UCLA Receives Verbal Commitment from No. 4 Player in the Class of 2012

In what is certainly head coach Ben Howland's highest-profile commitment since Jrue Holiday (Gatorade National Player of the Year in the class of 2008), Kyle Anderson, Scout.com's No. 4 player in the class of 2012, committed to UCLA Monday night.

Anderson, a 6'7", 210-pound swingman out of New Jersey, picked UCLA over Seton Hall, St. John's, Florida and Georgetown. St. John's is coached by former Bruins head coach Steve Lavin (1996-2003).

The commitment couldn't have come at a better time for Howland, who had seen two of his most important players from a season ago—Tyler Honeycutt and Malcolm Lee—declare and remain in the NBA draft, sending the Bruins from a national title contender to fringe top 25.

To make matters worse, point guard Jerime Anderson, the last remaining player from the No. 1-rated '08 class, pled guilty to two misdemeanor charges stemming from his involvement in stealing two laptops this summer. UCLA announced Monday that Anderson will be suspended for the first two games of the 2011-12 season.

UCLA held off last-minute charges from St. John's and especially Seton Hall, the latter which was dedicated toward trying to secure a prized in-state recruit. This gives Howland two out-of-state recruits, but what's most fascinating is that swingman Jordan Adams (Oak Hill Academy, Va.—but originally from Atlanta), and Anderson are both from east of the Mississippi River, a region of the country where Howland has not been very successful during his tenure in Westwood.

Former Bruin Kevin Love grew up around Los Angeles, but attended high school at Lake Oswego in Oregon. Current big man Josh Smith is from Kentridge, Wash.

Howland hadn't often strayed away from hugging the West Coast, with Chicago native Lazeric Jones, a current guard who arrived from junior college, and former players Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (attended high school in Florida, originally from Cameroon) and Alfred Aboya (high school in Connecticut, originally from Cameroon) being notable exceptions to the "rule."

Anderson referenced Howland's penchant for teaching defense and preparing players for the NBA as reasons he'd decided to buck the trend and head west. Most important, however, was Howland's reputation as a winner.

Speaking about his expectations for his freshman year, Anderson listed winning a national championship and becoming a strong contributor as goals.

The St. Anthony product, who won a high school national championship in 2010-11, is also reported to be very good friends with Shabazz Muhammad, widely regarded as the top player in the '12 class. Many pundits believe UCLA's capture of Anderson puts them in the driver's seat to land Muhammad.

After already receiving commitments from Jordan Adams and Dominic Artis, Anderson's decision to come play in Westwood has sent the Bruins skyrocketing in the rankings.

Should the Muhammad rumors materialize, this class could become something special indeed. For now, though, Anderson's palpable enthusiasm with becoming a Bruin should be sufficient for true blue fans.

"Had a great family meeting. I've decided to be a UCLA BRUIN!!" Anderson said on Twitter.