junior point guard Jaylen Hands was in all out attack mode on Friday. The No. 23 ranked player in 2017 took the ball to the rim over and over and his quickness was too much for defenders to handle. At times, the San Diego (Calif.) Balboa product can look a little disinterested, but it seems to just be his natural way of carrying himself and not a lack of effort.
*Another player who deserves a second day of mention is UCLA-bound big man Ike Anigbogu of Corona Centennial. Though Childs and early foul trouble frustrated him some early, he was downright dominant late as Centennial tried to come back. There may not be a better pure rim protector in the class and he's gotten quite aggressive offensively and embraces playing like the strong, 6-foot-9 240-pounder that he is. He's already ranked No. 37 nationally, which puts him into the conversation as a potential McDonald's All-American, but he's moving from guy you need to think about as a voter to serious contender for the game. At least in the eyes of this voter.
*Chino Hills (Calif.) senior point guard Lonzo Ball did a little bit of everything for his No. 6 ranked (USA Today) team in a win over Thomas Jefferson (N.Y.). He looked to get his teammates involved whenever he could using his elite court vision to make crisp passes he should his quickness and his ability to finish above the rim. Ball finished with 22 points, 10 assists, five rebounds, five steals, five blocks -- including two blocks with 3.1 seconds left to preserve the Chino Hills victory -- and just three turnovers, while playing every minute in a game that featured a combined 181 points. He is a big time pick up for Steve Alford at UCLA.
*UCLA 2017 commit LiAngelo Ball may play in the shadow of his five-star brother but the Chino Hills junior is a high level scorer with the versatility to play either small forward or slide over one spot and be a big shooting guard. Ball showed good footwork in the post along with a determination to extend possessions by gobbling up offensive rebounds -- he had six. "Gelo's" 28 points led Chino Hills in their win.
*There are two main reasons why I ranked center Ike Anigbogu in top 40 of the class of 2016. First is that the future UCLA Bruin is a true rim protector with college ready strength and the second is that I could see him emerging as a reliable low post scorer after a few years in college.
It looks as if Anigbogu is accelerating that development rate. In his Corona (Calif.) Centennial team's win over a scrappy Las Vegas (Nev.) Desert Pines team Anigbogu dominated the paint on both ends of the floor. He swatted shots and gobbled up rebounds but it was the jump hooks, spins for dunks and general level of aggression on the offensive end that was most impressive.
Short Shots
-UCLA announced its early enrollees in this video this week:
Here's when they'll be on campus:
-Leni Toailoa - January
-Lokeni Toailoa - January
-Theo Howard - January
-Breland Brandt - January
-J.J. Molson - January
-Matt Lynch - March
-Demetric Felton - March
-Nick Terry - March
-UCLA offered 2016 QB Nick Starkel this week. He told Rivals.com after the offer that, "I am interested in any schools offering. I will figure out where I want to visit when schools contact me."
-Four-star receiver Dylan Crawford named his final six on Twitter this week, and while UCLA was in it, I'd be shocked if they would take his commitment at this point.
-JUCO cornerback Devron Davis says he will commit to Miami when he visits there later this winter after landing the offer this week. Sources told us the same thing about UCLA when he landed the offer earlier this summer. I think it's pretty safe to say UCLA has fallen off of this recruitment.
