Article by Grant Walters
Expectations
Going into the 2023-2024 season, there were a lot of conflicting sentiments about the new rendition of the UCLA Bruins basketball team. The Bruins were losing a lot of talent and experience, particularly Jaime Jaquez Jr., Jaylen Clark, Tyger Campbell, David Singleton, and Amari Bailey. Jaquez Jr., Clark, and Campbell had all been on the team since their miraculous March Madness run in 2021, where the Bruins made it all the way to the Final Four, suffering a heartbreaking loss at the hands of Jalen Suggs and the Gonzaga Bulldogs. Specifically, Jaquez, Clark, and Campbell had been core players for the past three years, so their departure was expected to be especially pronounced. With the loss of these players, it was inevitable that the Bruins, who only had four returning players from the 2022-2023 team and an average roster age of 19 years old, would have some growing pains. However, there was a lot of hope for the eight newcomers. Lazar Stefanovic, Sebastian Mack, Aday Mara, Brandon Williams, Devin Williams, Berke Buyuktuncel, Jan Vide, and Ilane Fibleuil were all strolling into town. In terms of returning players, Adem Bona was expected to take a huge leap during his sophomore season and was in the conversation to potentially be Pac-12 Player of the Year; Dylan Andrews was expected to be the steady anchor in the backcourt, transitioning from a role player to a star at guard. Although the Bruins landed just outside of the pre-season AP top 25, many predicted that the Bruins would make a run for their 11th Pac-12 Championship title and their fourth straight NCAA March Madness Tournament berth.
Season Summary
Growing pains were expected, but utter disappointment was not. The Bruins finished the season with a losing record of 16-17, with a 10-10 conference record that placed them 5th in the Pac-12. The team’s doom fell at the hands of one thing: Inconsistency and inexperience. At the beginning of the season, the Bruins went on a stretch where they lost 11 of 13 games. These include losses to the CSUN Matadors at Pauley Pavilion, which was categorized as a Quad 4 loss and abruptly ended a 29 game home winning streak, as well as the historic 44-90 loss to the Utah Utes at the Huntsman Center. However, after the loss to the Utah Utes, the Bruins surged and won eight of nine games, beating teams that earned March Madness bids, such as the Oregon Ducks and the Colorado Buffaloes. In fact, their only loss during this stretch was to the Arizona Wildcats, where they only lost 71-77 at the McKale Center. After the abysmal start to the season, there was a glimmer of hope that the Bruins could rally and win enough quality games to get to March Madness. It did not take long for this hope to vanish. The Bruins found themselves in another slump toward the end of year where they finished the regular season losing five out of the last six games, getting blown out by the Arizona Wildcats 65-88 and suffering a soul-crushing loss to a struggling USC Trojans team 56-62, which sent the team spiraling. Capping off the regular season with a home win against the Arizona State Sun Devils 59-47, the Bruins’ only hope of reaching the NCAA March Madness Tournament was to win the Pac-12 Tournament Championship. With a first round win against the Oregon State Beavers 67-57, led by a 31 point Dylan Andrews’ performance, there was yet another glimmer of hope that this young, talented, and hungry Bruins team could win another streak of games; however, the Oregon Ducks stood in their way. After putting up a valiant fight and rallying from down 10 points with 4:13 left in the 2nd half, the Bruins lost to the Ducks 66-68. After this quarterfinal loss in the Pac-12 Tournament, the Bruins’ season ended with a whimper rather than a resounding bang. However, despite the disappointment, there were a number of positives to take away from this ostensibly lost season.
Positive Takeaways
First off, the Bruins had the best defense in the Pac-12, holding opposing teams to 65.5 points per game. They also held opposing teams to a 42.4% field goal percentage, which was the third best in the Pac-12 Conference. This formidable defense was a promising sign for a team that had a plethora of offensive struggles, which served as the detriment to the team’s success. As a reflection of the Bruins’ defensive prowess, Adem Bona won the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year award, averaging an impressive 1.8 blocks per game and 1.1 steals per game. He also had a defensive rating of 96.5, which was the second best in the entire Pac-12 and earned him an All-Pac 12 First-Team selection.
In the backcourt, Dylan Andrews greatly improved as a scorer during his sophomore season. He averaged the most points per game on the team, with 12.9 points per game, and came alive during the Pac-12 Tournament, where he had 31 points and 24 points respectively in the Bruins’ two games. Sebastian Mack was named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team and averaged 12.1 points per game, which was third on the team. On the defensive side, he led the team in steals with 1.3 steals per game. Even Aday Mara, who had a disappointing freshman season where he only averaged 3.5 points per game and 1.8 rebounds per game, showed promise later in the season. He notably provided a spark of energy during the late season matchup against the USC Trojans at Pauley Pavilion. During this game, he had 10 points and 4 rebounds, sinking critical hook shots that kept the Bruins in the game.
The Bruins’ Electric Offseason: Oldcomers and Newcomers
Since the end of the 2023-2024 season, there has been a large amount of roster turnover for the Bruins. Some notable transfer portal departures include Berke Buyukunctel, Jan Vide, Will McClendon, and Ilane Fibleuil. Buyukunctel and Fibleuil are both four star transfers, largely due to their upside, since they are both only going into their sophomore seasons. Buyukunctel showed particular promise for the Bruins off the bench, averaging 4.5 points per game along with 2.5 rebounds per game during his freshman season. In terms of transfer portal departures, his loss is the most impactful. Furthermore, Kenneth Nwuba graduated and Adem Bona left for the draft. Bona will be difficult to replace, especially given the fact that he was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year during the 2023-2024 season, and he established himself as one of the premier players in the Pac-12 Conference. His defensive prowess and energy will be greatly missed as the Bruins attempt to improve during the 2024-2025 season.
Despite these key roster losses, the Bruins boast one of the best incoming transfer classes in the entire NCAA. Through the transfer portal, they are bringing in six new players: Rising junior forward Tyler Bilodeau, rising sophomore forward Eric Dailey Jr., rising junior forward William Kyle III, rising junior guard Skyy Clark, rising senior guard Kobe Johnson, and rising senior guard Dominick Harris.
- Tyler Bilodeau is leaving the Oregon State Beavers to join the Bruins. He averaged an impressive 14.3 points per game, which was second best on the team behind Jordan Pope’s 17.6 points per game, and 5.7 rebounds per game during the 2023-2024 season. He also shot a solid 53.3% from the field and 34.5% from the three-point line. Bilodeau is known for being a very effective scorer: He can shoot from deep, has a lethal mid-range game, and can finish around the rim.
- Eric Dailey Jr. is departing from the Oklahoma State Cowboys, where he averaged 9.3 points per game, 4.8 rebounds per game, and 0.8 steals per game during the 2023-2024 season, to continue his collegiate career with the Bruins. His best attribute is his versatility, since he has effective dribble moves, is quick for his size, and can act as a point guard by bringing the ball up the floor.
- William Kyle III is departing from the South Dakota State Jackrabbits to join the Bruins. During the 2023-2024 season, he averaged 13.1 points per game, 6.6 rebounds per game, and 1.6 blocks per game. He was an All-Summit League First-Team selection and won Defensive Player of the Year in the Summit League. Kyle III’s defense is what makes him such a valuable transfer, and many are saying that he will serve as a perfect replacement for Adem Bona. With this, it is possible that Bona’s departure won’t be as pronounced as many had originally feared.
- Skyy Clark played for the Louisville Cardinals last year, where he averaged 13.2 points per game, which was the most on the team, and 3.0 assists per game during the 2023-2024 season. He shot 41.2% from the field and 35.3% from the three-point line. The most notable parts of his game include scoring and playmaking. His strength, explosion, and quickness allow him to score at every level, and he has great vision that opens up opportunities for his teammates.
- Kobe Johnson is departing from the USC Trojans to play for the Bruins. During the 2023-2024 season, he averaged 10.9 points per game, 3.3 assists per game, 4.6 rebounds per game, and a team-high 2.2 steals per game. He was named to the All-Defensive Pac-12 Team, and his defense prowess is the strongest part of his game. This defensive excellence is largely due to his long wingspan coupled with his strong build. As a result, he can guard both the perimeter and the paint, which will prove to be his most valuable asset as a Bruin.
- The final transfer portal pick-up for the Bruins was Dominick Harris, who transferred from the Loyola Marymount Lions. As a part of the Lions during the 2023-2024 season, he averaged a team-high 14.3 points per game; however, his most impressive stat was the fact that he shot 44.8% from the three-point line, which was the third best percentage in the entire NCAA. For a team that is in desperate need of consistent long-range shooting and floor spacing, Harris will prove to be invaluable for a Bruin team looking to re-establish their blue blood status.
The Bruins are also bringing two freshman recruits onto the roster for the 2024-2025 season: Guards Eric Freeny and Trent Perry. Eric Freeny is a four-star recruit from Corona, California, and he played at Centennial high school. As a part of his high school basketball team, he played with notable past recruits such as Kylan Boswell, Donovan Dent, and Jared McCain. Freeny’s most impressive traits include excelling in the clutch and playing his role, whether that be being the primary scorer or serving as an alternative option to the primary scorer. His mental toughness also stands out when assessing Freeny. On the other hand, Trent Perry recently decommitted from the USC Trojans to sign with the Bruins. He is a four-star recruit from Studio City, California, is ranked 30th nationally according to 247Sports Composite rankings, and played high school basketball at Harvard Westlake. Throughout his high school career, he was always effective at constantly changing pace to create space for himself as a scorer. Despite this, he excels mostly as a jump shooter, shooting 41.7% from behind the arc, and is particularly effective at sinking contested jump shots.
The Bruins currently boast the 10th best transfer portal class in the country, which provides optimism for a fanbase that is in desperate need of something to hang their hats on going into the 2024-2025 season. In terms of recruiting, the Bruins’ recruiting class is ranked 36th best in the NCAA. Although this might surprise some people who would expect the Bruins, given the prestigiousness of the program, to boast a top 10 recruiting class, the pieces they are bringing in have the potential to blossom into stars as they develop through the years.
Looking to the 2024-2025 Season
The Bruins are going through another roster turnover; however, this year is likely to be different. As opposed to the Bruins’ roster during the 2023-2024 season, which was plagued by inconsistency and inexperience, the 2024-2025 rendition of the Bruins will have more experience and veteran presence. Not only have last year’s players become more mature and experienced in the college basketball landscape, the incoming transfers have all been on high-level D1 basketball programs, which implies that they are bound to bring a great deal of experience and leadership themselves. On another note, the Bruins are going into their first season where they will be a part of the Big Ten conference. Although the Pac-12 had been a competitive basketball conference for years, the Big Ten will represent the most competitive basketball conference for years to come, especially with the acquisition of the USC Trojans, the Washington Huskies, and the Oregon Ducks in addition to the UCLA Bruins. Therefore, the Bruins are going to have a more difficult schedule during the 2024-2025 season, filled with teams that the Bruins aren’t accustomed to playing. They are set to play notable teams such as the Michigan State Spartans, the Michigan Wolverines, the Wisconsin Badgers, the Illinois Fighting Illini, the Indiana Hoosiers, the Maryland Terrapins, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, and the Purdue Boilermakers. Although the official schedule for the 2024-2025 season hasn’t been released, the Bruins’ Big Ten opponents and where they play each opponent have been released. Particularly, the Bruins’ away games against Illinois, Indiana, Oregon, Rutgers, and Purdue are bound to give them some trouble. Despite these looming challenges, the Bruins have put themselves in the perfect place to succeed. With the rapid development of their returning players throughout last season as well as their tremendous incoming transfer portal class that fills exactly what the Bruins lacked last year, it is safe to say that the Bruins are trending upward. This team is hungry, gritty, and looking to put the 2023-2024 season behind them: These Bruins are ready to establish themselves as one of the most formidable teams not only in the Big Ten, but in the entire NCAA.
