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UCLA Basketball: Cody Riley, Jalen Hill officially reinstated

By Mike Regalado

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 10: UCLA's Head Coach Steve Alford is seen at the UCLA Men's Basketball game against the Univeristy of Michigan at Pauley Pavilion on December 10, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 10: UCLA's Head Coach Steve Alford is seen at the UCLA Men's Basketball game against the Univeristy of Michigan at Pauley Pavilion on December 10, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images) /
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The UCLA basketball team has officially reinstated redshirt freshmen Cody Riley and Jalen Hill after serving a season-long suspension last year for the involvement in a shoplifting incident in China back in November.

The UCLA basketball team is back at full strength after it was announced that suspended freshmen Cody Riley and Jalen Hill have been reinstated.

RELATED: Shareef O’Neal Officially Joins UCLA

Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports broke the news this morning via Twitter. Both Hill and Riley were suspended for the season after taking part in a shoplifting spree during UCLA’s Pac-12 Goodwill Tour of China back in November.

Both players, along with former Bruin LiAngelo Ball, were suspended for the season after taking sunglasses and other goods from three high-end shops in Hangzhou, China. Riley and Hill remained on the team and took their punishment, but Ball has since left the team. He was pulled out of school by his father LaVar Ball because due to the suspensions.

With Riley and Hill reinstated, the Bruins now have a full squad going into the 2018-19 season. This news comes a day after it was announced that 4-star power forward Shareef O’Neal has been deemed eligible to enroll at UCLA and will also join the Bruins for the upcoming season.

UCLA Basketball Scholarship Players By Position

  • PG: Jaylen Hands (So.), Tyger Campbell (Fr.)
  • SG: Prince Ali (R-Jr.), David Singleton III (Fr.), Jules Bernard (Fr.)
  • SF: Kris Wilkes (So.), Chris Smith (So.)
  • PF: Alex Olesinki (R-Jr.), Cody Riley (R-Fr.), Shareef O’Neal (Fr.)
  • C: Jalen Hill (R-Fr.), Moses Brown (Fr.), Kenny Nwuba (Fr.)

With O’Neal, Riley, and Hill now officially on the team, the Bruins are at their 13 scholarship limit. Not only will the Bruins be deep this season, but this could be the most talented team in head coach Steve Alford’s tenure.

Next. The UCLA Basketball All-Time Team. dark

With this roster, UCLA could be the frontrunner to win the Pac-12 next season. A few other conference teams have taken a step back in talent which could lead the Bruins to their first regular-season championship since Alford took over. Go Bruins!