Tag: UCLA Bruins basketball

UCLA reportedly reached out to Colorado transfer Luke O’Brien

UCLA reached out to Luke O’Brien.

The UCLA Bruins basketball program has expressed interest in a large number of players. So far, they have landed three in Kobe Johnson, Skyy Clark, and Eric Dailey Jr. 

Another big name they kicked the tires on is former Colorado star Luke O’Brien, per a report from 24/7 High School Hoops. 

O’Brien heard from a lot of programs, including but not limited to Colorado State, Nevada, Minnesota, Georgia Tech, and Notre Dame.

O’Brien averaged 6.7 PPG with 3.8 rebounds and shot over 37 percent from three-point land for a BUffs team that made the NCAA Tournament and defeated Florida in a thrilling Round of 64 game.

But, the latest update states that O’Brien is visiting Notre Dame and Georgia Tech, per Jon Rothstein.

Still, UCLA has left no questions about trying to improve the roster and they have done so already by adding some big pieces. O’Brien is another name to keep an eye on in the portal.

UCLA hoops on top of 247Sports transfer portal rankings

The Bruins take the top spot.

The UCLA Bruins men’s basketball team has struck gold in the transfer portal so far. Mick Cronin has brought in Skyy Clark, Kobe Johnson, and Eric Dailey Jr. and he is far from down.

Cody Nagel of 247Sports dropped his latest transfer portal rankings, and UCLA is on top of them all up until this point.

Here’s what he wrote about UCLA’s haul thus far:

After finishing with a losing record for the first time in eight seasons and first under head coach Mike Cronin, UCLA went to work early in the transfer portal to secure several prized commitments. The Bruins got their point guard in former Louisville standout Skyy Clark as the first addition. Top 10 overall transfer prospect Kobe Johnson opted to make the crosstown move from rival USC as the headliner for UCLA. That latest transfer commitment that pushed the Bruins into the No. 1 spot in the rankings came from former Oklahoma State power forward Eric Dailey. All three of the newcomers rank among the top 65 overall transfer prospects in the portal cycle.

The Bruins have shown interest in a lot of other players as well, so more names could be coming to Westwood in what is becoming a loaded roster for the 2024-2025 season. 

Mick Cronin compares Eric Dailey Jr. to Jaime Jaquez Jr.

Eric Dialey Jr. and Jaime Jaquez Jr.? Mick Cronin thinks so.

How good will Oklahoma State transfer Eric Dailey Jr. be?

Well, UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin apparently has high expectations for the latest big name to transfer to Westwood.

Here is what Mick Cronin said while comparing Eric Dailey Jr. to Jaime Jaquez Jr., per the official release from the UCLA website:

“Eric is a big guard, built in the Jaime Jaquez Jr. mold. He can rebound like a big, but he is a young man with guard skills in a big, strong body.”

Being compared to a player such as Jaquez, who has made himself known in his rookie year in the NBA with the Miami Heat, is definitely a good sign for Dailey.

Dailey has some big shoes to fill if Cronin is thinking of him similarly to Jaime Jaquez Jr., but the talent is there. Add in the rest of the pieces in a roster that is loaded, and there is a lot of excitement for the future of UCLA men’s basketball.

UCLA hoops showed interest in Michigan transfer Terrance Williams II

Another Michigan transfer on the eyes of UCLA.

The UCLA Bruins already expressed interest in Michigan transfer Tarris Reed before he decided to join UConn. The Bruins have also expressed interest in Terrance Williams II, per a report from 24/7 High School Hoops.

Here are some other schools Williams has heard from in the portal:

  • Vanderbilt
  • Butler
  • Pitt
  • St. John’s
  • Louisville
  • USC
  • VCU
  • Notre Dame
  • UCF
  • Xavier

A return to Michigan is also a possibility with Dusty May taking over for Juwan Howard. But, things could be tilting toward a final decision as Williams is set for a visit to Notre Dame, per Geoffrey Clark of Fighting Irish Wire.

“One possibility is former Michigan forward Terrance Williams II, who has one year of eligibility remaining. The Irish are set to host Williams next week.”

Williams averaged 12.4 PPG and 4.5 boards and has a lot of interest in the portal. It remains to be seen how the transfer portal looks now that UCLA has landed a few big names, but never count out Mick Cronin.

UCLA hoops reached out to Oakland transfer Trey Townsend

UCLA has shown interest in Trey Townsend.

The UCLA Bruins men’s basketball team has also now reached out to Oakland transfer Trey Townsend, adding to the long list of players they have been trying to lure to the program.

Townsend has heard from a number of schools thus far in the portal, per a report from Tony Paul of The Detroit News. Here are the schools:

  • UCLA
  • Michigan State
  • Michigan
  • Tennessee
  • Louisville
  • Arizona and more

Townsend has a visit lined up with Michigan State, and the Bruins landing Eric Dailey Jr., Kobe Johnson, and Skyy Clark could make it more difficult for Townsend to join.

Townsend led Oakland in points, steals, rebounds, and assists and is looking for an uptick in the portal.

It has been a busy portal season for Mick Cronin so far, but there is no stopping as the Bruins try and make things interesting in their transition to the Big Ten Conference in 2024-2025.

Photos of new UCLA transfer Eric Dailey Jr.

Photos of Eric Dailey Jr. from his Oklahoma State tenure.

The UCLA Bruins men’s basketball team landed a massive addition in the transfer portal with Oklahoma State’s Eric Dailey Jr. 

This adds to their impressive transfer haul including Skyy Clark and Kobe Johnson, and they have shown plenty more interest in other players.

Dailey is an exciting addition to this team and had fans buzzing with plenty of intrigue as they make the transition to the Big Ten Conference next season.

Dailey’s highlight reel is worth watching and here are some photos from his one year in Stillwater with the Cowboys. UCLA fans should be thrilled with him coming over to Westwood.

 

 

Rutgers star Cliff Omoruyi still considering UCLA

Cliff Omoruyi still thinking about potentially coming to UCLA…

The UCLA Bruins men’s basketball team has already hit a few home runs in the transfer portal with Kobe Johnson, Skyy Clark, and the latest being Eric Dailey Jr.

They have also expressed interest in a lot of other players, with the biggest one being Rutgers star big man Cliff Omoruyi. He has cut his list of schools down a bit, and UCLA is still there, per a report from Jon Rothstein.

Here are the schools he is considering still: North Carolina, UCLA, Kansas State, Georgia Tech, Georgetown, Baylor, Alabama, Oregon, Washington, Georgia, St. John’s, and Mississippi State.

Omoruyi is a senior from Nigeria and averaged 10.7 PPG wth 8.5 rebounds for the Scarlet Knights. It has long been expected that he would end up in St. John’s, but the fact he has waited this long to make a decision is something to watch.

With Adem Bona leaving UCLA for the NBA Draft, landing Omoruyi would be the biggest win of all in the portal for Mick Cronin’s team.

11 former UCLA Bruins make the playoffs for NBA teams

A lot of familiar faces in the NBA Playoffs.

It is no secret that UCLA has a decorated history of producing NBA talent. From Bill Walton to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, there is no shortage of all-time players who played for the Bruins. This season, a whopping eleven players from the UCLA pipeline made the NBA playoffs.

Among those making the post-season are Lonzo Ball, Kyle Anderson, Jaylen Clark, Jrue Holiday, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Zach Lavine, Kevon Looney, Kevin Love, Norman Powell, Russell Westbrook, and Peyton Watson. The long list of former Bruins speaks to the program’s ability to churn out NBA talent.

For veterans Russell Westbrook and Kevin Love, who played together at UCLA, this could be their final NBA playoffs, with both trying to take home the title.

With the eleven players representing seven teams, there is a good chance that at least one of the former Bruins will hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy by the end of the season. The question is, who will it be?

UCLA loses out on Penn transfer Clark Slajchert to USC

Clark Slajchert landed at USC…

The USC Trojans-UCLA Bruins rivalry might be getting even hotter this offseason. D’Anton Lynn left UCLA to go to USC, and then UCLA landed Kobe Johnson in the transfer portal.

Now, the Trojans landed Penn hoops transfer Clark Slajchert despite having UCLA as one of his final eight programs.

The other finalists for the talented Penn transfer included Cal, Davidson, Stanford, San Francisco, Utah State, and Michigan.

Adding Slajchert to the Bruins roster would’ve been a massive boost after bringing in Skyy Clark and Johnson so far, but he chose to go and join Eric Musselman and the Trojans.

Slajchert was second-team All-Ivy League this past season and is a big boost for Musselman as he makes the transition from Arkansas to USC.

But, Mick Cronin losing out on a top target is a big blow to the program, especially with the fact he went to USC instead.

TCU transfer lands at Georgetown despite UCLA interest

UCLA target lands at Georgetown.

The UCLA Bruins men’s basketball team landed some big players in the portal and has already shown interest in a lot of others. However, one player they showed interest in was TCU transfer Micah Peavy.

Peavy had also heard from other top programs including, but not limited to, Kansas, Kansas State, Houston, Arizona, Creighton, Georgetown, Ole Miss, Arkansas, USC, SMU, and Oklahoma State, per 247 High School Hoops.

Over the weekend, Peavy committed to Georgetown, per Brandon Jenkins of 247Sports.

Peavy originally began his college career at Texas Tech and left once Chris Beard was hired by the Texas Longhorns, so this will be another change for him.

Peavy averaged 10.9 points and 4.9 rebounds this past season for TCU but will now go to Georgetown in another change of pace.

The Bruins miss out on the talented TCU transfer. He also becomes the first portal addition for Ed Cooley and the Hoyas this offseason.