UCLA recruits to face off in McDonald’s All-American game

Following in the footsteps of UCLA freshmen Lonzo Ball and TJ Leaf, two of the Bruins’ 2017 recruits will play in the prestigious McDonald’s All-American basketball game March 29.

Point guard Jaylen Hands, Leaf’s teammate at Foothills Christian (El Cajon, Calif.) High School, will play for the West Team. Kris Wilkes, a 6-foot-8 guard from Indianapolis, will be a member of the East Team.

The two are part of a five-man UCLA recruiting class ranked second in the country by rivals.com, scout.com and espn.com. UCLA coach Steve Alford casually mentioned this week that UCLA may add to the 2017 recruiting class.

Wilkes, the first recruit from his native Indiana that Alford has landed in his four seasons at UCLA, is the front-runner to win Indiana’s Mr. Basketball award. He is ranked the No. 14 player in the class of 2017 by espn.com and 17th by both rivals.com and scout.com.

Hands, a 6-foot-3 point guard, will likely fill the point guard spot vacated by Ball, who is expected to leave for the NBA after this season. He is ranked the No. 24 player in the class of 2017 by rivals.com, No. 26 by scout.com and No. 30 by espn.com.