The college basketball recruiting world is an insular one, and it's rare that the commitment of a big-name player to a non-traditional power like Duke or Kentucky will make national headlines. But there was a major exception on Friday, when Charles O'Bannon made a verbal commitment ... to USC.
https://twitter.com/mrobannon5/status/812322696474202112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
For those scoring at home, yes, that's Charles O'Bannon Jr., the son of Charles O'Bannon Sr. and nephew of Ed O'Bannon, the pair of brothers who led UCLA to its last national championship in 1995. And what makes this so interesting is that O'Bannon spurned family tradition by not only choosing not to play at UCLA, but also by choosing to play for its cross-town rival.
The younger O'Bannon, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard who plays his prep ball in Las Vegas, actually held a UCLA offer but chose the Trojans over the Bruins -- as well as NC State, UNLV and a handful of others. But this story isn't as simple as "O'Bannon going against family tradition."
https://twitter.com/Ed_OBannon/status/812386890389172224
For one, UCLA has a stacked recruiting class coming in next season - it's ranked No. 1 in the country by some services - and playing time likely would have been at a premium. Ironically, the Bruins already have one shooting guard committed for next season, a guy who is also related to a fellow (burgeoning) UCLA legend: Li'Angelo Ball, the younger brother of Lonzo Ball.
Plus, the elder O'Bannon was never going to push his son to play for his own alma mater. Here's what he told NevadaPreps about his son's impending recruitment last year:
"I love UCLA, of course, but you want him to have to make the decision that's best for him," O'Bannon Sr. said. "I would never push UCLA more than I would push another school just because I went there. I want him to make his own decision and be able to accept it when he gets older, when his career is over. I don't want him to look back and think, 'My dad made me go there.'"
