Zachary Lyon:
Future150 Regional Analyst. Covering high and middle school basketball: NC, SC & VA
Los Angeles, CA (Future150) -- Once again Steve Alford has made sure he doesn't miss out on any big time homegrown talent. He now has a spectacular four man class that includes a point guard, shooting guard, combo forward, and center.
Lonzo Ball (#11 in top-150), PG, Chino Hills (CA): Lonzo Ball is easily the star of this class. Ball has always been a UCLA kid, as he committed very early into the recruiting process. Ball is the third ranked PG in our class rankings, and has certainly earned his spot. He is a lengthy lead guard with amazing court vision, and great physical attributes. Ball will probably be able to play both guard spots due to his good size, and could very well be one-and-done.
T.J. Leaf (#17 in top-150), CF, Foothills Christian (CA): Leaf is the newest member to this recruiting class. Once a verbal commit for Arizona, T.J. decided to re-open his recruitment, and eventually chose the Bruins. Leaf will bring a special type of versatility to the floor for Coach Alford. Standing at almost 6'10, Leaf can score from all three levels with ease, and can even run the fast break. Many think Leaf is still growing and developing his basketball skills, and could turn out to be the best NBA-prospect in this class.
Ike Anigbogu (4-star prospect), C, Centennial (CA): Anigbogu will more than likely spend a lot of his freshman year on the bench, only coming in during blowouts, and when other players get in foul trouble. Big man Tony Parker will be graduating, but UCLA will still have Jonah Bolden, Thomas Welsh, and Alex Olesinski, among a few others in the frontcourt. Don't let that shy you away from how talented Ike is. He is a very strong, big bodied post man that will dunk on you in a heartbeat. With some more development and polish under Coach Alford, Anigbogu could be a big time talent during his upperclassmen years in Los Angeles.
Kobe Paras (3-star prospect), SG, Cathedral (CA): Paras will deffinitely be overlooked as a 3-star prospect in this top five class, but he should still have a huge impact with the Bruins down the road. Kobe is a crazy athletic guard (second coming of Zach Lavine?) that is very unselfish and can slash the lane with ease. Paras will need to work on balancing out his offensive skills, and get used to playing defense against some of the best players at the division one level. Once he can get these things taken care of, the sky is the limit.
Overall, this is a balanced group who should step in from day one and contribute. Leaf and Ball are big time talents offensively and Anigbogu is an elite defender. Those three, combined with the shooting of Paras, should help UCLA make a late run next March.
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