UCLA Basketball Making Strides on Recruiting Trail

The Bruins received a couple of crucial recruiting updates on Monday.

UCLA's head coach Mick Cronin reacts during the first half against Michigan State on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

While the UCLA football team has received pretty much all of the attention on the recruiting front this summer, the Bruins' men's basketball team made some waves on Monday.

UCLA is hosting a top recruit for a visit and has also entered the race for another.

Dec 20, 2011; Los Angeles, CA, USA; General view of seat cushions at the the Sports Arena with the words: UCLA Basketball 2011-2013 Road Show before the game against the UC Irvine Anteaters. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Visitor

Let's start with the player visiting, as that seems to signal a more immediate impact. UCLA is getting a visit from North Oconee (GA) shooting guard Justin Wise this weekend. Wise is a 4-star recruit in the 2027 class, and reports indicate his visit will happen on Sunday, June 21.

Wise is a consensus top-100 recruit in the nation, ranking among the top 11 players in Georgia and top 13 shooting guards in his class. At 6-foot-4, he has solid length for the position, and pursuit from several other programs shows he has the potential to become an elite player at the next level.

4⭐️ Justin Wise will take an unofficial visit to UCLA on Sunday, June 21st, per KJ Smith.

The 6-4 shooting guard is a top-100 prospect in the 2027 class. https://t.co/fKzHMaPPfM pic.twitter.com/qBt7Ae2BTL

— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) June 15, 2026

He has 13 Division I offers, including schools like Tennessee, Miami (FL), Cal, Texas, Clemson, SMU, and Georgia. Georgia is the only team to have received an official visit from Wise, as he traveled to Athens in late February 2026.

The Offer

Wise isn't the only UCLA target we got an update from on Monday. The Bruins are now also after 7-foot-3 IMG Academy center Dylan Betts, a 5-star 2028 recruit. Betts is originally from Engelwood, CO, but transferred to IMG after his freshman season at Cherry Creek (CO) High School, where he averaged 7.7 points and 6.2 rebounds.

blessed to receive an offer from. @UCLAMBB pic.twitter.com/h9TCMI3UPg

— Dylan Betts (@DylanBetts51) June 16, 2026

Betts is a consensus top-10 player in the 2028 recruiting class and would be a huge addition for the Bruins, especially with frustration growing around the team's recent performances. Fellow Big Ten power Purdue often makes waves with recruits of this size, and Betts would be a great answer.

UCLA will have plenty of competition for his services. He already has 10 scholarship offers, with Purdue, Indiana, Illinois, Florida State, and USC among those involved. However, UCLA has one distinct potential advantage over other suitors. His older sisters, Lauren and Sienna, were and are part of the UCLA women's basketball program, and Lauren in particular had a historic career for the Bruins.

Apr 5, 2026; Phoenix, AZ, USA; ESPN reporter Holly Rowe speaks to UCLA Bruins center Lauren Betts (51) on the podium after the win against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the National Championship game of the women's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Dylan Betts may want to join his siblings in Westwood, but he may also want to build his own legacy elsewhere. Still, extending an official offer his way is a positive step for the program and shows UCLA is still in the hunt for some high-end recruits.