I spent yesterday with a friend watching high-school prospects in games from the Pango All-American Camp.
I had 2027 center prospect Lewis Uvwo in an an all-star game, and his defense stood out. He was great at blocking and altering shots. However, I didn't see much offense.
As it turns out, this was because no one passes to big guys in all-star games. In the games I watched yesterday, he showed offensive skills, including the ability to hit three pointers. His hook shot is a work in progress, but he can hit from the outside and rolls to the rim nicely.
The word is that UCLA has a real chance with Uwvo. If he were our only recruit in 2027, we should be ecstatic.
If for some reason, Uwvo doesn't come, 6-9 Mahamadou Diop from San Gabriel would be a quality multi-year center. He is an excellent athlete with long arms who can block shots.
2027 guard recruiting is very uncertain for 2027. At this point we don't know who will be back for the 2027-28 season. If all of Perry, Petty, Freeny, and Robinson return, there won't be a lot of opportunity for an elite guard to play at UCLA. However, we don't know who will be returning at this point.
Complicating things is that with the onset of 5 for 5, a lot of top programs won't have a lot of playing time to offer. So many high-level recruits may be faced with the choice of going somewhere and not playing much or going to a "lesser" program. Elite, one-and-done recruits, won't have that issue, but that is only a few players.
And who has the money and wants to spend it on a player who won't see the floor much? You could pay them to practice for a year and watch them enter the portal.
Having said all that, if we did want a high-level guard, and Jalen Davis didn't want to come, we could do a lot worse than PG Michah Gordon. He's a three-level scorer, who is hard to keep out of the paint, and he is still a willing passer.
But as mentioned, 2027 guard recruting could be tough.
A really intriguing prospect is 2028 PG JJ Sati-Grier from Sierra Canyon. He's probably around 5-10, but he is lightning quick. He can score and is an excellent passer. He is terrific at penetrating and finding the open man. He may be a quicker version of Tyger Campbell.
On top of that, his size is likely to keep him in college for 5 years. And he is just fun to watch.