Kansas and Syracuse are the other programs the Bruins will have to compete with for Adams’ upcoming commitment.
The Bruins have solidified themselves as a contender for one of the West Coast’s top uncommitted players.
UCLA men’s basketball made class of 2024 small forward Marcus Adams Jr.’s top three, the Narbonne High School (CA) product announced Thursday afternoon on Twitter. Kansas and Syracuse also made the cut alongside the Bruins, while Texas, Oregon and Mississippi State missed it after previously being a part of Adams’ top five programs.
Adams, who is a candidate to reclassify to 2023 and potentially start college this coming fall, also had offers from Arkansas, Cal Baptist, Indiana, Kansas City, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Pepperdine, Sam Houston State, Tennessee, UT Rio Grande Valley, UC Irvine, USC, Washington and Washington State.
Adams announced on Tuesday that he would be taking an official visit to UCLA from March 3 to 5, when he was initially supposed to visit Syrcause. The 6-foot-8, 200-pound wing officially visited Kansas from Feb. 24 to 26.
The Bruins are set to host No. 8 Arizona on Saturday. Adams and his family have already been to numerous games at Pauley Pavilion since receiving an offer from coach Mick Cronin on Feb. 6, but the Bruins’ Saturday showdown with the Wildcats is a sold-out rivalry game.
The Harbor City, California, native told 247Sports on Tuesday that he could make a verbal commitment sometime in the next two weeks, and that UCLA would be his final visit.
Adams is a four-star recruit, according to 247Sports and On3, but a three-star on Rivals. 247Sports has Adams newly ranked as the No. 4 player in California, the No. 11 small forward in the nation and the No. 29 overall prospect in the class of 2024 – a 31-spot increase from their previous rankings.
In 17 games with Norbonne, Adams is averaging 28.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. Adams’ 50-point, 21-rebound outing earlier in the year was one of the highlights of his season, while also adding several other 30-point performances and eight double-doubles.
Adams is currently set to join the Compton Magic when the AAU season begins in early April, as long as he doesn’t reclassify.
UCLA has secured commitments from several Compton Magic products over the past few cycles, with assistant coach Rod Palmer actually co-founding the program in 1993. Arron Afflalo, TJ Leaf, Ike Anigbogu, Jaylen Hands, Jalen Hill, Jules Bernard, Johnny Juzang, Jaylen Clark, Dylan Andrews and Devin Williams all suited up for the Magic.
UCLA does not have a commitment for the class of 2024, but it has three commitments for the class of 2023. Four-star forward Devin Williams, four-star forward Brandon Williams and four-star guard Sebastian Mack make up the Bruins’ three-man class, which ranks No. 13 in the country and No. 3 in the Pac-12.
If the Bruins were able to reel in Adams and have him reclassify to 2023, their class would likely break into the top 10 nationally and challenge for the top spot in the conference.
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PHOTO COURTESY OF MARCUS ADAMS JR./TWITTER
