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UCLA Basketball: The men’s scholarship distribution after the exit of 3 Bruins

By Mike Regalado

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 05: David Singleton #34 of the UCLA Bruins drives toward the hoop around Justice Sueing #10 of the California Golden Bears during the second half at Pauley Pavilion on January 05, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katharine Lotze/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 05: David Singleton #34 of the UCLA Bruins drives toward the hoop around Justice Sueing #10 of the California Golden Bears during the second half at Pauley Pavilion on January 05, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katharine Lotze/Getty Images) /
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With three UCLA basketball players leaving the team for the NBA Draft, Go Joe Bruin looks at the scholarship distribution for the Bruins heading into next season.

New UCLA basketball head coach Mick Cronin is not heading into the 2019-20 season with a bare cupboard. Though he is losing the top three scorers from last season (Kris Wilkes, Jaylen Hands, and Moses Brown), he still has a lot of talent and depth but also has to look to the future.

RELATED: A Look at the UCLA Frontcourt After Moses Brown’s Exit

Cronin has a few decisions to make when it comes to recruiting. With three Bruins moving on and two coming in next season, the Bruins have 12 of 13 scholarships filled. Before we look at the direction he can go in targeting prospects, let us look at the current scholarship distribution.

The Current UCLA Basketball Scholarship Distribution

Scholarships By Position

PG: 1 | SG: 3 | SF: 3 | PF: 3 | C: 2

Scholarships By Year

Freshmen: 4 | Sophomores: 5 | Juniors: 1 | Seniors: 2

At the moment, UCLA can bring in another recruit as they have one scholarship to offer for 2019-20. The main concern with the roster is the lack of depth with at point guard. With Hands leaving the program, Tyger Campbell is the only PG on scholarship. UCLA should target another, but the pool is continually decreasing, and it is not likely that they bring in a grad transfer, mostly because recruits also need to be admitted to a UCLA graduate program, which does not always work out.

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Though PG depth is a concern, Cronin consider going in a different direction with the extra available scholarship. Recently, 3-star power forward Kenyon Martin, Jr. added UCLA to his list of Top 4 schools. Before Cronin got to Westwood, Martin did not have the Bruins on his radar, but Cronin’s ties could bring the Sierra Canyon product to UCLA.

Another option is to hold on to that scholarship for the 2020 recruiting cycle. With Alex Olesinski and Prince Ali graduating, Cronin will have three scholarships to offer and that does not include potential early exits after the 2019-20 season.

Again, the primary target should be a point guard, but Cronin should also start scoping out top shooting guards and frontcourt players, especially if Martin commits elsewhere.

Currently, UCLA has offers out to 5-star point guards Daishen Nix (Trinity International/Las Vegas, NV) and Sharife Cooper (McEachern/Powder Springs, GA) and 4-star Adam Miller (Morgan Park/Chicago, IL). Jalen Green (San Joaquin Memorial/Fresno, CA) is a 5-star shooting guard that has a high interest in UCLA. As far as big men, 5-star PF Greg Brown (Vandegrift/Austin, TX) and 5-star C Walker Kessler (Woodward Academy/Atlanta, GA) are very keen on the Bruins.

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Though most of these players have been linked to UCLA, we should see additions to the target list as Cronin continues to analyze what type of player he needs to bring in that fits his system. He should continue to target elite offensive players, but unlike the last few recruiting classes, he will bring in more defensive-minded players.