Believe the hype.
The nation waits for the best high school prospect to make his decision, and it matters more than you know.
Shabazz Muhammad is that good.
The contenders have been whittled down to just three power-punching programs that rank among the upper echelon of historically gifted teams.
The LA Times reports the that teams with a chance of grabbing the most highly-thought-of recruit are down to Duke, UCLA and Kentucky.
From a pure basketball standpoint, you can't get much more prestigious than that.
Duke didn't have the horses to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, but landing a 6-foot-5 swing man like Muhammad would instantly make them a national force.
For Kentucky, they live on these types of players—instant impact guys that can come in, dominate and leave.
John Calipari has to be the favorite to pull off yet another wonderful signing, making the Wildcats a real danger to repeat.
Then there is UCLA, a proud program that has fallen on dark times. A silky smooth forward that can score and loves to win would make the Bruins instant Pac-12 favorites.
We saw but a glimpse of Muhammad and what he could do amid a talented group of his peers at the McDonald's All-American game—one in which he took home MVP honors.
He dominated that game from the start, showing that he could lead a game all by himself.
I wouldn't say that he cooled off, rather that he let the other All-Americans share in the joy.
In the end, he dropped 21 points and six rebounds on the best in the nation.
ESPN.com's West Coast recruiting coordinator Joel Francisco spoke to the LA Times and stated what it would mean for a team like UCLA to get Muhammad, via LA Times.
Shabazz Muhammad is the guy they have to get. He would be such an impact player and possibly a conference player of the year as a freshman.
Kentucky proved this is a different game, as programs need to reload every year and can dominate in the span as well.
Muhammad is one of few players that can completely shift the national landscape. Whoever wins his signature gets off to a head start on the 2012 season.
Curtis Granderson Nick Johnson Javier Lopez Alex Hinshaw Ramon Ramirez Sergio Romo
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