It is extremely rare for a college basketball program to receive commitments from two premier big men in a decade.
On Monday, UCLA accomplished that amazing feat in back-to-back years.
A year after securing consensus all-American Kevin Love, the Bruins received a verbal commitment from 6-foot-9-inch power forward Drew Gordon, of Archbishop Mitty, on Monday afternoon.
Gordon, the No. 20 nationally ranked player of the 2008 class, announced his decision in a press conference at his San Jose high school.
“All the schools I visited were great schools, but UCLA and their coaching staff were the best fit for me at this time,” Gordon said. “They are the school that gives me the best opportunity to further my career beyond college.”
Gordon was also considering fellow Pac-10 schools California, Washington and Arizona as well as North Carolina and Duke.
Gordon took unofficial visits to all of the schools, but in the end it came down to him being able to be close to his family and being part of a UCLA program that has significantly improved its players.
“Coach (Ben) Howland’s coaching style and personality sets you up for greatness,” Gordon said. “The people who entered and left his program show me what he is about.”
Gordon’s parents both attended college in Southern California, and Gordon’s mother attended UCLA for a short time.
The opportunity to play in front of his family, many of whom live in Southern California, and have the support of his relatives were big factors for Gordon.
“It will be nice to have my family around me,” Gordon said. “UCLA is a great school with a great program, and it will be great to have my family coming to my home games.”
Gordon was considered an instrumental recruit for the UCLA program. The Bruins are expected to lose at least two players to the NBA Draft next year, and considering that the other two commits of the 2008 class, Jerime Anderson and Malcolm Lee, are point guards, it was crucial for the Bruins to land a big man.
Gordon will provide the Bruins with that inside presence, as he averaged 16 points, 14 rebounds and 3.8 blocks as a junior this past season.
“UCLA has a great program that will push him to become an excellent player and will develop him as a student-athlete,” Gordon’s high school coach Brian Eagleson said. “We reviewed many aspects of the programs on Drew’s list, and UCLA fits him as a player and as a person.”
On Monday, Gordon was simply happy to have the recruiting process over and be able to begin working on the things Howland has wanted him to work on.
Gordon will be a member of the Under-19 USA basketball team this summer and continue to play on his AAU team, the Oakland Soldiers.
“I am excited for the recruiting phase to be over for me, and I can’t wait to get to UCLA, even though I have another year of high school,” Gordon said. “I just want to get better as a player, and work on the fundamentals.”