McDonald's All American Game 2012: UCLA Bruins Banking on Big Day

It's now or never for Ben Howland.

He'll head into his 10th season as the head coach of the UCLA Bruins with his behind planted firmly on the hot seat, after a season that saw his team miss the NCAA tournament for the second time in three years amidst the dismissal its star player (Reeves Nelson) and the emergence of a Sports Illustrated expose that wasn't all that shocking in the end. 

Too bad his fate is almost entirely dependent on the whims of high school kids. Though, really, when has it not been?

Luckily for Howland, those teenagers just so happen to be the best prep players in the country, a few from among the 24 selected to play in the 2012 McDonald's All-American Game in Chicago on Wednesday.

Well, three to be exact. Howland's already secured a verbal commitment from Kyle Anderson, the fourth-best high school prospect in the class of 2012 according to Scout.com. The sinewy 6'8" forward has evoked favorable comparisons to Magic Johnson for his size and skill as a point forward, and drawn praise from legendary St. Anthony High School coach Bob Hurley Sr.:

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“He is the most complete player to ever play at our school — and we’ve had some pretty good ones.”

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You read that right. The same Bob Hurley Sr. who fathered and coached Bobby Hurley, who, in turn, starred for Mike Krzyzewski at Duke in the early 1990s.

Not bad company, to say the least.

He'll be joined at UCLA by fellow Bruins commit Jordan Adams, a 6'5" guard out of the well-renowned Oak Hill Academy, who Scout.com rates as the 75th-best prospect in the nation.

With those two seemingly in the proverbial bag, Howland will hang his hopes—for a potential Pac-12 title and a Final Four-caliber squad as opposed to one merely capable of returning to the Big Dance—on the decisions of Shabazz Muhammad and Tony Parker. Both will be at the United Center for the Mickey D's Game, Muhammad with the West and Parker with the East.

Parker, not to be confused with the San Antonio Spurs' star point guard, is a hefty 6'8" pivot whose soft hands, skill in the post, lack of athleticism and need for conditioning are eerily reminiscent of current Bruins balloon Joshua Smith.

Except smaller, of course, seeing as how Smith was well over 300 pounds at last glance while Parker is listed at "merely" 255 pounds.

Muhammad, on the other hand, is the true gem of this class, the one player whose presence could propel UCLA to its fourth Final Four of the Howland Era (and save Howland's job in the process).

The son of former USC Trojans hoopster Ron Holmes rates as the No. 2 prospect in the class of 2012 and grades out as a quicker and more athletic (if slightly shorter) version of Kentucky's Michael Kidd-Gilchrist for his tenacity and tremendous motor.

Oh, and he dominated the Powerade Jamfest Slam Dunk Contest on Monday night. Kid can get up, to say the least.

Both youngsters are expected to let their intentions be known in the next two weeks or so, with Muhammad set to announce on April 11.

Until then, you can bet Howland and his staff will be watching every move Muhammad and Parker make, waiting with bated breath for their forthcoming decisions.

No surprise, seeing as how their jobs will likely depend on them.

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