Arizona Recruits Shine Brightly at Hoophall Classic, Providing Glimpse of Potent Future

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — On Saturday at the Hoophall Classic, Arizona assistant Book Richardson had a front-row seat for a view of the future of his program.

Three Class of 2017 Arizona signees — DeAndre Ayton, Brandon Randolph and Ira Lee — all played, and played well, at Blake Arena. Brian Bowen, an Arizona target who is considering five schools, also was effective, scoring 18 points in Monday’s loss to Marvin Bagley and Sierra Canyon (CA).

In the showcase game of the day on Saturday, the 6-foot-5 Randolph went off for 30 points en route to game MVP honors as Westtown (PA) beat Ayton and Hillcrest Prep (AZ), 66-54, on ESPN. Ayton, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, scored 19 points while battling Westtown big man Mohamed Bamba.

“He’s definitely a force, so I’m definitely looking forward to playing with him, Ira and [Alex] Barcello],” Randolph told me in reference to Arizona’s 2017 class, ranked No. 3 behind Kentucky and UCLA by Scout.com. “They’re all great players and great guys.”