The game changes for Chapman

Utah has identified Roy junior forward Brekkott Chapman as its prized recruit for the class of 2014.

And now, so have a lot of other programs.

Utah State and BYU have long ago offered the 6-foot-9 left-hander. San Francisco and Gonzaga have offered as well.

On Sunday night, UCLA, one of the traditional titans of college basketball, offered a scholarship.

That's big. The Bruins, according to a source, have never seen Chapman play. They offered on the strength of two workouts. Chapman had a huge summer on the AAU circuit, and could become one of the top 100 recruits in the country by the time his senior season rolls around.

And like Jordan Loveridge, that makes Chapman huge for Larry Krystkowiak.

The Utes head coach has vowed to keep local talent home. And Chapman looks like he could be one of the biggest national recruits out of Utah in recent memory.

Yes, people like TJ Haws and Nick Emery and Eric Mika were national caliber recruits. Tyler Haws and Kyle Collingsworth as well.

But they were all but in the bag for BYU long before their senior seasons rolled around.

Chapman is a bit different, a non Utah County kid who is truly wide open on where he wants to go to school. Those close to him say he will probably trim his list to a final five by next summer and take official visits. Arizona State and Colorado have also offered him.

"He has a chance to be a national top 25 recruit," said Peter Harrison, Chapman's AAU coach with Utah Hoops. "He's versatile, he's big and athletic and he can do a lot of things."

The country is starting to notice.

Can Utah keep him home?

Tony Jones