I know we're all focusing on basketball right now, but a little football can never hurt right?

There's been a lot of talk about the 2009 commitment list, which is almost empty. Today, though, the Bruins got a non-binding oral commitment from a solid cornerback. From Dohn:

Mission Viejo cornerback Alex Mascarenas, a 5-foot-11, 180-pounder, gave a non-binding oral commitment to UCLA today.
"He's quite an athlete," Mission Viejo coach Bob Johnson said. "He's probably one of the best athletes in Orange County. He's the best player on the baseball team, if he would have played basketball he would have been the best point guard but he decided not to go out, and he's best sport is football."

I am a student at Mission Viejo High School, so I have a lot to say about this. First of all, Bob Johnson tends to exaggerate things. Mascarenas isn't the best player on the baseball team, nor is he a great basketball player. I know more than half of the players on the varsity basketball team, and they all tell me that he's not a great BBall player. But that doesn't matter, since his best sport is football -- without question.

Mascarenas is an athletic and talented CB. At 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds, he's a finesse corner that doesn't get out-run by many receivers. I've seen nearly all of his games, and he seems to improve week-by-week. Last season he began playing WR as well, which helped him immensely at better understanding the CB position. Also, I saw him this morning and it looks like he's spent extensive team in the weight room this offseason. Mission has one of the best coaching staffs in Orange County, and I know that they will prepare him to be a college CB in 2009.

Lastly, it's good to see Mission players going to UCLA. Bob Johnson doesn't like the Bruins because of what happened with his son Bret. It's good to see that he's put that aside and let his players have the chance to be recruited by UCLA. Currently, Chane and Chase Moline, Jeff Baca(incoming freshmen), and Garret Rubio are former Mission players on the Bruins roster.

Now back to the basketball talk. GO BRUINS