UCLA eyes British 7-footer

As part of UCLA's last-ditch search to find a center for next year's recruiting class, assistant coach Donny Daniels recently flew to Spain to see 7-footer Philip Wait, a native of Manchester England now playing at the Gran Canaria Basketball Academy. Daniels had been tracking Wait through director Rob Orellana, an assistant under Daniels at Cal State Fullerton.
While I've been unable to track down Orellana thus far, I did reach Wait's former high school coach at Proctor Academy in New Hampshire. Gregor Makechnie said Wait has received interest from UCLA, Arizona State, Kentucky and Nebraska among others, but he also might opt to play professionally in Europe instead.
Wait needs to work on his strength, footwork and toughness, according to Makechnie, but his upside is high. The 21-year-old wants to go to a school where he would be challenged academically and feel comfortable.
"The thing UCLA has to determine is if he's a guy who comes in and makes an immediate impact," Makechnie said. "Two years ago he was a work in progress. I haven't seen him this year, but now he might have developed further."