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UCLA Basketball: Bruins find next star center in Moses Brown

ByHolden Walter-Warner|
LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 15: Head Coach Steve Alford of UCLA Men's Baskeball speaks to the media during a press conference at Pauley Pavilion on November 15, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. Team members LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley and Jalen Hill have been suspended from the team after allegedly shoplifting while on a school trip to China. (Photo by Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 15: Head Coach Steve Alford of UCLA Men's Baskeball speaks to the media during a press conference at Pauley Pavilion on November 15, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. Team members LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley and Jalen Hill have been suspended from the team after allegedly shoplifting while on a school trip to China. (Photo by Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images)

Moses Brown gives the UCLA Bruins one of the consensus Top 20 recruits in the Class of 2018.

The UCLA Bruins aren’t performing up to snuff on the court this season. Many distractions have inhibited the team from doing its best, night in and night out.

The latest news suggests that excuses won’t be acceptable for Steve Alford next season.

High school senior Moses Brown ended his recruitment process on Monday afternoon, committing to the Bruins for next season. The announcement came in the form of a SLAM Magazine exclusive.

“I’ve decided to choose UCLA because their rich basketball tradition,” Brown stated. “They work hard, just like I do, and being around that, that’s a recipe for success.”

According to ESPN, Brown is the No. 2 center in the Class of 2018 and the No. 18 player overall. He averaged 14.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks in AAU play last summer.

The New York native picked UCLA over closer geographical schools, including Florida State and Maryland.

He joins other elite recruits in joining the Bruins next season. Four-star small forward Jules Bernard and shooting guard David Singleton III have also committed to the program.

Brown will be joining UCLA at a perfect time, giving him an instant opportunity to start. The only current seven-footer on the Bruins roster is Thomas Welsh, who will graduate after this season. The former McDonald’s All-American will leave big shoes to fill.

But the 7-foot-1 center has some big shoes himself, profiling as a big man with some agility and an ability to block shots. He won’t be the offensive player Welsh is, but he could develop into a DeAndre Jordan-type.

When the schedules get released next year, circle the dates when UCLA plays Oregon.

Next: 5 biggest injuries of the season

Those matches will give Brown the chance to go head-to-head with Bol Bol, the top center in the Class of 2018.

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