Ray McCallum is one of the best point guards in the country, a 5-star recruit from Scout.com, and perhaps a future Bruin. He visited Westwood this weekend, along with Adidas National Team teammates Josh Smith and Trey Ziegler, and Mater Dei’s Tyler Lamb was also in town.
I chatted with McCallum this weekend, and here’s what he had to say after his visit
On his official visit this weekend:
“It was good – I’ve been to campus once, the summer going in junior year, so being back was real nice. I like the campus a lot. It’s clean, kind of new to me – a good and fun place to be. Going into Pauley Pavilion, you get that whole feeling. That whole school is jamming.”
On potentially choosing UCLA:
“They win. I’m all about winning, and they win. You always know you’ll be in the NCAA tournament, you’ll always compete for NCAA champ. It’s a basketball school – they love basketball at this school.”
On his biggest desire in recruiting:
“Most important thing I’m looking for is coming in and playing right away. I want to be in as a freshman and make an impact. Not be a role player or a team guy, I want to make my name known as a freshman.”
On UCLA’s NBA track record:
“It’s real attractive right there. I want to be good enough and go to a school where I can bring my game to the next level. That’s what they do over there. They’ve brought a lot of guards to the NBA the last few years. You go there and do their things, and it seems like they get you to the next level.”
On the potential recruiting class with Josh Smith, Trey Ziegler, Harrison Barnes, etc.
“It tells you that they’re trying to bring in the best of the best. I’m trying to go to a place I can play with the best guys in the country. You know if you go there you’re going to have great players with you , great players to play with.”
On scheduling his official visit with Trey Ziegler and Josh Smith:
“All three of us are real close. We’ve all played on the Adidas National Team for two years – we’ve all known each other. I had a lot of fun hanging out with those guys. They’re good guys and good players, and it’s always great to play with people you know.”
On UCLA making the Final Four three straight times from 2006-2008:
“That right there tells you (Howland) must be doing something well. He keeps getting the right players in there. He’s doing his job – the coaching staff, they’re all good. They’re going to do everything to try and make me play better.”
On making his college decision:
“Right now I’m showing all these schools the same amount of love. My last visit is the first weekend of November. I don’t know when I’m going to sign, early or late. I just think when the time is right, I ‘ll know.”