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UCLA Basketball: Three freshmen arrested in China for shoplifting

By Mike Regalado

MEMPHIS, TN - MARCH 24: Head coach Steve Alford of the UCLA Bruins reacts in the second half against the Kentucky Wildcats during the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament South Regional at FedExForum on March 24, 2017 in Memphis, Tennessee. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
MEMPHIS, TN - MARCH 24: Head coach Steve Alford of the UCLA Bruins reacts in the second half against the Kentucky Wildcats during the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament South Regional at FedExForum on March 24, 2017 in Memphis, Tennessee. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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It has been confirmed that three UCLA Basketball players, LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley and Jalen Hill, have been arrested in China for shoplifting.

After initial reports claiming Chinese police were questioning a few UCLA Basketball players, it has been confirmed that three Bruins have been arrested for shoplifting.

RELATED: Police allegedly question UCLA Basketball players in China

Accoridng to sources, freshman SG LiAngelo Ball, PF Cody Riley and C Jalen Hill have been arrested in China for shoplifting.

The UCLA Basketball team is in the midst of their trip to China as they will face Georgia Tech in Shanghai on Friday night as part of the Pac-12 China game.

With the arrests, some suspensions will surely come to the three freshmen who were all highly touted recruits in high school last year.

Not only is this a blackeye for the UCLA Basketball team who is supposed to be on this trip to China as a show of goodwill as representatives of the Pac-12 Conference and the United States of America, this is also bad for depth.

This is supposed to be the deepest class that head coach Steve Alford has put together in his five years in Westwood. That will unfortunately take a hit with these players out for a number of games. So far, no official word has been released on what will happen with these players both in China, when they return to the states and with the UCLA Basketball program.

Next: UCLA Basketball: The men’s team 2017-18 season preview

Without these players, UCLA is going to be thin in the front court as Riley and Hill were expected to be backups at power forward and center for Gyorgy Goloman and Thomas Welsh. The Bruins are a little better off at SG/SF where Ball was expected to play. The younger brother of Lonzo Ball was only projected to play 10 minutes off the bench.