UCLA signs top recruits

The UCLA men’s basketball program signed four highly rated players for the 2009 recruiting class on Wednesday, coach Ben Howland announced.

The class is loaded with post players including Tyler Honeycutt, a 6-foot-8-inch, 190-pound guard/forward from Sylmar, Calif., Brendan Lane, a 6-10, 205-pound forward from Rocklin, Calif., Reeves Nelson, a 6-7, 220-pound forward out of Modesto, Calif., and Anthony Stover, a 6-10, 210-pound center from La Cañada, Calif.

The class has earned a No. 8 national ranking according to Scout.com.

“We are very excited about this recruiting class,” Howland said in a press release. “I think the four players that we signed help fulfill the needs that we have, and as a class, they are all great kids that are going to be great players. They are all outstanding young men.”

Leading the class is Honeycutt, who put up 16 points and 10 rebounds per game last season and is rated the nation’s No. 4 small forward by Scout.com.

“Tyler Honeycutt is a very versatile athlete,” Howland said. “He is a good shooter, he’s good at scoring off the dribble and is a good passer. He is also an outstanding rebounder and has a lot of potential.”

Nelson averaged 26 points and 14 rebounds per game last season is rated the No. 5 power forward in the West by Scout.com.

“Reeves Nelson is very physical and is a very strong and athletic young man,” Howland said. “He’s a tough, hard-nosed player who is a good rebounder, and he’s going to be an outstanding player.”

Lane is the No. 1 rated power forward in the West, and Stover was tagged the nation’s No. 11 center by Scout.com. Stover also has a 7-5 wingspan, according to Howland.

Because the only post player who the Bruins will likely lose after this season is senior Alfred Aboya, they look to have tremendous depth in the paint with the four incoming big men.

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