Go Joe Bruin takes a look at the UCLA basketball team’s scholarship availability after the commitment of 5-star center Moses Brown.
If there is one thing that has been a positive for the UCLA basketball team lately, it has been recruiting. As of now, the Bruins are no. 3 in the 2018 247Sports recruiting class rankings. The Bruins made that jump yesterday after they landed 5-star center Moses Brown.
RELATED: 5-star center Moses Brown commits to UCLA
Brown joins 4-star shooting guards Jules Bernard and David Singleton III and 3-Star center Kenny Nwuba to form the 2018 class. Though the Bruins have a lot of talent coming in, they still have certain needs they need to meet.
Before we address those needs, let us look at the updated scholarship chart after Brown’s commitment:
The UCLA Basketball Scholarship Chart
| PositionYear | Freshman | Sophomore | Junior | Senior |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Point Guard | Jaylen Hands | Aaron Holiday | ||
| Shooting Guard | Jules Bernard |
David SingletonChris Smith Prince Ali* Small ForwardKris WilkesPower Forward Cody Riley* Alex Olesinski*Center Moses Brown
Jalen Hill*
Kenny Nwuba
* denotes redshirt
Brown commits at the perfect time as the Bruins are losing three big men after the season. Thomas Welsh, Gyorgy Goloman and Ikenna Okwarabizie are all graduating and on a seperate note, Welsh will be the only one out of these three that should get selected in the NBA Draft.
Brown and Nwuba (who is a project right now) join Riley and Hill (both of who were suspended for the entirety of the this currently season) and Olesinski (the only returning big man) as the core of the frontcourt. Very young but very talented.
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Wilkes and Smith will play wing positions, though not necessarily defined and small forward/shooting guard. Their size and skills will be needed for the 3 spot, especially since there is a logjam at shooting guard.
Ali should keep his starting 2 job, but will be pushed by the skilled freshmen, Bernard and Singleton.
Now for the point guard position. Holiday has one more year of eligibility left, but realistically, he could declare for the NBA Draft, leaving Hands as the only PG on the roster. Obviously the need here is to land another floor general. The Bruins could also do with another wingman or a stretch four, but is there room?
If the current scholarship chart stays intact, UCLA will have 12 scholarships used, leaving one available. But, a few more could open up if two players declare. The aforementioned Holiday seems like he would jump after the season, and if Wilkes continues to impress through the end of 2017-18, there is a possibility he goes (if Ike Anigbogu can get drafted, so can Wilkes).
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That would give UCLA three scholarships to work with, allowing for not just another point guard, but they could also add another player for both the 3 and 4 spots. As for now, head coach Steve Alford has to work on getting a point guard, that is priority no. 1.