UCLA's gamble to pluck an assistant coach from Georgia's top AAU program appears to be paying off so far.
Small forward Jordan Adams, Rivals.com's No. 69 prospect in the Class of 2012, announced Monday evening that he will follow former Atlanta Celtics coach and CEO Korey McCray to Westwood. The Georgia native chose the Bruins over Memphis, Georgia and Miami in part because of McCray's presence.
"It was a big factor," Adams told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Monday. "I've been playing for Coach McCray since I was 12 or 13 years old. I used to always work out with him. He helped me get to where I am now as a basketball player. If it wasn't for [McCray], I wouldn't be this good and none of these college coaches would be recruiting me."
UCLA hopes Adams isn't the last prospect with ties to Georgia or the Atlanta Celtics to decide to come West. The Bruins are also recruiting power forward Shaquille Goodwin, another Celtic who is Georgia's top high school player and Rivals.com's No. 13 prospect in the Class of 2012.
That the Bruins are making inroads with national prospects is a departure from the past few years when coach Ben Howland's recruiting has tailed off.
In particular, UCLA has struggled to find its heir apparent at point guard, failing to secure elite prospects such as Quinn Cook (Duke), Jahii Carson (Arizona State), Josiah Turner (Arizona) and Ray McCallum (Detroit). As a result of that and a flurry of early departures at other positions, the Bruins have had to comb the recruiting scrap heap the past few springs and have even resorted to signing a pair of junior college prospects.
The hiring of McCray this spring represents Howland acknowledging his staff has lacked an assistant who was a strong out-of-state recruiter since Kerry Keating left to become Santa Clara's head coach after the second of UCLA's three straight Final Fours. McCray's ties to the high school and AAU scene in the Southeast promise to be invaluable, though it often causes outsiders to overlook that he brings more to the table.
A former starting point guard at Mercer College, McCray coached at his alma mater and at a Florida junior college and served as a graduate assistant at Florida State. He also helped train former No. 1 overall picks Dwight Howard and John Wall prior to the NBA draft.
Ultimately, however, the hire of McCray will be judged on his ability to influence players to come to UCLA. So far he's off to a quick start.
Magdalena Wróbel Connie Nielsen Melissa George Cameron Richardson Chandra West
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