Hoop Dreams

Men's Basketball Head Coach Ben Howland has done it again. His 2008 crop of freshman players — named the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation by both ESPN.com and Scout.com — includes elite guards, an explosive power forward and a standout center. The good times figure to keep on rolling with these freshman phenoms, who bring personality to spare, along with talent, to Westwood.

By Wendy Soderburg, Photos by Patrik Giardino

Published Jan 1, 2009 8:00 AM

Jerime Anderson and J'mison "Bobo" Morgan.

The Molders and Shapers: High School Coaches

Of course, UCLA's coaches and upperclassmen are not the only ones offering advice. Behind each freshman is a caring high school coach who not only taught him well, but who now anxiously follows his progress.

For Malcolm Lee, a 6'5" shooting guard, that person is Michael Bartee, who stepped down as head basketball coach at John W. North High School in Riverside, Calif., when Lee graduated in June.

Jrue Holiday

"We didn't have the big guys, so Malcolm ended up playing every position. He was just our total leader," Bartee says. "He did everything because he was the tallest kid and jumped the highest."

Bartee chuckles at the memory of his earliest meetings with Lee, who was only 9 years old when he would trot onto the gym floor during halftime of the boys' basketball games and put on a show. "He was just a little guy shooting from half court, and the people used to cheer him on," Bartee says. "I remember him saying, 'When I get old enough, I'm playing here.' He had tons of confidence."

UCLA fans will probably be surprised to learn that J'mison "Bobo" Morgan, a 6'10" center who comes from a basketball family, was originally a football player who did not play competitive basketball until he was a sophomore in high school. James Mays II, his coach at South Oak Cliff High School in Dallas, Texas, explains that Morgan's late start was due to a "knock-kneed" condition that was corrected with surgery when he was a freshman.

Yet from the beginning, Morgan had impeccable timing and became an excellent shot-blocker, Mays says. "He's a traditional center, and there aren't too many of those around anymore. You're not going to see him out there shooting long-range jumpers. He's going to be in the paint, working hard. He's going to be banging, he's going to be causing havoc."

Oh, and there's one more thing about Morgan that we should know. "He's a chatterbox. He's going to keep it live!" Mays says, laughing. "He has a magnetic personality. You guys are going to really love him."

Nate Harrison, head basketball coach at Canyon High School in Anaheim, Calif., has nothing but praise for his former player, 6'3" point guard Jerime Anderson. "He's just an all-around great player," Harrison says. "A pass-first guy, he likes to get his teammates involved. He can score, but I think the thing that makes him such a good fit for Ben Howland and UCLA is that he's probably the best defensive guard I've ever seen."

Drew Gordon and J’mison Morgan.

Harrison says there was never any doubt in Anderson's mind that UCLA was the school for him. "As he continued to get better and better, Arizona and Florida and Illinois and some of the other big-name schools started to have a growing interest, but I don't think he ever even considered anywhere else than UCLA. In his heart, that was where he wanted to be."

According to Terry Kelly, who coached 6'3" Jrue Holiday at Campbell Hall High School in North Hollywood, the gifted combo guard has an incredibly high basketball IQ and the ability to make everybody around him better. "With that big body, he can finish with his left or right hand. He can play a multiple number of positions, including the point guard or the 2 guard, and I know there's a running debate as to which one he's better at," Kelly says. "Nobody's seemed to have solved that just yet!"

In Kelly's mind — and he's not alone — Holiday is arguably the best player in the nation. The coach says he has never seen a kid work so hard on and off the court, whether watching film or shooting more jump shots. His leadership carried Campbell Hall's team to three state titles in four years.

Along with Morgan, 6'9" power forward Drew Gordon will no doubt see substantial playing time this year. Gordon has tremendous instincts on the floor, has a knack for anticipating the play and is very explosive, according to Brian Eagleson, his former coach at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif.

"On the court, he has moments where he will crack a joke to lighten the mood, while at other times he is stoic and intense," Eagleson says. "He is highly motivated while on the floor, and very, very competitive. This has been a knock on him at times, but I feel it's one of his greatest strengths. His emotion on the floor, his energy and his unselfish play are his best form of leadership."