UCLA Men's Basketball Hosts Top Recruits Ron Holland, Isaiah Collier On Official Visits
Two of the most highly-coveted prospects in the nation both came to Westwood for the weekend.
Class of 2023 forward Ron Holland and guard Isaiah Collier both had official visits with UCLA men's basketball on Saturday. Holland, from Duncanville (TX), and Collier, from Wheeler (GA), are both nationally-ranked recruits who have already started to narrow down their options and have the Bruins high up on their lists.
Holland recently announced his top eight on May 8, while Collier trimmed his field down to seven back in November. UCLA is competing with Kentucky, Auburn, Texas, Arkansas, Houston, Memphis and the NBA G League in their pursuit of Holland and Auburn, Cincinnati, Florida State, Alabama, Georgia and USC to reel in Collier.
Collier has clarified this spring that his recruitment is open and that he will still field calls from other teams, but the Bruins are evidently in contention for his commitment. Holland, on the other hand, has said that he is ready to narrow things down and not "waste anyone's time."
The two recruits had individual and combined photoshoots on the court and in the locker room at Pauley Pavilion, as they both shared on social media. Point guard Tyger Campbell and guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. took part in the photoshoot as well, joining the two prospects in-uniform the the locker room as part of the visit.
Most of the staged photoshoots included UCLA's 11 NCAA championship trophies, with the staff apparently selling the two recruits on both the old and the new.
Holland is a five-star recruit according to ESPN, Rivals and the 247Sports Composite. Holland ranks No. 1 in Texas, No. 3 among small forwards and No. 9 overall in his class.
The 6-foot-8 wing put up 15.9 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game as a high school junior, leading Duncanville to a 35-1 record and Texas state title in the process. For his career, Holland is a 59% shooter from the field, 32% shooter from deep and 69% shooter from the free throw line.
Collier is also a five-star recruit according to ESPN, Rivals and the 247Sports Composite. The 6-foot-3 prospect ranks No. 1 in Georgia, No. 3 among point guards and No. 15 overall in his class.
After the high school season came to a close, Collier joined Holland as one of the 11 2023 participants at the USA Men’s Junior National Team Minicamp in New Orleans. Collier then joined The Skill Factory on the Nike EYBL circuit and has asserted himself as one of the best passers and floor generals in the country.
Collier visited the Trojans on Wednesday before heading to Westwood for the weekend, and he has also taken official visits to Alabama and Cincinnati.
UCLA does not currently have a commit for its 2023 recruiting class, and notably lost out on four-star shooting guards Dusty Stromer and Rayvon Griffith to Gonzaga and Cincinnati, respectively, on May 1. Coach Mick Cronin and his staff remain in on not only Holland and Collier, but also five-star shooting guard Ja'Kobe Walter and four-star forwards Andrej Stojakovic and Milan Momcilovic, among others.
With as many as eight scholarship spots opening up next offseason, the Bruins will have to start closing on some of these recruits sooner rather than later. Holland and Collier appear to be two of the higher targets on their board, and their visits over the weekend marked a major stepping stone in their respective recruitments.
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