Life in the Big Ten hasn’t been the easiest thing for a west coast program like UCLA but Mick Cronin is still trying to build a contender. We’re five years past UCLA’s crazy run to the Final Four and those players are all gone, but the Bruins have been in the second round of the Big Dance in each of the last two seasons, including a 24-12 mark last season.
Things will look quite a bit different going forward once again, with Tyler Bilodeau drafted into the NBA and Donovan Dent running out of eligibility. Fortunately, the Bruins are returning three very strong players, notably getting Trent Perry in the backcourt alongside forwards Xavier Booker and Eric Dailey Jr.
A notable recruiting class features Top 75 prospect Joe Philon, a power forward from Florida, a longside fellow 4-star guard Nikola Kusturica. Additionally, the transfer class has more than a few notable inclusions. Azavier Robinson becomes an important depth piece in the backcourt after his work as a freshman at Butler while Sergej Macura is a forward from Mississippi State. You can slide former Auburn freshman Filip Jovic into a starting role next season for UCLA but he’s not the only new starter from the portal.
Big time player coming to the Bruins
After his work last season, Jaylen Petty is certainly a name on the rise in the college basketball world. A 6-1 guard out of Seattle, he’s fresh off a really solid freshman season with Texas Tech, averaging 9.9 points and 3.9 rebounds while making 37% of his 3-pointers. Petty came up big at times for the Red Raiders, joining the starting lineup in late December before a career-best 24-point effort in their Tourney win over Akron.
What UCLA is getting from Petty is a talented and athletic combo guard who can score all over the court. He’s a reliable and quick weapon who showed that scoring potential with Texas Tech. If he takes the expected step forward as a sophomore, then he can be a dynamic weapon who really takes charge at times for the Bruins in the season ahead. He pairs nicely with Perry to create quite the 1-2 punch in the backcourt.
With the players returning, including some depth pieces further down the roster, UCLA has quite the talent on this roster. Based on both returners and these transfer adds, it’s easy to see a potential starting five with Perry, Petty, Dailey, Jovic, and Booker, but will that be what Cronin rolls out? Regardless, Petty will clearly occupy a significant role for the Bruins as they hope to make a major statement in the Big Ten.
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