Gordon announces college choice

Drew Gordon of Mitty High School class of 2008 and top 15 nationally ranked basketball recruit, announced today that he is verbally committing to accept a scholarship offered by UCLA, beginning with the 2008-09 season. He chose UCLA after considering several top programs, including North Carolina, Duke, Arizona, Washington and Cal.

The 6-foot-9, 235 pound power forward considered several criteria in his selection process. His relationship with the coaching staff, the quality and strength of the program both historically as well as projections for the future, and the academic aspects of each school were part of the process. He was able to unofficially visit each campus and watch games or play in an open-gym environment.

Gordon was impressed with UCLA's coaching staff, their performance during the NCAA playoffs, the campus environment and their plans for his development and role with the team. He is looking forward to working with Coach Howland and the coaching staff.

"I am excited for the recruiting phase to be over for me, and I can't wait to get to UCLA, even though I have another year of high school," said Gordon. "I want to thank all of the schools who were interested in me. It was an honor to be recruited by such top level programs. I appreciated getting to know all the coaches and players, and I look forward to competing against them as a Bruin."

Gordon's high school coach, Brian Eagleson, was instrumental in the recruiting process, fielding phone calls and visits. "I fully support Drew's decision. UCLA has a great program that will push him to become an excellent player and will develop him as a student athlete," said Eagleson. "We reviewed many aspects of the programs on Drew's list, and UCLA fits him as a player and as a person."