UCLA has a rich history of strong guard play. Over the last couple of decades, the basketball program has produced a number of NBA players. Among them, the list includes Baron Davis, Jordan Farmar, Arron Afflalo, Jrue Holiday, Russell Westbrook, Zach LaVine, Jordan Adams, Darren Collison, Norman Powell, and Lonzo Ball.
The vast majority of these guards (save for Adams and LaVine) all hail from Southern California. While Mick Cronin has dipped his toe into international waters for European talent, make no mistake about it...the talent-rich area of Southern California makes up ground zero of UCLA's recruiting footprint.
In recent years during Cronin's tenure in Westwood, four Southern California natives (Jaime Jaquez Jr., Johnny Juzang, David Singleton, Jaylen Clark) made up the core of a program which has been restored among the sport's elite. It's no secret that the Bruins love keeping local prospects home. As such, another prospect UCLA covets greatly from its backyard is 2026 PG Brandon McCoy.
McCoy is a 2026 prospect hailing from St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, Calif. The 6'3" guard recently spoke with Jamie Shaw of on3.com about his recruitment:
Being such a young prospect with college basketball years away, there's plenty of time for McCoy to delve into the process. Based upon the interview, it sounds as if he's more so focused on the progression of his game rather than chopping it up constantly with voracious college coaches.
With that said, there are some interesting wrinkles as it pertains to UCLA within his recruitment. On 247Sports, McCoy's profile seems to indicate that his interest in UCLA is 'warm' compared to 'cool' for all other schools.
Additionally, Tracy Pierson of BruinReportOnline reported that McCoy did take an unofficial visit to UCLA a few weeks ago. Getting McCoy on campus certainly is a positive for Cronin and the Bruins.
As a player, McCoy is sensationally skilled for his age. He's quick off the dribble, dynamic as a finisher off the rim, and shows a sophisticated feel for the game.
"I'll want to play for a coach that will take me and let me do what I can do and keep improving with that. I know I'm going to have to play in a system if I play for a great coach, but I want to have a little bit of freedom in that system."
- McCoy via on3.com
Even more exciting, he's not one of those players who physically matures early -- thus maxing out at a young age. McCoy is super slender with plenty of room to add strength and weight.
Without a doubt, he's among the better guards nationally for his class. He helps in making up an elite quartet of 2026 Los Angeles-based recruits from his class. It includes McCoy, Jason Crowe, Alijah Arenas (son of Gilbert), and Tajh Ariza (son of Trevor).
More must-reads: