UCLA’s wait continues as center Stephen Zimmerman picks UNLV

Five-star center Stephen Zimmerman announced his commitment to UNLV tonight, spurning Kentucky, Kansas and UCLA in favor of his hometown team.

Before Thursday, the 6-foot-11 prospect had been one of the top national recruits still undecided on their college destination. His choice leaves the Bruins — who are coming off back-to-back trips to the Sweet 16 — looking somewhat precarious in their quest to break back into the sport’s elite ranks.

A player like Zimmerman would have helped reinvigorate a frontcourt that lost Kevon Looney to the NBA draft. Through his first two years in Los Angeles, head coach Steve Alford has yet to construct a roster with depth across the court. During a debut season that featured three eventual first-round draft picks, he ran an up-tempo crew whose best rebounder was 6-foot-10 point guard Kyle Anderson. This past year, he only had three scholarship guards in the rotation.

The third iteration of the Alford-era Bruins projects to swing back again. Four-star recruits Aaron Holiday and Prince Ali will help replace the loss of senior guard Norman Powell, but UCLA’s only other signee in 2015 is three-star forward Alex Olesinski — more a long-term project than an plug-and-play prospect.

The Bruins will add former four-star recruit Jonah Bolden, who becomes eligible to play after NCAA eligibility issues sidelined him as a freshman. But he alone would not bump UCLA past their recent status of “Surprise Sweet 16 Team,” one that won’t convince fans that Alford has what it takes to raise a 12th championship banner in Pauley Pavilion.

All of which makes the pending decision of Jaylen Brown so crucial. The five-star wing out of Georgia is a one-and-done prospect who has the talent to immediately become UCLA’s go-to option. Brown has yet to cut his list down from eight finalists, but if he ends up in Westwood, his presence wouldn’t only help the team’s immediate future.

It would also help justify Alford’s recruiting approach. So far, he and his staff has gone after high-profile national recruits. Getting Looney, a Milwaukee native, for a year was a good step. Building a perennial assembly line of such talent will be tougher.