Shabazz Muhammad: Choosing UCLA Shows Elite Recruit Has Something to Prove

It would have been very easy for top recruit Shabazz Muhammad to join Nerlens Noel at Kentucky to continue John Calipari's yearly tradition of reloading and reaching the Final Four, but choosing UCLA proves that Muhammad wants to show that he can turn a program around.

UCLA has long been one of the nation's elite basketball programs, and while it continues to be exactly that, it has fallen on hard times in recent years. The Bruins have missed the NCAA tournament in two of the past three years, and following a Sports Illustrated report that player behavior has gotten out of control under head coach Ben Howland, the program is losing some of its luster.

Coming off a National Championship, there is no question that Kentucky is the chic program in college basketball. Had Muhammad followed in Noel's footsteps, then the Wildcats would have gone a long way toward replacing the likes of Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and other players who seem likely to leave early for the NBA.

Calipari has proven that he is capable of dealing with a large roster turnover and still winning over the past two years, so Kentucky likely would have been considered a contender once again with Muhammad aboard. Muhammad made a risky and admirable decision, though, as he intends to play for a team that is in the doldrums in a Pac-12 Conference that is on the decline.

With all of that said, the Bruins now seem to be back on the rise. They already signed another elite prospect in forward Kyle Anderson, and coupled with Muhammad, UCLA now has one of the most promising, young front-court duos in the nation.

No matter where Muhammad would have went, if he plays well this coming season, then he's likely to be a very high pick in next year's NBA draft. You never know for sure what a prospect's intentions are, but for the most part the elite guys are planning to go one-and-done before joining the NBA.

That is likely the case with Muhammad, and if it is, then Kentucky might have been the safe choice. Rather than being safe, though, Muhammad decided to take a bit of a chance. Unlike Kentucky, there is no guarantee that UCLA will make the big dance this year. If they don't, then Muhammad will miss out on a valuable opportunity to showcase himself.

At the same time, however, if he is able to help push UCLA back into that top-10 range and make a push in the NCAA tournament with the Bruins, then he will look a lot better for doing so. Having success with the Wildcats will be viewed as Muhammad doing what he was supposed to, but winning at UCLA will likely be considered a major coup.

If Muhammad is as good as advertised, then he is going to be a great player and it really doesn't matter what college he goes to. If he wants to prove that he can be the main guy and put a franchise on his back, though, then he ultimately made the right decision by choosing UCLA.