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UCLA Basketball: Stellar Recruiting Class Has Big Shoes to Fill

By David Goldman

Mar 29, 2017; Chicago, IL, USA; McDonald's High School All-American players Jaylen Hands (3) and Kris Wilkes (31) who will both be attending UCLA in the fall of 2017 pose for a group photo before the 40th Annual McDonald's High School All-American Game at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 29, 2017; Chicago, IL, USA; McDonald's High School All-American players Jaylen Hands (3) and Kris Wilkes (31) who will both be attending UCLA in the fall of 2017 pose for a group photo before the 40th Annual McDonald's High School All-American Game at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
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UCLA Basketball has a lot to replace from last season. A fantastic 2017 recruiting class should help ease the pain from seven Bruins potentially departing.

If losing freshman sensations Lonzo Ball, TJ Leaf, and Ike Anigbogu wasn’t enough, UCLA received another potential blow to its 2018 depth chart with the news that Aaron Holiday and Thomas Welsh would be declaring for the NBA Draft without hiring an agent.

Add in Bryce Alford and Isaac Hamilton, who have graduated and UCLA could potentially lose 98.3% of its scoring from last year. In comes the 2017 recruiting class of which a lot is expected, which is ranked second nationally by ESPN and features two 5-star recruits.

With Ball and potentially Holiday bolting, 5-star PG Jaylen Hands figures to be vital to the Bruin’s success next season.

Related Story: UCLA Loses Asst. Coach Ed Schilling to Indiana

Hands, who averaged 29.2 PPG as a senior in high school is an ultra-athlete who recently won a dunk contest by jumping over his parents. Hands has big shoes to fill in the backcourt, but he looks up to the task and he should have help with the return of Prince Ali.

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With UCLA’s top 3 frontcourt players potentially headed to NBA Draft, a pair of 4-star big men will play a huge role next season.

California natives Cody Riley (who has broken multiple backboards) and defensive minded Jalen Hill figure to battle for a starting spots along with returning forward G.G. Golomon. Whoever gets the starting nods in the frontcourt will have a lot to replace. Leaf and Welsh combined for 27.1 PPG and 16.9 RPG last season.

The crown jewel of the 2017 recruiting class is 5-star SF Kris Wilkes. The Indiana native gives UCLA a long, smooth, athletic forward that UCLA didn’t have with the smaller, less athletic Hamilton.

Wilkes scores at the rim effortlessly, but his most valuable asset is his defensive potential. At 6’7 with a 6’10 wingspan, Wilkes has the potential to be able to guard multiple positions, and become the lockdown defender UCLA has so badly needed the past couple of years.

Next: UCLA Basketball - A Possible 7-Man Exodus Would Be Bad

Arguably Steve Alford’s best class at UCLA is reason for optimism next year even without many of the household names from last year. Next season’s team will look a whole lot different than last years but that may not necessarily be a bad thing.