Milwaukee Hamilton’s Kevon Looney had narrowed his college choices to Wisconsin, Duke, Florida, Michigan State, Tennessee and UCLA.
6-9 guard/forward one of top recruits in nation
Kevon Looney walked into the gym at Milwaukee Hamilton sporting a high-top fade that made him 2 or 3 inches taller. He wore black slacks, a white button-down shirt underneath a black sweater and a black-and-gold-striped tie. He dragged a small traveling case with rollers that carried the secret everyone had been waiting to hear.
The Milwaukee Hamilton basketball standout had narrowed his college choices to Wisconsin, Duke, Florida, Michigan State, Tennessee and UCLA, and Thursday, his older brother Kevin's 25th birthday, Looney announced his decision. He used the case to conceal a baseball cap of the school of his choice until an afternoon news conference at the high school.
"I was going to do the hat thing to start off, but it was short notice and we couldn't get all the hats," he said.
So rather than announce the winner of his recruitment by picking its hat out of a lineup, Looney cracked open his case and pulled out a gray baseball cap with the letters UCLA stitched in blue across it and put it on.
The Hamilton Wildcat will be a Bruin.
"California was a great place. UCLA was a great campus, the most beautiful campus I had ever seen. Coach (Steve) Alford is a great coach," Looney said. "When I went on the visit I saw their team and I saw how they bought into the system (even though) he is new there. They have a great style of play that I think I can fit in."
Looney went back and forth between UCLA and Tennessee Wednesday night. After he finalized his decision, he kept quiet. Not even his parents, Kevin "Doug" Looney Sr. and Victoria, who sat by their son's side as he made the announcement, knew the school he'd select.
"They said they wanted to be surprised like everyone else, so I just kept it to myself," Looney said.
Looney is a 6-foot-9 guard/forward whose size, excellent ball-handling skills and grades — he is a straight-A student — made him one of the top recruits in the country. Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski came to Hamilton's game against Milwaukee Washington to watch him last season. Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan saw him often as well.
Here is a selection of Looney's national rankings for the 2014 class: Rivals (13th), Scout (14th), ESPN (11th), NY2LA (fifth) and 247 Sports (eighth).
In October, he was invited to the 2014 USA developmental national team minicamp.
Looney averaged 26.1 points, 12.4 rebounds, seven blocks and 3.1 assists last season for Hamilton. He made 70% of his shots, including 32% from three-point range, and led a Wildcats squad filled with mostly unproven players to within one victory of the City title.
"Kevon Looney is probably the most gifted high school basketball player this state has ever produced," said Cedarburg coach Tom Diener, who coached Looney at Hamilton the past three seasons. "When you take the length, the skill, the intelligence and the character, I would put him at the top of the list."
For Wisconsin, it marked the second time in three years it came close to getting a big-time recruit from the area. Two years ago, Menomonee Falls' J.P. Tokoto selected North Carolina over UW.
Looney thanked all the coaches who recruited him. When asked about UW, he noted that Ryan was the first to recruit him.
"He was there all the time," Looney said. "In the summertime I don't think he missed too many games this year, last year or the year before. He was there every night. He came to some Hamilton games. He'd make it to the open gym whenever he could, so he was very active."
His announcement, which had been in the works for weeks, was delayed a few hours before it was given clearance by the school district for a 1 p.m. start. The event included Hamilton's cheerleaders as well as words from Diener and Shelby Parrish, a coach with the Running Rebels, the organization that runs Looney's club team.
"Today has probably been one of the most crazy days of my life ..." Looney said. "It started off with my announcement supposed to be at 11 and I thought everything was going to be good. I was pumped for it and then I thought it was canceled and I didn't know where I was going to have it, whether it was going to be today or tomorrow or when.
"I wanted to tell somebody it had to be today and God worked it out for the best. I got to do it at the school like I dreamed of. Today started off kind of rough, but it ended up great."
Read more from Journal Sentinel: http://www.jsonline.com/sports/preps/milwaukee-hamilton-basketball-star-kevon-looney-chooses-ucla-b99132349z1-230080281.html#ixzz2japvrnDr
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Kevon Looney commits to UCLA
- Reggie Rankin [ARCHIVE]
- ESPN.com | October 31, 2013
Scout's Take: Looney a key get for Alford
To play the system he wants, Steve Alford needs versatile players all over the floor, and senior Kevon Looney fits the bill, writes Paul Biancardi. Blog 
"I always liked UCLA," he said. "I knew about their tradition from the past when I was growing up. Those years they were going back to the Final Four."
The 6-foot-8 power forward from Milwaukee/Hamilton is coach Steve Alford's first highly ranked signee since his hiring in March, showing that the Bruins can successfully recruit on a national level.
Distance was obviously not a factor in Looney's decision.
"It was such a beautiful place and I couldn't turn it down," Looney said.
Looney was considering UCLA while Ben Howland was still coach, but Alford made him a priority after being hired away from New Mexico.
"UCLA was recruiting me before the coaching change, and when the new staff came in I was not sure, but Coach Alford and the whole staff made me feel comfortable, especially on my official visit," Looney said.
Looney will have offensive freedom from the wing position that was attractive, as well.
"I will play power forward and small forward," Looney said. "Rebound, lead the break, play on the wing, post, play fast and play slow. Coach Alford told me to watch how [guard/forward] Kyle Anderson and the Wear twins [seniors Travis and David] play."
Looney joins 6-10 power forward Gyorgy Goloman (Weston, Fla./Sagemont) in the Bruins' 2014 class.
Thanks to BradWright for posting this on BZ.
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