Howland Nabs His Point Guard of the Future - Dominic Artis Picks UCLA

Sources are reporting that Dominic Artis, the fast rising best point guard in the west has committed to UCLA.  According to ESPN (emphasis mine):

Artis is looking like the No. 1 point guard prospect out west for his class. He has solid speed, quickness, and he changes gears very well to separate from opponents. He doesn't have ideal height for the high-major level, but he does have very long arms and he looks very young in the face-which may suggest he isn't through growing. In terms of skill he has a tight and crafty handle and he can get into seams of the defense to set up his teammates. He advances the ball well in transition and generally exhibits a high basketball IQ while operating the half-court offense.

Bottom Line:
Although the point guard class is weak nationally, Artis projects well at the highest level. He isn't as quick as former Bruin Tyus Edney, but he does have similar characteristics in terms of playing style.

Notes

Travel Team: Oakland Soldiers...Committed to UCLA in July 2012...

I assume the 2012 part is a typo. Scout is also reporting that UCLA has a verbal commitment (not behind a firewall).

On Sunday, just after the Oakland Soldiers were eliminated from the event, Artis

"I really like Ben Howland’s style of play," Artis told Scout.com. "When I went down there for the visit all the guys were real cool and it just seemed like a good fit for me."

. . . "They have a great legacy of point guards up there," the four-star prospect added.

Artis, who will finish his high school career at Henderson (Nev.) Findlay Prep, has had a strong spring and summer and made his way into Scout.com’s recent rankings, checking in at No. 95.

More after the jump.

Artis joins Jordan Adams in the 2012 recruiting class.  This class is looking good and outstanding for this early in the recruiting game. 

Some video of Dominic is here and here.  The second video is entitled "2012 PG with Handles and Stroke" and may sum up Artis.  He is a true PG, he is quick, he can shoot, and he looks like he is 10.  Artis is still growing as well but not 6'1" as one report lists him. 

Part of the reason Artis may have committed so early is because L.J. Rose of Texas and him were both in the running.  This is a very nice situation and shows how far Howland has come.  After the problems last year with the McCallum recruitment, this year a kid commits early so he can be UCLA's point guard before another guy takes up the offer. 

Personally I prefer quick point guards.  While Rose was taller, there were questions about his quickness.  While Artis is small, he is still growing and looks like a true PG.  Don't get me wrong Rose looked good as well.  But IMO Artis looks like a great choice right now. 

A few more notes.  He transferred high schools to be at a "PG factory" and in this weekend's games:

Findlay Prep's basketball program has churned out several stellar point guards, including two NBA first-round draft picks in Avery Bradley and Cory Joseph.

Dominic Artis wants to be next in line.

Artis, who has transferred from Salesian High School in Richmond, Calif., to Findlay Prep for his senior year, has been one of the brightest stars of the Las Vegas Fab 48 tournament at Bishop Gorman.

. . . Artis drilled seven 3-pointers on his way to 29 points to lead the Oakland (Calif.) Soldiers to an 86-69 rout of Juice All-Stars (N.Y.) in pool play Saturday.

Or how about this from another review of his tournament play:

Dominic Artis (Oakland Soldiers/2012) – Artis is a short statured point guard who has been getting reviews this spring as potentially the best point that the West coast has to offer. His play in this game made it easy to see why. He drained deep three pointer after deep three pointer both of the catch and off the dribble finishing 6-9 from behind the arc. In addition Artis is quick and crafty with the ball constantly working his way into the paint and creating scoring chances for teammates. He served as the engine that made this high powered Soldiers offense go leading his team both vocally and with his play on the floor.

Very excited to have Artis as a Bruin.  Jordan and Artis are an incredible 2012 class for this early in the recruiting process.  Kudos to CBH and Coach Matthews.  If Shabazz Muhammad committed, it would make it a great class for any time of year.  Regardless, you can really feel the recruiting momentum at UCLA building. 

Edit (Ty): Felt like this would be a good time to embed this video from OswegoBruin from a week and a half ago:

Go Bruins!