Post by mhbruin on Jul 22, 2022 9:13:39 GMT -8
CHANGES
Abramo Canka committed to the Bruins
---------------------------------
Next are the 2nd place UCLA Bruins. As I wrote in my season review, it was disappointing to follow a Final Four with a Sweet 16, particularly for a team that returned everybody. However, by most measures 2021-22 was a step forward on the previous season, particularly if you take all the injuries into account.
My season review
Will this be another step forward? This year we are losing 6 rotation players including three starters. You might expect we won't be as good. I wouldn't be so sure. We might be better.
GRADUATING
Technically, Myles isn't graduating, but he is moving on from basketball for a less important pursuit. He will be making our world a better place.
While he his offense wasn't all we hoped for, he did lead the team in blocks.
IN THE DRAFT OR TURNING PRO
Johnny led the team in scoring, but at the end of the season, he wasn't the unstoppable force he was during our Final Four run. He wasn't 100%.
Peyton, we barely knew ya.
Jules made great strides since his freshman year when he seemed like an out-of-control turnover machine. It was great to watch him grow as a player. I suspect he will go undrafted and then get a two-way contract. I think he will still have a nice career.
Cody had a slightly disappointing season, but I think he was another of the walking wounded. He overcame a rough start to his career to be a Bruin we can all be proud of.
TRANSFERRING OUT
Jake never quite demonstrated his killer out-side shot consistently. I hope he finds stardom in Laramie. With the addition of 3 So-Cal Players, the Cowboys are now in LA-ramie.
He was a man with a warm and gentle heart
But when they start the arguin and fightin
Frightenin and lightnin fast was he
Their was no cayoot
Who could out shoot
The man from Laramie
RETURNING
Note about classes: With the extra year of eligibility, there is no clear way to label players. If a player is in his 4th season, but will have another year of eligibility after this year, I am calling him "Jr 4".
UCLA may be only returning 2 starters, but we return quite a bit of production. We return half of our minutes and points, and 60% of our assists. The one area of concern is rebounding, where we only return 36%. Losing 23 boards per game will do that.
However, there is a lot to like about the returning guys. The two returning starters are almost certainly going to be first team All-Pac-12. Jaquez will be a favorite for Player of the Year. Tyger will be one of the best PG's in the country.
Aside from those two, many people wanted to see Clark in the starting lineup. They should get their wish. Last year he showed flashes of finding his shot, In three starts in February, he scored 18, 25, and 26. If he turns into a consistent double-digit scorer, look out!
We are returning six 4-star players. No other team in the league will come close.
Then take a look at the A/TO column. No other team in the league has two guys over 3.0. I don't think any other team has even one. Jacquez and Clark are as good as many PG's. We were a good ball-handling team, and we should continue to be. That usually leads to efficient offense.
You might worry about 3-point shooting, but we haven't been too dependent on the 3. Also, we have two dangerous shooters in Tyger and Singleton.
Then we have our two mystery players, Etienne and McClendon, who sat out all last season. I imagine they learned a lot, just watching practices and games. I don't think anyone is a expecting a big contribution from either, but we could all be pleasantly surprised. These are talented guys.
You might worry about depth, but there are three guys coming in who should be able to contribute as freshman. Two of them could do quite a bit more than contribute.
RECRUITS
(#12 class, #2 in Pac-12)
247 has this wrong. They rank SC's class as #1 in the Pac-12, in part because SC has 4 recruits and because they over-rated Kijani Wright. However, I think UCLA has the best class in the league. Every player is Top 40, and Amari Bailey may be underrated. He would have had more big-time offers if he hadn't been a long-time UCLA commit.
Bailey was frequently ranked in the top 2 players in the Class of 2022, but he played his senior year with a sore foot and dropped in the rankings. He is still the highest-rated recruit coming into the Pac-12 and the highest-rated in any class currently in the Pac-12. He should be a favorite for Pac-12 freshman of the year.
He can score from all three levels, and he plays defense. Enjoy his one season at UCLA.
Those of us who watched Bona at the FIBA U20 tournament, are excited. He doesn't have a well-developed offensive game, but he is a terrific athlete with tremendous upside. We will need him (and Etienne) to be a beast on the boards.
That's not to that Andrews is chopped liver. Dylan Andrews will be an excellent college player.
Canka is a good athlete and a very good shooter, but he doesn't seem like he will contribute much as a freshman. We probably won't need him to.
Bailey and Bona are likely starters. We will go as far this season as two 5-star freshmen can carry us. However, the good news is we return so much talent they they don't have to carry the load.
Will the era of the JJ's become the era of the AB's?
It is be hard to bring in a big-time player, since it seems unlikely we have a starting spot available.
CONCLUSION
Abramo Canka committed to the Bruins
---------------------------------
Next are the 2nd place UCLA Bruins. As I wrote in my season review, it was disappointing to follow a Final Four with a Sweet 16, particularly for a team that returned everybody. However, by most measures 2021-22 was a step forward on the previous season, particularly if you take all the injuries into account.
My season review
Will this be another step forward? This year we are losing 6 rotation players including three starters. You might expect we won't be as good. I wouldn't be so sure. We might be better.
GRADUATING
Player | Games | Starts | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
Myles Johnson | 35 | 15 | 18 | 4 | 5 | 1 |
Technically, Myles isn't graduating, but he is moving on from basketball for a less important pursuit. He will be making our world a better place.
While he his offense wasn't all we hoped for, he did lead the team in blocks.
IN THE DRAFT OR TURNING PRO
Player | Games | Starts | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
Johnny Juzang | 30 | 29 | 32 | 16 | 5 | 2 |
Peyton Watson | 32 | 0 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
Jules Bernard | 35 | 34 | 30 | 12 | 5 | 2 |
Cody Riley | 26 | 20 | 22 | 7 | 4 | 1 |
Johnny led the team in scoring, but at the end of the season, he wasn't the unstoppable force he was during our Final Four run. He wasn't 100%.
Peyton, we barely knew ya.
Jules made great strides since his freshman year when he seemed like an out-of-control turnover machine. It was great to watch him grow as a player. I suspect he will go undrafted and then get a two-way contract. I think he will still have a nice career.
Cody had a slightly disappointing season, but I think he was another of the walking wounded. He overcame a rough start to his career to be a Bruin we can all be proud of.
TRANSFERRING OUT
Player | Games | Starts | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Destination |
Jake Kyman | 23 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 1 | Wyoming |
Jake never quite demonstrated his killer out-side shot consistently. I hope he finds stardom in Laramie. With the addition of 3 So-Cal Players, the Cowboys are now in LA-ramie.
He was a man with a warm and gentle heart
But when they start the arguin and fightin
Frightenin and lightnin fast was he
Their was no cayoot
Who could out shoot
The man from Laramie
RETURNING
Note about classes: With the extra year of eligibility, there is no clear way to label players. If a player is in his 4th season, but will have another year of eligibility after this year, I am calling him "Jr 4".
Player | Games | Starts | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | FG% | 3Pt% | A/TO | Class | Recruiting Stars | Recruiting Rank |
Jaimie Jaquez Jr. | 34 | 34 | 31 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 47% | 28% | 1.7 | Jr 4 | 4 | 82 |
Tyger Campbell | 33 | 33 | 33 | 12 | 3 | 4 | 44% | 41% | 3.2 | Jr 4 | 4 | 87 |
Jaylen Clark | 29 | 6 | 18 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 51% | 26% | 1.5 | So 3 | 4 | 108 |
David Singleton | 33 | 4 | 17 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 48% | 45% | 3.3 | Sr 5 | 4 | 80 |
Kenneth Nwuba | 20 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 67% | 0.6 | Jr 4 | 3 | 241 | |
Mac Etienne | 0 | 0 | Fr | 4 | 49 | |||||||
Will McClendon | 0 | 0 | Fr | 4 | 45 |
UCLA may be only returning 2 starters, but we return quite a bit of production. We return half of our minutes and points, and 60% of our assists. The one area of concern is rebounding, where we only return 36%. Losing 23 boards per game will do that.
However, there is a lot to like about the returning guys. The two returning starters are almost certainly going to be first team All-Pac-12. Jaquez will be a favorite for Player of the Year. Tyger will be one of the best PG's in the country.
Aside from those two, many people wanted to see Clark in the starting lineup. They should get their wish. Last year he showed flashes of finding his shot, In three starts in February, he scored 18, 25, and 26. If he turns into a consistent double-digit scorer, look out!
We are returning six 4-star players. No other team in the league will come close.
Then take a look at the A/TO column. No other team in the league has two guys over 3.0. I don't think any other team has even one. Jacquez and Clark are as good as many PG's. We were a good ball-handling team, and we should continue to be. That usually leads to efficient offense.
You might worry about 3-point shooting, but we haven't been too dependent on the 3. Also, we have two dangerous shooters in Tyger and Singleton.
Then we have our two mystery players, Etienne and McClendon, who sat out all last season. I imagine they learned a lot, just watching practices and games. I don't think anyone is a expecting a big contribution from either, but we could all be pleasantly surprised. These are talented guys.
You might worry about depth, but there are three guys coming in who should be able to contribute as freshman. Two of them could do quite a bit more than contribute.
RECRUITS
(#12 class, #2 in Pac-12)
Player | Size | Position | Recruiting Stars | Recruiting Rank | Offers |
Amari Bailey | 6-5 190 | CG | 5 | 7 | Alabama, Kansas, DePaul |
Adem Bona | 6-9 225 | C | 5 | 15 | Kentucky, Kansas, Baylor |
Dylan Andrews | 6-3 180 | PG | 4 | 39 | Arizona, Kansas, Oregon, SC |
Abramo Canka | 6-7 | SF | Unranked | - No other offers - |
247 has this wrong. They rank SC's class as #1 in the Pac-12, in part because SC has 4 recruits and because they over-rated Kijani Wright. However, I think UCLA has the best class in the league. Every player is Top 40, and Amari Bailey may be underrated. He would have had more big-time offers if he hadn't been a long-time UCLA commit.
Bailey was frequently ranked in the top 2 players in the Class of 2022, but he played his senior year with a sore foot and dropped in the rankings. He is still the highest-rated recruit coming into the Pac-12 and the highest-rated in any class currently in the Pac-12. He should be a favorite for Pac-12 freshman of the year.
He can score from all three levels, and he plays defense. Enjoy his one season at UCLA.
Those of us who watched Bona at the FIBA U20 tournament, are excited. He doesn't have a well-developed offensive game, but he is a terrific athlete with tremendous upside. We will need him (and Etienne) to be a beast on the boards.
That's not to that Andrews is chopped liver. Dylan Andrews will be an excellent college player.
Canka is a good athlete and a very good shooter, but he doesn't seem like he will contribute much as a freshman. We probably won't need him to.
Bailey and Bona are likely starters. We will go as far this season as two 5-star freshmen can carry us. However, the good news is we return so much talent they they don't have to carry the load.
Will the era of the JJ's become the era of the AB's?
TRANSFERRING IN
Player | Size | Games | Starts | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | FG % | 3-Pt % | From | Class | Recruiting Stars | Recruiting Rank |
- None - |
It is be hard to bring in a big-time player, since it seems unlikely we have a starting spot available.
CONCLUSION
The starting lineup is likely to be Jaime Jaquez, Tyger Campbell, Amari Bailey, Jaylen Clark, and Adem Bona.
We will be by far the most talented team in the league with two 5-star players and seven 4-star players. That should make for a nice 9-man rotation.
UCLA should once again be the favorite to win the Pac-12. If the freshmen are close to what I expect, I don't see anyone who should be able to compete with us, although I expect Oregon and SC to be good.
The wild card is Arizona. They have added some good players since the early roster preview. The Pac-12 should be a two-horse race.
We will be by far the most talented team in the league with two 5-star players and seven 4-star players. That should make for a nice 9-man rotation.
UCLA should once again be the favorite to win the Pac-12. If the freshmen are close to what I expect, I don't see anyone who should be able to compete with us, although I expect Oregon and SC to be good.
The wild card is Arizona. They have added some good players since the early roster preview. The Pac-12 should be a two-horse race.
Wilner writes:
1. UCLA (previous: 1): The Bruins aren’t quite the clear favorite they were immediately following the season, not after Johnny Juzang, Jules Bernard and Peyton Watson bolted for the NBA. There are two five-star recruits on their way but no impact transfers, meaning the returning core (Jaime Jaquez Jr., Tyger Campbell and Jaylen Clark) must carry the load. We ran 10,000 simulations of the conference race through the Hotline’s supercomputer, and the Bruins finished first more than any other team — but far less than 50 percent of the time.
Torvick picks the Bruins to finish first.
ESPN writes:
Strengths: UCLA has to be considered the Pac-12 favorite with Jaime Jaquez and Tyger Campbell running it back. Jaylen Clark is another guy who could really have a breakout season too. Oh, and the Bruins have a sparkling recruiting class with elite combo guard Amari Bailey, big man Adem Bona and point guard Dylan Andrews all providing reinforcements at key positions of need. Campbell is one of the elite point guards in the country, and Jaquez is 247Sports' pick to be tabbed as the Pac-12 Player of the Year. UCLA's defense profiles to be top-notch thanks to Campbell and Jaquez.
Weaknesses: UCLA did not add a single transfer, but again, it makes a lot of sense when you have a full grasp of the roster. Could they have used a veteran big man? Maybe, but Bona and Mac Etienne have the capabilities of holding that job down. The backcourt has a ton of options with Campbell, Bailey, Andrews, Clark and David Singleton forming a complementary rotation. UCLA has had a strong offseason even though it didn't dominate the transfer portal headlines.
1. UCLA (previous: 1): The Bruins aren’t quite the clear favorite they were immediately following the season, not after Johnny Juzang, Jules Bernard and Peyton Watson bolted for the NBA. There are two five-star recruits on their way but no impact transfers, meaning the returning core (Jaime Jaquez Jr., Tyger Campbell and Jaylen Clark) must carry the load. We ran 10,000 simulations of the conference race through the Hotline’s supercomputer, and the Bruins finished first more than any other team — but far less than 50 percent of the time.
Torvick picks the Bruins to finish first.
ESPN writes:
Strengths: UCLA has to be considered the Pac-12 favorite with Jaime Jaquez and Tyger Campbell running it back. Jaylen Clark is another guy who could really have a breakout season too. Oh, and the Bruins have a sparkling recruiting class with elite combo guard Amari Bailey, big man Adem Bona and point guard Dylan Andrews all providing reinforcements at key positions of need. Campbell is one of the elite point guards in the country, and Jaquez is 247Sports' pick to be tabbed as the Pac-12 Player of the Year. UCLA's defense profiles to be top-notch thanks to Campbell and Jaquez.
Weaknesses: UCLA did not add a single transfer, but again, it makes a lot of sense when you have a full grasp of the roster. Could they have used a veteran big man? Maybe, but Bona and Mac Etienne have the capabilities of holding that job down. The backcourt has a ton of options with Campbell, Bailey, Andrews, Clark and David Singleton forming a complementary rotation. UCLA has had a strong offseason even though it didn't dominate the transfer portal headlines.