Ryan Wright Transfers to Oklahoma

By Bruin Basketball Report

Sophomore post player Ryan Wright  has decided to transfer to the University of Oklahoma.  He will sit out next season and be eligible to play in 2008-09.

"I've made my decision and I feel that Oklahoma is the best place for me," Wright said.

Wright played sparingly at UCLA last season, averaging 1.3 points and 0.9 rebounds in 5.4 minutes of action per game.  With the addition of Kevin Love to the squad next season and the emergence of Lorenzo Mata, minutes would have been few for the former star from Mississauga, Ontario.

Although the 6'8, 240lb Wright arrived at UCLA two years ago as the most highly touted recruit among a five member class, which included Darren Collison, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Alfred Aboya, and Michael Roll, he was never able to assert himself on either side of the court. 

It wasn't from a lack of effort on Wright's part, he reported to camp last season in excellent condition after a summer of intense work-outs and was ready to make an impact on the team.  But  despite all his efforts and willingness to learn, Wright never found his comfort zone on the court with the Bruins.

"Ryan is an outstanding young man and we appreciate what he has done
for this program over the past two years," UCLA Coach Ben Howland said. "He worked
hard everyday, showed great improvement and was an important part of
our run to back-to-back Final Four appearances. We wish him nothing but
the best."

Bruin Recruiting: Prep News Roundup (5/21)

By Bruin Basketball Report

Prep News Roundup is published every Monday.

Commits

The Trailblazers: Amazingly, Singler wasn't even the best senior in the state. That honor
belonged to Kevin Love, Lake Oswego's UCLA-bound power forward who's rated
the nation's No. 2 baller in the Class of 2007. Together they carried
Oregon high school hoops to unprecedented levels. Local fans loved that
their state had more players in the Top 10 of national recruit rankings
than hoop mecca New York City had in the Top 100. Sports Illustrated  5/18

Arizona Cactus Classic Preview: New UCLA commitment Drew Gordon
is a force for the Soldiers in the paint. The five-star power forward
chose the Bruins over schools such as Arizona, Kansas and Kentucky.
He'll have the chance to show why he's Rivals.com's 25th ranked player
in the country. GoAZCats 5/14

Arizona Cactus Classic Preview: Inland Reebok is led by UCLA commit Malcolm Lee,
whose big spring on the AAU circuit has helped him emerge as a
McDonald's All-American candidate. 6-foot-5, Lee can play the one
through three and will be one of the best prospects in Tucson this
weekend. GoAZCats 5/15

As news spread around the gym on Saturday morning about the tragic death of Florida guard Dante Anderson, the loss hit Malcolm Lee especially hard. Lee
was roommates with Anderson just two weeks ago with Team Reebok at the
Bill Hensley Memorial. The two were planning on rooming together in
Italy next month as the team traveled to Europe with the shoe company
all-star game. "I was not ready to hear that news," Lee said.
"I kept asking myself, 'Is this for real? Is this for real? I just
talked to him the other day." Lee found out of the loss just
minutes before the tip off of his 9 a.m. game. He said he dedicated his
28-point effort to his friend. Cardinal Sports 5/19

Next year, Larry Drew could potentially return to McKale again, only this time it would have to be as an Arizona Wildcat. “I’ve
narrowed it down to Arizona and North Carolina,” Drew said, noting that
UCLA (which already has commitments from 2008 guards Malcolm Lee and
Jerime Anderson) is running third. Drew plans to stick around for an unofficial visit to the UA on Monday. Arizona Daily Star 5/19

Recruits

Arizona Cactus Classic Preview: 2009 point guard Elijah Johnson
is considered one of the best point guards in his class. The Las Vegas
Chayenne star headlines this year's Houston Hoops, one of the nation's
premier AAU programs. GoAZCats 5/15

Pump N'Run Elite is considered one of the top AAU programs in the
country. They are the defending Arizona Cactus Classic champions and
are favorites to win again heading into the weekend. Jrue Holiday,
ranked 2nd in the 2008 class by Rivals.com, headlines a team filled
with stars. However, a stress fracture could keep Holiday out of this
tournament. He's narrowed down his list of schools to UCLA and
Washington.... UCLA commit Jerime Anderson (commited) is another highly ranked prospect, and is ranked 55th in the country by Rivals.com. He shares point guard duties with Drew.... 2009 twins David Wear and Travis Wear
were both offered by Arizona and UCLA as freshmen. They have those two
schools and North Carolina in their top three. Rivals.com ranks Travis
22nd and David 23rd....Reeves Nelson
is arguably one of the top five players in the 2009 class. He's
6-foot-7, still growing and you'll be hard pressed to find anyone who
plays harder than he does this weekend in Tucson. GoAZCats 5/15

Southern California-based Pump N' Run Elite brings in combination guard
Jrue Holiday and point guard Drew, the son of former NBA player Larry
Drew. Holiday recently scratched UA from his list of schools. UA has
just one more scholarship to give for the 2008-09 season after the
commitments of Lavender and Emmanuel Negedu. Tucson Citizen 5/16

The biggest change in the rankings comes at the top. Renardo Sidney reclaimed the No. 1 ranking in the class of 2009 with his stellar play in the spring, taking the spot from Alabama forward DeMarcus Cousins.
Renardo Sidney has recently taken his game to another level.
Sidney, a Mississippi native, moved to Los Angeles last summer and got his body into shape. The 6-foot-9 forward has a do-everything approach to the game. His versatility, upside and skill set are hard to match nationally - regardless of class. Rivals.com 5/16

Jrue Holiday was no slouch himself. In fact, he was equally as outstanding
as Derozan. The nation's second best player scored 27 points on 10 of
16 shooting. That kind of proficiency is the staple of Holiday's game.
There is very little wasted movement with him and when he makes a move
the basket the end result is usually a bucket or an assists. For young
guards that want to learn how to simply 'get it', watch Holiday for 32
minutes. He is a clinician. Gator Bait 5/19

Pump N’ Run Elite, featuring Jrue Holiday, Larry Drew, Reeves
Nelson, and the Wear twins, David and Travis, fell to the New York
Gauchos (5-0) 85-65 in the second round of Classic, finishing
tournament play at 3-2. “We were exhausted,” said David Wear. “I think the fatigue got to us.”...We’re going to the same school,”
said David Wear when asked if he and Travis were a package deal. “We’re
definitely on the same page. Our parents have wanted us to go to the
same school since we were little.” The Wear’s are looking primarily at Arizona, UCLA and North Carolina, with Stanford and Washington also receiving consideration. Arizona Daily Star 5/19

(photo credit: Rivals and Sports Illustrated)