Four schools are standing out for Shabazz Muhammad and he has had second thoughts about UCLA, according to comments the 6-foot-6 Las Vegas Bishop Gorman small forward gave Jerry Meyer of Rivals.com.
Muhammad said that Duke, Kentucky, UCLA and UNLV are the four schools that stand out to him, Meyer wrote from the City of Palms Classic in Fort Meyers, Fla.
He also said UCLA’s start had affected his recruitment.
“It affected it when UCLA was losing early,” Muhammad said. “It had me thinking how I’d fit in. It’s tough. I don’t want to go to a school on the down turn. But I think they can turn it around.”
Since starting the season 1-4, the Bruins have won three of four entering Saturday’s game against U.C. Davis.
They have also divorced themselves of the human drama that is Reeves Nelson, now headed to play in Lithuania. The new UCLA players in 2012 won’t have to worry about Nelson.
Muhammad gave similar comments to FiveStarBasketball.com, but added that he believes the additions of himself, along with Kyle Anderson and Jordan Adams, could help turn things around in Westwood.
“I’ve been watching them this year, they’re really still struggling and I hope they can pull together,” Muhammad told Five Star Basketball in an exclusive interview.
“I think with me, Kyle and Jordan, if I was to go there it would be a great combination, and Kyle’s a really good player. So is Jordan.”
Muhammad and Anderson are tight, and have discussed playing together.
Also, UCLA is in the hunt for 6-9 Tony Parker, who helped Anderson and the Playaz Basketball Club win the IS8 Fall League this year. (Anderson had 15 Friday as defending national champ St. Anthony opened their season with an 80-16 win over Emily Fisher Charter.)
“Me and him in the same program would be a really good thing and we would win a lot of games,” Muhammad said of Parker.
Of course, Duke is also recruiting both Muhammad and Parker, and Muhammad is due to take an official visit there March 3 for the North Carolina game.
