Elite high school junior Amari Bailey has made a second commitment to UCLA basketball, he announced Wednesday night.
Bailey was originally committed to the Bruins and then-coach Steve Alford as a high school freshman, but he was fired eight months later. Bailey also once committed to DePaul before moving to eighth grade, but he decommissioned before entering high school.
Bailey, a 6-foot gunman from Sierra Canyon High School, California, is ranked # 3 in the ESPN 60 for the 2022 class.
“He’s a pure combination guard who has effortless high-end scoring with or away from the ball,” said Paul Biancardi, ESPN’s national recruiting director. His jump shot shows balance and accuracy from different spots on the floor. I love his confidence to take contentious shots when needed. His drive game and paint finishes end with explosive athletics and body control. As a playmaker, too. adept at creating for himself or facilitating for others. During transition or halfway through the job, he shows excellent transient vision. “
Bailey, the # 1 shooting guard in the 2022 class, helped USA Basketball to a gold medal at the 2019 FIBA Americas U16 Championship in Brazil. He started all six games at that event, averaging 13.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists.
“He’s a smart ball guide who purposefully changes his speed and direction when navigating a defense,” said Biancardi. “He is somewhat underrated as a versatile defender in the backcourt who will rebound and start the quick break. He has a presence on the field and an offensive instinct that reminds me of D’Angelo Russell.”
Bailey is coach Mick Cronin’s first commitment in the 2022 class, but he is also a candidate to reclassify to the 2021 class. As he progresses and enrolls at UCLA, Bailey would join a class that includes five-star petty striker Peyton Watson and ESPN 100 gunman Will McClendon.
Bruins’s 2021 class ranks number 7 in the country; if Bailey reclassified, it would jump into the top five nationally.