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UCLA Basketball Recruiting: Bruins land big time Cali SF Jaime Jaquez

By Mike Regalado

SACRAMENTO, CA - MARCH 17: Head coach Steve Alford of the UCLA Bruins reacts against the Kent State Golden Flashes during the first round of the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Golden 1 Center on March 17, 2017 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
SACRAMENTO, CA - MARCH 17: Head coach Steve Alford of the UCLA Bruins reacts against the Kent State Golden Flashes during the first round of the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Golden 1 Center on March 17, 2017 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /
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The UCLA basketball team just landed one of the most talented players in California as 2019 4-star small forward Jaime Jaquez commits to the Bruins.

Boom! Your UCLA basketball team landed their second commitment for the 2019 recruiting class, as four-star small forward Jaime Jaquez, the 6th best payer in California, gave his verbal to the Bruins today.

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Jaquez joins 4-star combo guard Grant Sherfield out of Mansfield Summit (Arlington, TX). This now gives UCLA the second highest ranked team on 247Sports 2019 recruiting class rankings (author’s note, after Jaquez committed, UCLA received another commit, boosting them up to #1 overall).

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Jaquez is a very athletic 6’7, 210 lbs. player that can stretch the floor. Not only does he have good ball control and can take the rock up court on his own (he has the makings of a point forward), but he also has good vision and has the knack for finding open teammates. On top of that, with his height and length, he has no problem attacking the rim.

Essentially, he is a slam dunk machine.

And if that wasn’t enough, he also has a decent outside shot which should get even better at UCLA. In the last two seasons, the Bruins coaching staff has helped former 7-foot center Thomas Welsh improve his mid-range and three point game, which were very effect all season long.

This was not only a good get for the Bruins because of talent, but they also filled a very important positional need. In the last few seasons, the Bruins have been thin at the small forward/wing spot.

There have always been plenty of big men and recruiting has picked up with point guards in recent years, the only thing missing was a player that can contest for rebounds and points under the basket as well as have the ability to pop out for 20-footers.

https://twitter.com/jaquez_jr/status/993956961329692672

Next: UCLA Basketball: The Top 10 Recruiting Classes Since 2000

This was also a good commitment as it is the first since head recruiter David Grace was received of of his duties last month. If UCLA can continue with this recruiting plan, they should continue to stay at the top of class rankings for season to come.