Future Bruin? : Highly Regarded Makhtar Ndiaye Will Attend Tonight’s Game

UCLA, which already has two starters on its team because of NCAA penalties against another school, might be getting another one soon.

The unbeaten, No. 6-ranked Bruins will begin Pacific 10 Conference play tonight against Oregon with a special guest in the stands at Pauley Pavilion.

He is Makhtar Ndiaye, a 6-foot-9, 245-pound freshman from Senegal who is deciding between UCLA and Michigan and could be eligible by Monday, when classes resume at Westwood.

Ndiaye, who attended the Michigan-Michigan State game Wednesday night at Ann Arbor, was barred last week by the NCAA from attending Wake Forest, where he was practicing with the team and had completed the fall semester of school.

He could be the third key Bruin that the NCAA helped put into a UCLA uniform. The others are Ed O’Bannon and Shon Tarver, both of whom came to UCLA when the NCAA leveled sanctions against Nevada Las Vegas, which recruited them.

Ndiaye is an intriguing possibility for the Bruins, who have a scholarship available to offer him.

Steve Smith, Ndiaye’s high school coach at Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va., said Ndiaye was the best player on the team that included Jerry Stackhouse, now a star freshman at North Carolina.

“He’s big-time talent,” said Smith, who used Ndiaye at power forward and center. “He’s very, very athletic. He’s got perimeter skills, he really runs the floor, he blocks shots like a 7-footer, and he can play inside or out.”

Coach Jim Harrick said he could not comment on Ndiaye, but did say Ndiaye will watch the game tonight at Pauley and could be eligible as early as Monday if he chooses UCLA.

The NCAA ruled that Wake Forest had an unfair recruiting advantage in its dealings with Ndiaye, specifically involving James Davies, a Greensboro, N.C., man who was hired by Wake Forest Coach Dave Odom to serve as an interpreter.

Odom discovered Ndiaye, the son of a Senegalese diplomat, when Ndiaye was playing for a French team in a tournament at Paris. Odom was in Paris to try to recruit Stackhouse, playing for Riverside Church, a New York high school all-star team.

Odom received an informal commitment from Ndiaye to attend Wake Forest, then influenced Ndiaye to attend Oak Hill Academy, to satisfy high school requirements. Ndiaye was at Oak Hill for one year before enrolling at Wake Forest. He completed his first semester at the Winston-Salem, N.C., school Dec. 18.

Ndiaye would have started for Wake Forest this season, but could not play until the NCAA ruled on his eligibility.

Last week’s ruling cleared the way for Ndiaye to enroll where he chooses. At the same time, the NCAA enforcement office is looking into Wake Forest’s dealings with Ndiaye and Davies.

Ndiaye had listed UCLA No. 3 on his wish list behind Kentucky and Michigan, but Kentucky pulled out Tuesday, saying it did not have a scholarship. Michigan, which could use Ndiaye’s bulk in the middle, reportedly wants him badly and is considered the front-runner.

UCLA starts 7-foot George Zidek at center, but the Bruins are regarded as soft in the middle and would clearly benefit from Ndiaye’s presence on the court.