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NCAA Basketball: Ranking the 12 teams in play for 5-star CG Hunter Sallis

By Tristan Freeman

LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY - FEBRUARY 22: The Kentucky Wildcats mascot preforms with the cheerleading team during a timeout of the game against the Florida Gators at Rupp Arena on February 22, 2020 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Silas Walker/Getty Images)
LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY - FEBRUARY 22: The Kentucky Wildcats mascot preforms with the cheerleading team during a timeout of the game against the Florida Gators at Rupp Arena on February 22, 2020 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Silas Walker/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 29: Tyger Campbell #10, David Singleton #34, Jaime Jaquez Jr. #4, Jalen Hill #24 and Chris Smith #5 of the UCLA Bruins (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 29: Tyger Campbell #10, David Singleton #34, Jaime Jaquez Jr. #4, Jalen Hill #24 and Chris Smith #5 of the UCLA Bruins (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

. . . Bruins . 6. team. 518

After a strong second-half to the last season, UCLA and head coach Mick Cronin’s momentum took a hit when five-star point guard commit Dashien Nix decided to go to the NBA G League. The good news though is that the team returns over 90% of their production from last season, including leading scorer Chris Smith.

The Bruins are likely a preseason top-25 team for the upcoming season but Sallis could be part of a dream scenario for the program. Smith is the only senior on the roster so almost everyone can return for another year, while already having five-star class of 2021 wing Peyton Watson committed. What the team seems to be missing is a dynamic scorer who can drop 20+, something that Sallis is capable of doing.

But UCLA already has high-profile guards on the roster that could potentially take a big leap this upcoming season. Starting point guard Tyger Campbell (8.3 ppg and 5.0 apg) is a solid distributor but needs to work on his scoring. The team also added former top-30 shooting guard prospect Johnny Juzang, a sharpshooter transfer from Kentucky who already is set to play this season via a waiver. Their play, along with the likes of guards Jules Bernard, and David Singleton III could give the team the kind of depth that would make it hard for Sallis himself to breakthrough.

Nix’s decision to not play for UCLA is also disappointing because it was going to be fascinating to see if a top-tier freshman can have a great impact on a Cronin-led team. His defensive/hard-nosed style of play isn’t great for creating offensive-based stars. If Sallis doesn’t play great defense, his minutes may not be plentiful with this team.

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