Prince Ali, the number 44 ranked player in the ESPN 100, has verbally committed to attend UCLA, according to Reggie Rankin of ESPN.com.
Ali, a 6-4 combo guard, originally chose Connecticut last winter before backing out in May. Bruins head coach Steve Alford has been in contact with the senior from Pembroke Pines, Florida, who chose UCLA for what Alford had to offer.
"I like Coach [Steve] Alford because he is an up-front guy,” Ali said. “He tells me what I do well and what I need to do better. He didn't sugarcoat anything in the process."
Ali is touted as both a scorer and defender, and he seems to relish the idea of doing both while at Westwood.
"Perfect fit both offensively and defensively,” Ali said. “They will give me the chance to cover the opposing team's best player. I am competitive and look forward to that challenge.”
Ali will join fellow top recruit Aaron Holiday in the UCLA backcourt for the 2015-16 season. The guard tandem figures to provide UCLA with both scoring and tenacious defense for a resurgent UCLA program who has flourished in the recruiting scene under Alford.
UCLA, which won the Pac-12 Tournament last season, faces an upcoming campaign without a handful of stars who decided to enter the NBA Draft last June. Bruins Zach LaVine, Jordan Adams and Kyle Anderson were all selected in the first round.
While the arrival of Ali and Holiday is still a season away, Bruins fans are excited about the potential the two young stars bring to the table.