SI All-American Candidates: 3 UCLA Commits and 2 Bruins Targets Named

Peyton Watson, a small forward from Long Beach Polytechnic High School, headlines three UCLA commits and two Bruins recruiting targets from the high school class of 2021 to be named Sports Illustrated All-American candidates.

Watson committed to UCLA in July, choosing coach Mick Cronin's program over a final list of schools that included Oregon, Michigan and Gonzaga. The 6-foot-7 wing averaged 23.5 points, 10 rebounds and four assists per game during his junior season, staking his claim as arguably the best prep player in California.

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Listed below is the full breakdown of Bruins commits and recruiting targets to rank among SI's top-99 seniors in the country.

COMMITS

C Mac Etienne/6-10,220/Wolfeboro, N.H.

SG Will McClendon/6-2, 205/Las Vegas, Nev.

SF Peyton Watson/6-6, 180/Long Beach, Calif.

TOP TARGETS

SG Jaden Hardy/6-4, 185/Henderson, Nev.

SG Hunter Sallis/6-5, 175/Omaha, Neb.

Hundreds and hundreds of student-athletes were evaluated for the SI99—Sports Illustrated’s ranking of the top-99 senior high school basketball players in the country—before the list of All-American candidates was finalized. Video highlights, scouting analyses and a breakdown of each player’s college verbal commitment and/or top college contenders can be found on their bio pages at SIAllAmerican.com.

The SI99 was unveiled on Dec. 2, accompanied by lists of prospects ordered by state and college choice/contenders. Position rankings, in-depth videos on top-rated players and more will be released throughout the remainder of December. Sports Illustrated’s final All-American teams for the 2020-21 prep hoops season will be announced in coming months.