Kentucky Transfer Johnny Juzang Picks Hometown UCLA

Kentucky transfer Johnny Juzang has committed to his hometown UCLA, he announced on Twitter on Thursday.

Juzang picked the Bruins over a top six that also included Oregon, Arizona, Texas Tech, Notre Dame and Villanova. In May, the NCAA granted Juzang a waiver that will make him immediately eligible in 2020–21, reports Stadium's Jeff Goodman.

A graduate of Harvard-Westlake (Calif.) High School in the Los Angeles area, the 19-year-old Juzang originally committed to the Wildcats nearly a year ago after reclassifying to the 2019 class. The four-star, top-40 recruit had a reputation as a sharpshooter but struggled early on with his three-point shot as a freshman in Lexington in a limited role in John Calipari's rotation.

The 6' 6" Juzang saw just 12.3 minutes while appearing in 28 games for Kentucky, shooting 32.6% from three and averaging 2.9 points and 1.9 rebounds. Juzang's shot improved in the second half and he showed flashes down the stretch, including making 10 of his final 20 three-point attempts and playing a season-high 33 minutes in the season finale vs. Florida.

The wing's departure from Lexington came as a bit of a surprise to Calipari and the Kentucky program, according to The Athletic, and distance from home was believed to be a factor.

Juzang told 247Sports that he really likes "coach [Mick] Cronin and the direction [UCLA] is going in." "Playing for UCLA is something that has always excited me and now more than ever I really want to compete for a championship for UCLA, that’s something that fires me up," he said.

After a poor start to the 2019–20 season in Cronin's first year, the Bruins made a push during Pac-12 play, including winning seven straight to just miss out on winning the conference. All five starters could return if Chris Smith withdraws from the draft, with Juzang and five-star point guard Daishen Nix joining the roster. UCLA ranked 17th in SI.com's Way-Too-Early Top 25 for 2020–21.