Five-star forward announces his UCLA commitment

UCLA's already great 2017 class just got a whole lot richer.

Five-star forward Kris Wilkes announced Sunday afternoon that he intends to sign with UCLA. He joins a class that was already listed at No. 5 in the Rivals.com class rankings.

In fact, that class -- which features four-star PG Jaylen Hands, four-star PF Cody Riley, four-star PF Jalen Hill and three-star forward LiAngelo Ball -- may have been the reason Wilkes is a Bruin today.

"He really thinks that with the guys they will have next year and the guys they have coming in that they can do big things together," Wilkes' father, Greg Wilkes, said.

Of course, Steve Alford's improvement, UCLA's top 25 team this year and a run-and-gun style didn't hurt either.

"He felt like he would have the best opportunity to play early and play his style," Greg Wilkes said. "He also thought that they would be the best school to develop him to be a pro the quickest and most thoroughly."

Wilkes, a 6-foot-7 wing from Indiana, figures to bring athleticism and defense to Westwood next season.

"Adding Kris Wilkes to what was already a loaded recruiting class is a huge boon for Steve Alford and UCLA," Rivals.com basketball analyst Eric Bossi said. "Wilkes is a super versatile swingman with tremendous size, a high basketball IQ and the ability to play multiple roles on a game by game basis.

"Offensively, Wilkes does his damage on the glass, attacking the rim and with his number one weapon, the mid range jump shot. He's very good in transition, he is a good positional defender and because of his 6-foot-8 size and sturdy frame, he gives a coach the versatility to go really big with him on the wing or small with him as four man who can play out on the floor."

Wilkes chose UCLA over finalists Indiana and Illinois.