Shabazz Muhammad still kind of wants to be a UCLA Bruin

With the UCLA Men’s Basketball squad in a bit of turmoil right now (we’re 13-10 overall and 6-5 in conference play), the tension surrounding UCLA basketball isn’t so much about missing the NCAA tourney (since that’s kind of is a certainty at this point) as it is about our 2012 recruiting class.

With Las Vegas recruit Shabazz Muhammad looking at colleges far and near, the fact that the Bruins have struggled all season, we thought, probably hurts our chances to the point where we’ll fall out of contention early.

That’s not the case, though, because Shabazz knows what’s good for him (and he better). From FOX Sports West:

"UCLA fans are hoping Muhammad came bring his game to Westwood. The Bruins are still in the mix despite their 13-10 record.“Losing is a bad thing to do, but UCLA is a good program. I like Ben Howland and Coach (Phil) Mathews but they’re still there and I’m still looking at them really hard,” said Muhammad, who lists the Bruins as one of the six finalists."

He’s kind of on point: Losing is a bad thing to do. Very accurate.

But the fact that he’s still looking at us “really hard” speaks volumes about our school. Sure, we can suck all season long, but as long as we’re UCLA, we’re going to be a pretty nice place to get to. If Shabazz joins forces with Kyle Anderson and Jordan Adams (5- and 4-star recruits, respectively, who’ve already committed to UCLA), then we’ll have a pretty stacked squad going into next year once they combine with Josh Smith (if he stops eating) and Anthony Stover — as well as the Wear Twins — coming back.

Our biggest threat — at least to these eyes — is UNLV, his hometown college. Having been born and raised in the 702, UNLV was the absolute sex, especially when the basketball team was doing well. There’s no doubt that he’s strongly considering the Runnin’ Rebels, especially since head coach David Rice has them back to their running — and winning — ways.

Of course, Ben Howland is known for sending up really great guards to the next level, in the NBA. (See: Arron Afflalo, Jrue Holliday, Russell Westbrook, Darren Collison), so it’ll be tough for Shabazz — who figures to be a one-and-done type player — to turn that away.

We’ll keep you posted, Bru-dawgs. Until then, let us know: Will Shabazz be in True Blue and Gold come next season?