One late spring signing may not have changed the ranking of UCLA’s 2008 men’s basketball recruiting class, but it may have gone a long way toward making the Bruins a favorite for the 2009 Final Four.
On Friday, high school senior center J’Mison Morgan, who had been let out of his national letter of intent to Louisiana State, announced he will be attending UCLA in the fall.
Morgan joins a class of guards Jrue Holiday, Malcolm Lee and Jerime Anderson as well as forward Drew Gordon.
That class was already ranked the No. 1 class in the nation by scout.com, but the addition of Morgan, a more polished post player than Gordon, could help keep UCLA among the nation’s elite.
UCLA’s center this past season, Kevin Love, is likely to be drafted somewhere in the top 14 in June’s NBA Draft.
He is reportedly preparing to withdraw from classes and sign with agent Jeff Schwartz, meaning the end of his college eligibility. Before Morgan signed, UCLA was thought to be without a true inside presence next year, and there was even some speculation that power forward James Keefe would make the switch to center to help shore up the front line.
Now, the Bruins can rest easy.
Morgan is not considered as skilled as Kevin Love and does not have the freakish hand strength that allowed Love to outlet the ball the length of the court. However, Morgan, at 6 feet, 10 inches, is taller than Love and should provide the Bruins with a solid defensive and rebounding presence in the middle.
And at 275 pounds, Morgan should also be able to push his bulk around for points on the inside.
The Bruins are coming off their third straight Final Four and were initially thought to be preparing for something of a rebuilding year.
Love and guard Russell Westbrook will likely not return, and initially point guard Darren Collison was thought to be going into the draft as well.
Although forwards Alfred Aboya and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute are still undecided whether they will be returning to school, the return of Collison and the signing of Morgan could signal another year of high expectations in Westwood.