It has turned into a terrific weekend for the UCLA Bruins.
First, a big-time win and a standout performance on opening night. The Bruins romped Pacific and almost got a triple-double from freshman Lonzo Ball.
On Sunday afternoon, Steve Alford's program vaulted to No. 1 in the 247Sports composite team rankings for the class of 2017. The reason is the addition of an interesting prospect at small forward/shooting guard, 6-foot-8 Indianapolis native Kris Wilkes. He ranks No. 18 in the country, per 247Sports. Alford went well away from the West Coast to land Wilkes. In doing so, the Bruins have essentially guaranteed themselves of having a top-five class in 2017, no matter who commits where in the coming weeks/months.
UCLA beat out Indiana and Illinois for Wilkes.
This also means UCLA will have a top-10 class two consecutive years. Wilkes signed his National Letter of Intent, meaning Alford was able to comment on the record about the get.
"Kris is a very skilled big guard," Alford said via written statement. "We needed to add size in our backcourt and Kris gives us that. With Kris, you're talking about a guy who is a potential 2,000-point scorer in high school who could also win Indiana's Mr. Basketball award. He has great length and talent and a high basketball IQ. We're excited to add Kris to our program."
He's long but able to play shooting guard, flex wing or traditional small forward. Alford will be able to use him in many ways. He's one of the most creative players to sign on with UCLA since Kyle Anderson.
Wilkes, the only five-star player in UCLA's class, joins four-star point guard Jaylen Hands, four-star power forwards Jalen Hill and Cody Riley and three-star shooting guard Li'Angelo Ball, the younger brother of Lonzo Ball.
The move also solidifies the Pac-12's recruiting efforts in this class. UCLA, Arizona and Washington have the top three classes as of now -- and Oregon at 10 means 40 percent of the top of the list is occupied by Pac-12 schools.
