UCLA basketball loses one third of prized recruiting class for 4-6 weeks

One of the three members of the UCLA basketball team’s prized recruiting class won’t make his debut with the other two.

Freshman center Ike Anigbogu tore his right meniscus during practice last week and scout.com’s No. 17 recruit in the class of 2016 will miss four to six weeks after undergoing surgery on Tuesday. The tear is small enough that UCLA is hopeful for a return before Thanksgiving, in which case he would only miss the first four games of the season: Pacific, Can State Northridge, San Diego and Long Beach State.

On a team loaded with offensive talent, the 6-foot-10, 250-pound Anigbogu is the most imposing defensive presence. There isn’t another player on the UCLA roster in the mold of a rim protector who plays such a physical style.

“He’s a big body and we can pressure up more because we know Ike is in the back cleaning up shots and getting rebounds,” senior guard Isaac Hamilton said. “He’s going to be a huge key to our success.”

Coach Steve Alford can fall back on group he referenced as his first deep frontcourt in four years at UCLA.
Junior Thomas Welsh was always a sure bet to be the team’s starting center. Welsh averaged 11 points and 8.5 rebounds last season and to put in perspective the the 7-footer’s talent, he was one of 20 named to the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar center of the year award watch list last week. But Welsh fits the mold of a finesse player, a good mid-range shooter with length. The contrasting styles of he and the physical Anigbogu could complement each other nicely.

Aside from Anigbogu, Welsh and freshman forward T.J. Leaf, espn.com’s No. 13 recruit in the country, Alford has three legitimate options for frontcourt minutes. After returning from a stress fracture that shelved him the first 17 games last season, 6-11 junior Gyorgy Goloman averaged 12 minutes per game, a number expected to rise this season. Sophomore Alex Olesinski and junior Ikenna Okwarabizie, at 6-10 and 6-9, respectively, are also players who could man the center position.

“It allows us to play maybe not your most traditional center after Tom, but we can still be big and play the way we like to play,” Alford said. “Whether that’s G.G. in there or Alex is in there or (Okwarabizie), I think they can hold the fort pretty good until Ike gets back.”