Nevada Prep Star Considers Coming to UCLA

With Darrick Martin’s future at UCLA uncertain, a new name has surfaced as a prospective Bruin basketball player. Matt Othick, a 6-foot 1-inch point guard at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas and two-time Nevada player of the year, has contacted Coach Jim Harrick and expressed interest in coming to UCLA, if Martin does not.

Othick isn’t a big-name player nationally, but Buddy Othick said his son is currently deciding among scholarship offers by Nevada Las Vegas, Arizona, Alabama and New Mexico.

Othick, a good three-point shooter who is more of a solid team player with an exceptional court sense than a flashy ball handler, is a close friend of Brian Williams, who two years ago left Bishop Gorman for St. Monica High School in Santa Monica and, last season, the University of Maryland.

The real twist to the Othick story is that he had signed with New Mexico, only to have the letter invalidated by the National Collegiate Athletic Assn.’s steering committee--an appeals process that turned Martin down earlier this week in his attempt to be freed from UCLA.

Othick broke free from his commitment with the Lobos after Gary Colson resigned as coach April 26.