Magoon Gwath is a legit big man that can change a defensive identity of a team

Magoon Gwath out of San Diego State has now hit the transfer portal. He is a talented big man that should attract major interest and should be someone UCLA should go after. He has played in 51 career college games and averaged 2.1 blocks per game. His defense is already elite and he has the potential to grow his offensive game. Last season he averaged 8.9 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. He was also named the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year.

Gwath has two years of eligibility remaining for a new school that he goes to. That gives his potential school and opportunity to have him for more than just a one year project. He could slot right into UCLA and be the starting center from day one. Allowing them to shore up their defense in the paint. He changes a game defensively just by his presence being there.

Gwath is a lanky center, he is 7’0 tall but only 190 pounds. He does have a little bit of spacing in his game as well. Shooting 1.8 3-point attempts per game in 2025 and connecting on 43.5% of those attempts. Xavier Booker is the main center on UCLA’s roster right now. He is more of a shooter and doesn’t play much back to the basket basketball. Gwath could provide a great change of pace with Booker.

Traditional center is one of the important pieces that UCLA is looking for. They do have Javonte Floyd coming in as a recruit. He stands at 6’9 and will be interesting to see if he sticks at center or may move to power forward. Mick Cronin preaches defense for any team that he coaches. Getting a player like Gwath would be a huge addition to helping improve the defense from 2025.