The Bruins have reshaped their roster through the portal.
After several strong seasons and deep NCAA Tournament runs under Mick Cronin, the UCLA Bruins took a step back during the 2023-24 season. After losing several key players, including Jaime Jaquez, Amari Bailey and Jaylen Clark to the NBA, the Bruins were left with a young roster made up mostly of underclassmen. But Cronin the Bruins have had a busy offseason so far. UCLA has added several new faces through the transfer portal, including their latest addition in big man William Kyle III from South Dakota State as per Joe Tipton of On3 Sports.
The Bruins had a need for additional size in the frontcourt following Adem Bona’s decision to declare for the NBA Draft. Bona has been the Bruins starting center for the past couple of seasons. Kyle joins the Bruins looking to make an immediate impact and turn the team’s fortunes around.
Last season, the Bruins finished with an overall record of 16-17 and only 10-10 in Pac-12 Conference play. UCLA will be moving to the Big 10 for the 2024-25 season. Prior to this past season, the Bruins had reached the NCAA Tournament for three consecutive seasons including one Final Four appearance in Cronin’s first NCAA Tournament run. They reached the Sweet 16 in 2021-22 and 2022-23. During Cronin’s first season at the helm in 2019-20, the tournament was canceled due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
William Kyle will strengthen the frontcourt for UCLA
With the departure of Adem Bona and Kenneth Nwuba, the Bruins were looking for players to strengthen the frontcourt. They found a possible answer in the transfer portal in William Kyle. Kyle will be entering his junior season and will have one more season of college basketball eligibility after this one.
Kyle had a solid freshman season during 2021-22, and showed improved this past year. He’s alternated between starting and coming off the bench. As a freshman he started 25 of the 32 games he played and 24 of the 35 games he played in as a sophomore. This past year, he averaged 13.1 points per game, 6.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.6 steals with splits of 62.3 percent shooting from the field and 58 percent shooting from the free throw line.
One of the main areas where Kyle can make an impact for UCLA is on the defensive end. Looking at the returning players, UCLA has Aday Mara, Berke Buyuktuncel and Devin Williams vying for frontcourt minutes. All three were freshmen last season.
UCLA has found success in the transfer portal this offseason
William Kyle is just the latest in what’s been a major transfer portal haul for the Bruins. They’ve added former USC guard Kobe Johnson, former Louisville guard Skyy Clark, former Oregon State forward Tyler Bilodeau and former Oklahoma State forward Eric Dailey Jr.
Since Mick Cronin’s arrival, the Bruins haven’t had much success in the transfer portal. Last offseason they only added one player in the portal in former Utah wing Lazar Stefanovic. Stefanovic ended up being one of the Bruins most consistent and productive players. Bruins fans will hope that this group of portal additions can have a similar impact.
