Men’s Basketball: UCI signs four
UC Irvine received National Letters of Itent from four men’s basketball recruits on Wednesday, three of whom hold are ranked three-star recruits by ESPN.
Coach Russell Turner and his staff have landed current high school seniors Max Hazzard, Brandon Smith, Darrian Traylor and Justin Wertner, three of whom are scheduled to join the program for the 2015-16 season.
“I am pleased with the job my staff has done in attracting these high-caliber people to UCI,” Turner said. “With the addition of these players, added to our current roster, our future with UC Irvine basketball is incredibly bright. This year’s class is made up of four winning players with outstanding character and who will be excellent additions to the UCI campus community.
Hazzard, the grandson of former UCLA standout player and head coach Walt Hazzard, is an ESPN three-star point guard from Los Angeles Loyola High. Max Hazzard selected UCI over schools such as Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Loyola Marymount, San Jose State and Brown. His brother, Jacob, plays at Arizona.
Traylor is an ESPN three-star shooting guard out of Las Vegas Centennial High. The 6-foot-3 standout chose UCI over Utah State, Weber State, San Francisco, Northern Colorado and Brown.
Wertner, a 6-5 shooting guard, is an ESPN three-star recruit from Saint George’s Independent School in Collierville, Tenn. He is planning to serve a two-year Latter-day Saints Mission before joining the UCI program in the summer of 2017.
Smith is a 6-5 wing who averaged 16 points and eight ebounds for Godinez High last season when he earned All-Orange Coast League honors.
“Max Hazzard comes from a basketball family that is well-known in Southern California for its accomplishments and class,” Turner said. “Max is a winning player with toughness and leadership ability, and he is excellent on both sides of the ball. He is a product of an outstanding high school program, where he has been well-coached and academically prepared.
“Brandon Smith is a local product who we believe to be the best player in Santa Ana,” Turner said. “Our staff works hard to recruit our backyard well, and in this case we have clearly done so. Brandon is athletically gifted at a size that is important for us. He is different than other players that our staff has attracted because of his combination of length, speed and leaping ability for a perimeter player. He plays for an outstanding high school coach and his development as a player has been impressive.
“Darrian Traylor is a physically strong, gifted and tough player who is a natural scorer,” Turner said. “His physicality in the backcourt will allow him to compete with college-level players early, and I expect him to be excellent on the defensive end of the floor as he continues to evolve.
“Justin Wertner is an excellent player and an impeccable shooter from Tennessee, along with being the first Eagle Scout I have signed at UCI,” Turner said. “He will be a freshman at UCI in the fall of 2017 once he concludes a two-year Mission with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His maturity and tough-mindedness will benefit our program greatly upon his arrival and throughout his career at UCI.”
— From staff reports