Cronin Details Donovan Dent-Nico Iamaleava UCLA Parallels

The Bruins acquired the two best transfers in each sport this offseason.

Mar 19, 2025; Lexington, KY, USA; UCLA head coach Mick Cronin speaks with media during NCAA Tournament First Round Practice at Rupp Arena. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

UCLA athletics, over the football and basketball offseasons, landed the nation's top transfers in Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava and New Mexico point guard Donovan Dent.

Jul 24, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava speaks to the media during the Big Ten NCAA college football media days at Mandalay Bay Resort. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images | Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

Bringing in players of their talent completely shifts a program. And Bruins basketball coach Mick Cronin discussed how the two are similar during Tuesday's media availability.

"I was talking to DeShaun [Foster] the other day," Cronin said, equating Dent's addition to landing Iamaleava. "We had ran into each other outside. When you have somebody at quarterback that has high-level talent, you can do things offensively that you couldn't do if you didn't have that guy. Because that guy is capable of plays that other guys aren't capable of.

"You give him responsibility where he makes the right read, so he's making open shots at a high clip. It just changes things. And it makes life easier on his teammates. That's what they'll tell you."

Dent and Iamaleava's arrivals at Westwood both impact their programs in different ways, but with the same weight. Iamaleava will likely add 2-3 wins to UCLA's win total last season, and Dent re-shapes the Bruins' offense like no one has before.

How Donovan Dent Plans on Changing UCLA's Offense

New Mexico Lobos guard Donovan Dent (2) shoots a layup in front of Michigan State Spartans forward Coen Carr (55) during the second half of an NCAA Tournament Second Round game at Rocket Arena on Sunday, March 23, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio. | Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The point guard and Cronin are aligned, and Dent detailed how he plans on fitting in the system.

"We knew that last year they didn't really have that at the point guard position," Dent said during Tuesday's media availability. "When [Cronin] called me, he knew exactly what he wanted. He wanted to play faster, because that's how his defense is. His defense creates faster offense, so he felt like I could fit right into that system. He just needed someone he could trust with the ball in their hand.

"I felt like that's what I could bring to the table, and we talked about that. We talked about playing a lot in the pick-and-rolls, and he's been doing that a lot in practice. So I'm excited to see what we're going to get going during the season."

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