LOS ANGELES — Ben Howland heard the cheers.
And not just the roars from the Bruins fans during UCLA’s 77-60 victory over Colorado on Saturday at the L.A. Sports Arena.
A boisterous black and gold faction made its presence felt every time the Buffs seized the momentum, especially when Los Angeles exports Spencer Dinwiddie and Askia Booker were the ones making plays.
“I feel really bad we didn’t get Dinwiddie. That was a mistake on my part,” Howland admitted after the game. “Just watching him, I’m kicking myself. You make mistakes sometimes in recruiting and that was a mistake.”
Dinwiddie, a Los Angeles City Section Player of the Year at Taft High School, averaged 8.5 points and 6.5 rebounds on the trip.
Booker, a star at Price High School in Los Angeles and for the Compton Magic AAU team, scored 13 points during CU’s win over USC on Thursday and 13 more off the bench against the Bruins.
“It was a great experience playing in front of a lot of family and friends,” Booker said. “Also playing against two teams I possibly wanted to play for, but they didn’t offer me (a scholarship). So it’s a good feeling to come out and show them a little something.”
Sitting in the stands soaking it all in was Xavier Johnson, a four-star recruit signed by second-year CU head coach Tad Boyle in November as part of a highly touted recruiting class set to arrive in Boulder this summer.
“I feel great about it. I love the school, I love the atmosphere, I just feel like I fit in really good there,” Johnson said of his commitment to CU. “They have a great coaching staff, and I feel real comfortable there.”
Mater Dai routed Christ the King (New York) 88-50 on national television in the Hall of Fame Game in Springfield, Mass., on Jan. 16.
Johnson, a 6-5 wing, had some noteworthy dunks over Shabazz Muhammed (the nation’s top-ranked high school prospect) and Austin Rivers (now a freshman at Duke) that have gone viral on the Internet.
“Xavier is going to be a monster. He’s a very athletic kid and he’s going to remind a lot of people of Dre,” Dinwiddie said, comparing Johnson to elastic CU sophomore Andre Roberson, who leads the Pac-12 in rebounding. “He’s a big wing as well and very athletic. He’s going to help us out tremendously.”
The Buffs could have used some more help against UCLA, which used an impressive inside-out game to shred CU’s defense.
On Friday night, Boyle was in the capacity crowd of about 1,400 in the St. John Bosco High School gym to watch Johnson fight through flu symptoms to score 23 points in Mater Dai’s 86-71 victory.
“He’ll bring size and athleticism and hopefully a physicality,” Boyle said of Johnson, whose Mater Dai team is ranked No. 1 in the Los Angeles Times poll and looking to repeat as California state champions. “Xavier’s a big, strong, athletic body and he will be able to match up with teams like UCLA.”
Johnson chose CU over offers from Arizona State, Harvard, Oregon State, UCLA, UNLV and USC. His father Samuel Johnson, who played at San Diego State, said the family is excited that he decided to spread his wings.
“I think he made a great choice. Coach Boyle is a great coach, he’s proving that to the country already,” Samuel Johnson said. “We think it’s going to be a great opportunity for Xavier to go to a great school and play in a great environment. He’s showing maturity in making good choices right off the bat.”
Johnson is the fourth noteworthy recruit from greater Los Angeles that Boyle has landed since CU announced its move to the Pac-12. Damiene Cain, a talented 6-7 freshman forward from North Hollywood, left the program for personal reasons earlier this month.
The recruiting trail in UCLA’s neck of the woods would not be as kind to the Buffs if they were still playing conference games in Ames and Waco.
“Being in the Pac-12 is very big if you want to recruit Southern California,” Samuel Johnson said. “That was definitely part of Xavier’s decision, and we’re happy we’ll get to see him play a lot.”
