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The most talented offensive player in the Class of 2012 is headed to Westwood. Shabazz Muhammad (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman), ESPNU's No. 2 overall recruit, announced Wednesday on ESPN's "Signing Day Special" that he will sign with the Bruins over Kentucky and Duke.
The addition of the 6-foot-6 Muhammad rockets coach Ben Howland's recruiting class to No. 2 in the class rankings, one slot behind Pac-12 rival Arizona. The Bruins' haul in the early period was constructed around do-it-all small forward Kyle Anderson (Fairview, N.J./St. Anthony's) and scoring maven Jordan Adams (Lawrenceville, Ga./Oak Hill), ranked Nos. 5 and 41, respectively.
"Shabazz Muhammad is the No. 1 player in the country and his signing at UCLA is huge for our program," Howland said. "I'm just so excited because he is a great kid that embodies what is needed to be an excellent student-athlete. He is an outstanding student who is a great person and is obviously a very special player. He brings so many skills to the table. He is very athletic and is a very strong and explosive player who is a very good passer and scorer and is an outstanding shooter. He will be a very special player for us."
UCLA had been the perceived leader for Muhammad since last year, but recruiting trips to Duke, Kansas, Kentucky and the burgeoning presence of Muhammad's hometown UNLV program had cast doubt on his final decision.
The Bruins were in desperate need of a significant recruiting haul coming off a difficult 19-14 season, which ended with a loss to Arizona in the second round of the Pac-12 tournament.
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Muhammad's ability centers around the left-hander's explosion to the rim, his commitment to improving and his overall offensive package. Muhammad was the McDonald's All-American game's Most Valuable Player after scoring 21 points with six rebounds for the West team. Last weekend, he broke the Hoop Summit scoring record with 35 points for the U.S. in a loss to the world All-Stars.
After a strong summer in 2011, Muhammad ascended to the No. 1 spot in ESPNU's overall rankings. Muhammad ceded the position to Nerlens Noel (Everett, Mass./Tilton) when Noel announced he would rejoin his original class and join a college program next season.
Muhammad led Bishop Gorman to a state title in his final game in Nevada. His sister is a professional tennis player.
ESPN Los Angeles' Pete Yoon contributed to this report.
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