Wisconsin high school basketball star Kevon Looney picks UCLA

Kevon Looney must be a pretty good poker player.

Prior to making the announcement of where he would play college basketball, the Hamilton (Milwaukee) star had not shared his news with anyone.

Not with his friends. Not with his high school coach. Not even with his close-knit family.

The 17-year-old kept his decision as close to the vest as a player can. In the end, Looney shocked a lot of people by choosing UCLA.

Looney, the No. 8-rated player in the Class of 2014 by 247Sports, made his long-awaited announcement on Halloween at Hamilton High School in front of members of the media and close friends and family members.

He entered the room by rolling in a locked suitcase. The only thing inside was a UCLA hat that he unveiled to the onlookers.

"He never, ever led on," first-year Hamilton head coach Randy Williams told MaxPreps.

However, when Looney returned to Wisconsin from his official visit to UCLA on Oct. 18, he had a little extra spunk, noted Williams.

"He showed a little more oomph when he got back from UCLA," Williams said. "You could tell the difference."

The third-best power forward in his class picked the Bruins over Duke, Michigan State, Florida, Wisconsin and Tennessee. Looney, who averaged 26.1 points per game last season as a junior, noted that the Volunteers finished a close second.

"California was a great place. UCLA was a great campus — most beautiful campus I've ever seen," Looney told Madison.com. "Coach (Steve) Alford, great coach. On the visit, I saw their team and how they bought into the system of him being new there. They've got a style of play out there that I can fit in."

When Looney visited the UCLA campus, he really got caught up in the lore of John Wooden and all the great teams and players that the program has produced.

"When you talk about UCLA in the frame of Lew Alcindor and those types of players, that's pretty strong stuff," Williams said.

Williams, who has coached in the Hamilton basketball program for a number of years, said Looney chose UCLA in large part because of the family structure of the program.

"Those (coaches) came to visit, they just have a family, loving (vibe)," Williams said. "They offered the support that you'd want as a parent knowing your kid is going to be under this leadership."

Along with taking an official campus visit two weeks ago, the UCLA coaches visited Looney on three occasions, Sept. 13, Oct. 17 and Oct. 29. The coaches were adamant about not letting their biggest recruit slip away.

"Alford came out and Duane (Broussard) and they were so consistent on what they were saying," Williams said. "UCLA really showed what they were about. They were real about everything and at the same time I think they spoke professionally in their realness. Kevon kind of adapted to that."

UCLA has only had one other commitment for the Class of 2014, Gyorgy Goloman, a power forward from Sagemont (Weston, Fla.).

Williams believes UCLA offers Looney the best opportunity on the court and in the classroom. Williams and a few of his assistant coaches where hoping Looney was going to pick UCLA.

"Their personnel, they're really sharp about what they talked about and what they wanted to do," Williams said. "If that plan stays together, I know it's going to be a great match."