Howland continues building the fence around SoCal:
As a senior this season at Leuzinger, Westbrook led the Olympians to a 25-4 overall record and advanced to the quarterfinals of the CIF Div. IAA. Westbrook averaged 25.1 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 2.3 assists. He connected on 57 three-pointers and shot .760 from the foul line.
"I'm very excited about Russell Westbrook's decision to join the UCLA family," Howland said. "He's an outstanding basketball player who is an equally impressive young man. I think he's going to be able to come in and compete and help us win basketball games immediately."
A first-team All-CIF performer, Westbrook was third-team All-State and a two-time All-Bay League MVP. Scout.com rates Westbrook as the No. 2 shooting guard in the West and as one of the Top 25 shooting guards in the nation. He was also a first-team Daily Breeze selection and the Wave Newspapers named him the Player of the Year.
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Westbrook is UCLA's third NLI signee, joining - McDonald's and Parade Magazine All-American 6-8 220-pound forward James Keefe (Rancho Santa Margarita HS) and 6-9, 225-pound post player Marko Spica, from Belgrade Serbia and Montenegro.
With Farmar and AA declaring, there is room for another guard. I'm thinking only Farmar will leave, and AA will return.
I sure am glad we have DC. Shipp returns, Keefe will be a real player, Spica will help in the paint, and Mata, Luc and Aboya should all improve with more time in the weight room and more time under Ben's tutelage.
Anyone who knows more about Westbrook, please chime in. He sounds like a good signing.