Boston College recruits don’t plan to give up rooting for Lakers
They’re loyal Lakers fans headed into Celtics territory and having no second thoughts.
Kyle Caudill from Brea Olinda, Lonnie Jackson from Valencia and Ryan Anderson from Long Beach Poly are set to sign letters of intent with Boston College on Wednesday, the first day of the NCAA early signing period for winter and spring sports.
Each is a Southern California native who decided leaving for the East Coast was best for his basketball and educational future.
“It’s kind of another challenge in life, getting outside your comfort zone,” said Caudill, who is 6 feet 11. “On the East Coast, you either learn to play or you don’t play. I’m hoping it will make me a better player.”
Caudill, a center, Jackson, a guard, and Anderson, a 6-8 forward, are friends. They’ve played together on travel teams and they’re hoping their friendship will help ease the adjustment to a different environment.
“I’m pretty excited,” Jackson said. “It’s going to be a great time. Just from the weekend I spent with Ryan, we were having a blast together. It’s cool to have friends you can go through the experience with.”
Caudill committed to Boston College during the summer. Jackson and Anderson went on a recruiting trip together this fall before deciding they wanted to play for Boston College’s new coach, Steve Donahue, who was hired from Cornell.
“Going over with Lonnie and Ryan, both of whom I know, is going to be a great experience,” Caudill said.
There will be dozens of high school seniors signing Wednesday, but the contingent heading from the L.A. area to Boston College to play basketball is nearly as large as that signing with UCLA and USC combined.
The Bruins are expected to sign one player, Norman Powell, a shooting guard from San Diego Lincoln. The Trojans are expected to land Byron Wesley, a 6-5 forward from Rancho Cucamonga Etiwanda; Alexis Moore, a 6-1 point guard from Long Beach Poly, and James Blascyzk, a 7-1, 260-pound center from Lee College who spent two seasons at Texas A&M and will have two seasons of eligibility remaining.
The trio headed to Boston College are three of the best basketball players in Southern California. Caudill averaged 17 points and 12 rebounds as a junior. Jackson averaged 23.6 points. Anderson is considered the top player on the likely preseason No. 1 team in the state, coming off a junior season in which he averaged nearly 13 points and 8.6 rebounds.
As for being a Lakers fan in Boston, Anderson said, “It will be interesting. I’m still going to root for the Lakers. Hopefully, they don’t beat me up too bad.”
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