Wears simply fell in love with North Carolina

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It was a big loss for UCLA’s basketball program when the Wear twins from Santa Ana Mater Dei, 6-foot-10 Travis, pictured left, and 6-10 David, announced last week they had committed to North Carolina, but their father, David Sr., said the boys fell in love.

‘They really liked the North Carolina community and the feel of being in that campus environment,’ he said. ‘They really connected there.’

The Wears are juniors, and UCLA Coach Ben Howland’s recruiting efforts could be suffering from the Bruins simply having too many talented players. Another junior, Hollis Thompson from Loyola High, recently picked Georgetown over UCLA.

‘They did everything they could from a recruiting stand point how much [the boys] meant to UCLA,’ David Sr. said of Howland and his assistants.

David Sr. said he and his wife could end up moving to North Carolina once the boys leave for college.

UCLA is now likely to focus its recruiting efforts on 6-7 Reeves Nelson, a power forward from Modesto Christian.

-- Eric Sondheimer

-- Image by Lori Shepler/Los Angeles Times