As the early signing period came to a close Wednesday, the UCLA
Athletic Department added a lot of new talent to its sports
teams.
Several of the signees are considered to be at the top of their
respective sports at the high school level and are expected to make
an impact once they arrive in Westwood.
But the one team that stood out was women’s
basketball.
The Bruins landed the 6-foot-6 center Monique Alexander, who was
a 2005 Florida All-State selection.
“Monique gives us an inside presence,” Kathy Olivier
said.
“She has great body size and strength, good hands, and is
a tremendous finisher down low.”
Joining Alexander are Amy Horton, a two-time All-State selection
in Georgia; Erica Latimer, the MVP of the Finland Junior National
Team; and Jerica Williams, San Diego’s Division II Player of
the Year.
The Bruins will certainly be looking to those players as current
senior guards Nikki Blue and Lisa Willis depart after this
season.
“We are adding a good mix of players to next year’s
returners,” Olivier said.
“This group of four has some very big shoes to fill next
year, but they will work extremely hard, and they are honored to be
Bruins.”
The men’s basketball team, meanwhile, was also able to
sign a key big man in James Keefe, a 6-foot-8 power forward from
Coto de Caza.
Keefe, who verbally committed to the Bruins over a year ago, was
named the 2004-2005 California State Junior of the Year after
leading the Santa Margarita High School team to its second straight
California Interscholastic Federation title.
“I’m elated that James is joining our
program,” UCLA men’s basketball coach Ben Howland said.
“His attitude and work ethic are going to help him improve
and get better and better year-in and year-out.”
But the basketball teams weren’t the only ones making news
Wednesday.
The baseball team signed eight players, including highly
sought-after recruits Gavin Brooks and Jeff Rapoport.
Brooks, a pitcher/first baseman from Rancho Buena Vista High
School, was rated the No. 33 high school senior by teambaseball.com
and considered the No. 3 prospect in the nation as a junior.
“Gavin has established himself as one of the top
left-handers in the country,” Savage said. “He should
be a frontline Pac-10 pitcher as a freshman.”
Rapoport, a 6-foot outfielder out of Westlake High School, was
rated the No. 34 high school prospect in the nation by Baseball
America and the No. 25 high school senior by teambaseball.com.
“Jeff had as good as a summer as any outfielder in the
country,” Savage said. “Jeff ran a 6.27 in the summer
and established himself as the fastest outfielder in the
country.”
Gymnastics added Alicia Sacramone of Winchester High School,
Brittani McCullough of Centennial High School, Anna Li of Waubonsie
High School in Illinois, and Ashley Jenkins of Mater Dei High
School.
Sacramone is considered to be one of the top two recruits in the
nation. Her resume includes achievements such as being both a
three-year member of the USA National Team and a finalist in the
2005 World Championship Team selection.
“We are extremely excited about the diversity, experience
and overall athleticism that these three elite athletes will bring
to our program,” said UCLA coach Valorie Kondos Field.
The women’s softball team also added one of the top
recruits in the nation to their roster. That recruit is Whitney
Baker of Skyview High School in Washington, who is regarded the
best pitching prospect to come out of the Northwest.
With reports by Sagar Parikh, Bruin Sports senior
staff.