UCLA could be in line to get an important basketball commitment. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

5-star center Makur Maker says UCLA in the lead for him

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Larry Brown | Last updated 5/14/20

As of February, Makur Maker was deemed likely to enter this year’s NBA Draft. The pandemic has changed matters, and now Maker is considering college. And the 5-star center says UCLA is in the lead for him.

Maker called UCLA a “great fit” for him, in comments shared by the Los Angeles Times’ Ben Bolch.

Five-star center Makur Maker: "UCLA's leading right now in my opinion. UCLA would be a great fit for me. It's in my backyard, it's right near my house, only about an hour's drive. And UCLA has produced a lot of pros–Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love, everybody's been through there."

— Ben Bolch (@latbbolch) May 14, 2020

Maker was born in Kenya, grew up in Australia, and then moved to the U.S. and was home-schooled in California during high school. The 19-year-old, 6-foot-11 center declared for the 2020 draft and was granted eligibility by the NBA but still has time to withdraw his name from consideration.

His guardian, Ed Smith, says that NBA teams do not feel they have been able to evaluate Maker well enough, which is why going to college might be favorable for him.

Ed Smith, on Makur Maker's decision whether to go to college: "There’s a belief that right now [NBA teams] don’t have enough on him and he needs to go out and display it and he wanted to get that matchup, especially with [Evan] Mobley at USC, that’s something that’s attractive."

— Ben Bolch (@latbbolch) May 14, 2020

A report over the weekend said UCLA and Kentucky were in the lead for Maker, who is the cousin of Detroit Pistons big man Thon Maker. Makur is said to be considering Memphis, Auburn, and Oregon as well.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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