We know, we know: It’s football season, so why are we talking about UCLA basketball recruiting?
Because our UCLA Bruins landed four-star guard Allerik Freeman, the 51st best player in the country (in ESPNU’s 100). He announced it via his Twitter. Check it:
Of course, you’re asking yourself “who is this guy? I never heard of him.”
So let’s break him down, GJB-style.
First, as always, a highlight video:
What can we take from this? Well, it looks like Freeman’s most important asset is his sharpshooting. He has a hell of a jumper from three and he can spot up really well.
But we can see he’s kind of versatile, too. He seems to be comfortable slashing to the basket, and though he doesn’t seem unbearably fast, he has good enough dribbles and solid quickness to get past defenders. And to go along with that, he seems to do well around the rim, finishing beautifully most times in the video.
The scouting reports? They seem to disagree in all facets. They think his ball-handling is a major issue and his shot is streaky, noting that his three-point jumper in particular needs serious work. However, they love his strength, noting that he uses it incredibly well for positioning. They also feel as if he’s matured and is entirely ready to play college hoops at the Division-I level.
There’s a lot of variation on this guy, though, so let’s take it with a grain of salt. He’s incredibly talented and he could be an offensive force in college. Let’s hope things start shakin’ out a bit better in the reports: he’s not 51 in the ESPNU 100 for no reason.
GO BRUINS!