In their first season under the leadership of head coach Mick Cronin, the UCLA Men’s basketball team finished the year 16-17 as the team was filled with underclassmen who were thrusted into positions they may have not been experienced enough to handle yet.
With a year under his belt, Cronin’s roster will look a bit different as the former legendary Cincinnati Bearcats coach added six new players through the transfer portal.
Of their new players reporters spoke with recent Oregon State transfer Tyler Bilodeau who will be entering his Junior season as a member of the Bruins. Bilodeau is expected to be a key contributor for UCLA this upcoming season after he had a highly productive sophomore year at Oregon State, where he averaged 14.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per contest.
The newly added big man also showed signs as a stretch-four after he shot the 3-pointer at 34.5 percent which is pretty impressive for a guy at his position.
During media availability on Wednesday, Bilodeau talked about how the UCLA basketball program was enticing for him, especially after competing against the team a year ago during their final season as a member of the Pac-12.
“Playing against UCLA for the past couple of years gave me a sense of what the program is all about. But this summer has been really good, just learning a lot, taking it all in day-by-day, trying to get better.”
“Playing against UCLA for the past couple years gave me a sense of what the program is all about. But this summer has been really good, just learning a lot, taking it all in day-by-day, trying to get better.”
Tyler Bilodeau, on transferring to UCLA’s program pic.twitter.com/2RsvNQ1MsM
— UCLA Men’s Basketball (@UCLAMBB) September 25, 2024
Last season one of the struggles for the Bruins was their lack of experience on the roster, as it was occupied by several freshmen. The players from a season ago were asked to grow up quickly and the team was never able to find its stride, although, they did flash potential for what could be in store for season two under coach Cronin.
When recruiting players through the portal UCLA clearly made sure to add players who have played a significant number of games in their college basketball careers to help bolster the IQ of this team.
Another point to mention is that coach Cronin told reporters that he attacks recruiting in the transfer portal from the standpoint of needed guys who are trying to compete compared to being more concerned about the money they could make through Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL). All eyes will be on the Bruins this season as they try to get back into the March Madness tournament in 2025.
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