Top Basketball Recruits Announce College Decisions (VIDEO)

Signing Day is always a big day for college sports. Good teams can get an idea of how good the future is going to be. Not so good teams can see if they are getting the help they need. Basically, it's a day for hope and optimism for fans everywhere.

Two schools were on the receiving end of some great news Wednesday when the nation's two top recruits—Nerlens Noel and Shabazz Muhammad—announced where they were taking their considerable talents.

Noel will be a part of the next championship contender for the Kentucky Wildcats while Muhammad will try to help resurrect the once proud UCLA Bruins basketball program.

If fans were wondering why Kentucky was still ranked No 2 in the early preseason polls for the 2012-13 season even though they stand to possibly lose six key players to the NBA Draft, it's because the recruiting that head coach John Calipari does is top-notch. With Noel now part of his next crop of superstars he'll have the Wildcats in the thick of the hunt yet again.

It doesn't hurt UK's recruiting efforts when there are alumni that are willing to make an "indecent proposal" in order to sway recruits to come to Lexington (no word on how hot the wife was, but Noel says he declined the offer).

I have to give Muhammad some credit for why he made his choice. Rather than go with an NBA breeding ground like UK, he opted for the once proud UCLA program. Over the last four seasons the Bruins have not been very impressive compiling a record of 82-52 in the process. They have only made the Big Dance twice and when they did, they failed to make it past the second round.

"I chose to be a Bruin," Muhammad said on ESPN U's broadcast. "I will be a Bruin next year. I just think it's a challenge, knowing how bad they were these last two years. It's a challenge to get them back up to the top, knowing that their the leaders in championships with 11."

The man has skills (just see below) and he knows his history; have to respect that.

Article by Travis Pulver