Donald Trump tweets about UCLA basketball players

LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley and Jalen Hill, the UCLA men’s basketball players who were detained in China for a week on suspicion of shoplifting, will read statements to the media on Wednesday after returning to the country Tuesday. President Donald Trump, who said he personally asked Chinese President Xi Jinping for assistance on the case, is looking forward to what the players have to say:

LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley, Jalen Hill released on bail in China

From left to right, LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley and Jalen Hill prepare for UCLA’s trip to China. The trio of freshmen were arrested for shoplifting on Tuesday then released on bail. (Photo from UCLA Basketball/@UCLAMBB on Twitter)

The three UCLA men’s basketball players arrested for shoplifting on Tuesday in Hangzhou, China were released on bail Wednesday, according to reports from ESPN.

Freshmen LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley and Jalen Hill are now required to stay at the team’s luxury hotel in Hangzhou until legal proceedings are completed, the report states. They cannot rejoin the team as it prepares to play its season opener against Georgia Tech on Friday at 8:30 p.m. PT in Shanghai

“We are aware of a situation involving UCLA student-athletes in Hangzhou, China,” UCLA said in a statement Tuesday. “The university is cooperating fully with local authorities on this matter, and we have no further comment at this time.”

More on the situation

UCLA basketball lands eerily similar top 5 recruiting class

UCLA gained recruiting momentum when it landed the best class of the Steve Alford era last year. But the who knew the Bruins were being so efficient?

UCLA was working on both classes at the same time considering its 2017 recruiting haul includes high school teammates – and in one case, a blood relative – of each of the three players from the 2016 class. Most importantly, the caliber of talent is similar too.

On the first day of the early signing period, the Bruins’ signed the No. 3 recruiting class in the country, according to espn.com. And that doesn’t include the potential addition of five-star small forward Kris Wilkes, an Indiana native expected to choose the UCLA over Indiana and Illinois. Rivals.com and scout.com rated UCLA’s haul the fourth-best in the nation.

The headliner is freshman T.J. Leaf’s former teammate, point guard Jaylen Hands of El Cajon Foothills Christian, rivals.com’s No. 26 prospect. Ike Anigbogu’s former running mate in the front court at Corona Centennial High, Jalen Hill, is the espn.com’s No. 50 recruit and Lonzo Ball’s brother, LiAngelo, is a 3-star shooting guard from Chino Hills High. Chatsworth Sierra Canyon power forward Cody Riley, scout.com’s No. 30 prospect, is the fourth member of the class and one of the best rebounders in the country.

Jalen Hands
Point guard
Foothills Christian High School, El Cajon, Calif.
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 170
Rivals.com: No. 26 overall
Continue reading “UCLA basketball lands eerily similar top 5 recruiting class” »

LaMelo Ball commits to UCLA basketball as a 13 year old

LaMelo Ball has verbally committed to the UCLA men’s basketball team. LaMelo Ball is 5-foot-10 and 13 years old.

In the latest development in the strange world of recruiting, the youngest Ball brother decided on Friday to follow in the footsteps of his two older siblings. Before even playing in his first game for Chino Hills High School, he accepted an offer to become a Bruin.

“It is my dream school,” he told the Los Angeles News Group’s Michelle Gardner. “I decided to get it out of the way now instead of waiting for the future.”

Lonzo Ball is a five-star point guard who is the gem of UCLA’s 2016 class. The middle brother, LiAngelo, announced in April his decision to join the Bruins in 2017.

Assuming his commitment holds, LaMelo Ball will arrive in Westwood in 2019.

Three-star shooting guard LiAngelo Ball commits to UCLA

If both verbal commitments hold through the next two years, the UCLA men’s basketball team could be relying heavily on the Ball brothers.

Three-star shooting guard LiAngelo Ball decided to become a Bruin on Tuesday, becoming the first member of the program’s 2017 class. He follows his brother, five-star point guard Lonzo Ball, a 2016 prospect who verbally committed to UCLA in January 2014.

Both currently play for Chino Hills High, where The elder Ball was recently named the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin’s Player of the Year. LiAngelo, who averaged 20.1 points and 3.5 rebounds, earned a spot on the all-area first team. A third brother, LaMelo, will join them in the 2015-16 season.