UCLA scores with Washington guard

When we saw Zach LaVine at the Pangos All-American Camp, he was glowing about a recent visit to UCLA.

The Bruins had led for a while, he has family in the area and he seemed to be on the verge of a commitment. Wednesday night, the Bothell (Wash.) High product popped for Ben Howland's crew.

Raised around UCLA fans, LaVine felt that he would eventually end up in Westwood. He just didn't know that he would pull the trigger Wednesday night until it happened. Although he did cite a recent visit as instrumental.

"I really don't understand why I picked tonight," LaVine told Rivals.com. "It just came to me. My uncle Marvin came to town and he's my god father and we talked and had been planning to do it in August. But, we decided to do it tonight because it felt right.

"I think I decided for sure on it at Pangos after I visited. I was with my family and we decided it was the right decision for me."

Currently under-ranked by at least 100 spots at No. 140 in the 2013 Rivals150, LaVine will be at least a high end four-star when the rankings get re-shuffled. He has the ability to play the one or the two, good size and an electric first step.

"They've recruited me for a point guard," said LaVine. "With my scoring ability they say that I can play both that and the two. They say if I grow a little more that I can play the three as well."

A competitor at heart, LaVine is well aware of the level of player that has been going to UCLA of late. While some prospects are turned off by an abundance of high level players, it only enhanced UCLA's position for a guy who regularly works out with the likes Tony Wroten, Brandon Roy, Will Conroy and Jamal Crawford.

"That's exactly what I want to do," said LaVine. "I come with the mindset that I feel like I'm better than anyone that I step on the court with. I take that mindset and I want to play up to the competition and be the best player I can be on the court at that time. If I lose, then that's the way it goes."

While confident in his ability to contribute, LaVine has some things he's working on before arriving on campus.

"I'm not the strongest guy so I have to work on my strength," said LaVine. "I can score, but I need to work on my fundamentals as a point guard and get ready to get used to the college experience and playing against better players."

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