Stanford target Andrej Stojakovic gets crystal ball in favor of UCLA

It seems to be a battle between UCLA and Stanford

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Cardinal basketball team has seemingly been a couple playmakers away from being contenders in the Pac-12 for what seems like every year.

Unfortunately for Jerod Haase, his leash as the head coach is stretching a little thin due to the fact that the best season Stanford has had with him as the head coach is one NIT appearance. Not only is he hoping to have a job saving season this next year, but he is also attempting to build what could end being one Stanford's recruiting classes in a while.

The class of 2023 currently holds one commitment from five-star guard Kanaan Carlyle, but Haase and company are working hard to bolster the class and surround Carlyle with shooters and other playmakers.

One of those playmakers that they have shown immense interest in is four-star  Andrej Stojakovic. The son of former NBA All Star Peja Stojakovic has shot up the recruiting rankings over the past year going from off the radar to a top 25 player in the class. In a recent article by 247Sports, has was praised for his improvement as a ball handler and for his passing, which is help completing his offensive game that is headlined by elite shooting and finishing around the rim. 

The Cardinal at one point were thought to have a slight edge to land him, but after a recent visit to UCLA, the same cannot be said. Shortly after Stojakovic's visit to UCLA, he received a crystal ball prediction that has him committing to the Bruins.

Stanford hosted him for an official visit at the beginning of the month, and will need to continue to push hard to land him. It is believed that Stanford and UCLA are the frontrunners for his services, but the Cardinal will definitely need to make a much bigger push than they are in order to out-recruit UCLA who has been one of the hotter teams on the recruiting trail in college basketball. Stanford does have the advantage that he is a former teammate of current Cardinal guard Isa Silva. 

Stojakovic ranks as the No. 24 overall recruit, No. 4 at the small forward position, and is the No. 5 player in the state of California.