Mick Cronin and the Bruins have a huge priority in their building this week, as they hosted 5-star combo guard Jalen Davis in Westwood yesterday.
Davis's first official visit to UCLA was on Friday, Oct. 16, and the Bruins remain firmly in the mix for landing the talented 6'3" guard.
Davis is listed as a 5-star recruit, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings, and is ranked 16th nationally, fourth as a combo guard, and first in the state of Washington. The 5-star guard is from Bremerton, Washington, which is reflected in many of the reported schools he's interested in.
UCLA Close Behind the Leaders in the Race
It seems like it's a five-horse race for Davis, with UCLA, Iowa, Gonzaga, Stanford, and North Carolina all firmly in the mix. North Carolina could be among the leaders, but he has taken official visits or has one scheduled to all five aforementioned programs.
If Davis elects that he would like to stay close to home, that would be a good sign for UCLA, as they would make up ground on teams like North Carolina and Iowa, but Gonzaga and Stanford would also remain in the mix.
Davis' Scouting Report
Davis is a talented athlete and a skilled guard who has a very high processing ability and a natural scoring ability. He could be a high-volume scorer for whichever school he lands with, while also not needing to dominate the basketball.
According to Adam Finkelstein from 247Sports, the concerns around Davis are largely physical. It seems like he has a naturally skinnier build and isn't necessarily a dynamic athlete, and his positional size and length are decent at best, but not ideal for the highest levels. However, he compensates for that as a highly efficient scorer with a very high ceiling if developed correctly in the right situation.
UCLA hasn't generated much interest from many of the top recruits in the 2027 class, and landing a top-20 prospect could be huge for UCLA next season. With uncertainty regarding the futures of their current backcourt of Trent Perry and Jaylen Petty, landing a talented scorer for next season could be paramount for the Bruins' immediate future.
Of course, recruiting freshmen nowadays isn't the only way to build an effective college basketball roster, and realistically, it may be the riskiest of the potential options. Recruiting overseas and in the transfer portal usually gives coaches a much safer bet, as they have hours of film to analyze to make a more informed decision with a proven player.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/ucla as Where UCLA Could Stand With 5-Star Jalen Davis After Visit.