Five-star forward headlines UCLA basketball’s 2014 class

As the UCLA men’s basketball team awaits the re-addition of redshirt senior forward Travis Wear to the lineup on Friday, the team got some news on additions to the program’s future.

Wednesday marked the end of the National Letter of Intent early signing period for NCAA recruits, and the Bruins emerged with several prospects that coach Steve Alford said he is excited about. UCLA received letters of intent from five-star forward Kevon Looney and forward Gyorgy Goloman, while also getting a verbal commitment from four-star forward Thomas Welsh Tuesday night.

Looney’s commitment marked the highest profile recruit Alford has signed since his arrival to UCLA. Rated the No. 11 player in the 2014 class by ESPN, No. 13 by Rivals and No. 14 by Scout, Looney’s versatile skill set reminds some UCLA players of someone with whom they’re all familiar.

“He has a Kyle Anderson-type game to him is what coach Alford was telling me,” said junior guard Norman Powell.

There are some similarities between Looney and Anderson, a sophomore guard/forward. Both are around 6-foot-9-inches and can handle the ball, but while Anderson uses his size to find passing lanes, Looney is more known for his post play, athleticism and shooting.

Sophomore guard Jordan Adams noted the Anderson comparisons but said that he sees Anderson as more of an example of the freedom Looney could have at UCLA rather than as an example of the player Looney could become.

“I think that’s why he’s coming here, because coach Alford lets Kyle do a lot of things, being a tall guard,” Adams said. “I’m not saying he’ll be Kyle bringing the ball up the court, but he’s a big guy who can handle the ball and shoot.”

Alford also expressed optimism toward Goloman, saying the Hungarian prospect is one of the best passing big men he’s seen and that his jump shot extends to the three-point line.

By adding three forwards, Alford targeted the front court, the main positional area he said he wanted to address, as the Bruins will lose redshirt senior forwards Travis and David Wear next season.

“Size, that’s been our biggest, main focus and this is a good start, but we’re not done,” Alford said.

When the regular period of National Letter of Intent signing begins on April 16, Alford said he hopes his strong early signing group, and Looney in particular, will attract other top recruits to UCLA.

“I think that always, anytime you get someone like Kevon, there’s got to be a lot of people that want to play with Kevon Looney,” Alford said. “He’s a special player, a special kid, he’s one of those guys that you want to play with and so yeah, you hope that that sent a message obviously to a lot of other guys.”

Sophomore forward Tony Parker experienced a similar scenario firsthand during his recruiting process after the Bruins inked top-five ranked recruits in Anderson and Shabazz Muhammad and a top-100 recuit in Adams. Parker said that the choices of high-profile recruits definitely play a role in the destinations of other top prospects, which bodes well for the Bruins.

“With (Looney) playing in the McDonald’s game, … (the) McDonald’s All-American (game) is a big recruiting fest,” Parker said. “All the kids talking about what school they are going to and stuff. So he’ll probably get a lot more players to come with him because he’s such a great player and such a good kid.”