One UCLA Basketball Player Being Overlooked This Offseason

UCLA's men's basketball team has undergone significant roster turnover this season as it seeks to return to elite status. Much of the attention has been going to the key returners in Xavier Booker, Trent Perry, and Eric Dailey Jr., as well as the four transfer additions.

However, there's another returning Bruin who seems to be overlooked. Maybe that's by design since he didn't put up spectacular numbers as a freshman last season, but he came on strong at the end of the year, especially on the defensive end, and, as Perry showed, players can make a big leap in their development from Year 1 to Year 2.

UCLA's Overlooked Sophomore

ucla basketbal — Mar 20, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Eric Freeny (8) dribbles the ball against UCF Knights forward Jamichael Stillwell (4) in the first half during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

For those who didn't figure it out from those clues, we're talking about redshirt sophomore 6-foot-4 guard Eric Freeny, a former top-70 national recruit from Corona, California. After sitting out the 2024-25 season, he slowly became a key factor for the Bruins last year, and the next step of his development could be a big key for UCLA's future.

Freeny played 11.1 minutes per game last season and appeared in 28 games off the bench for UCLA, contributing mostly on defense but also placing among the team's best three-point shooters (37.5%) in limited attempts. However, he was one of the players whom head coach Mick Cronin singled out as a major factor in UCLA's late-season turnaround, citing Freeny's attention to detail and communication that helped create his intense defensive prowess.

ucla basketball' — Mar 20, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Eric Freeny (8) dribbles the ball against the UCF Knights in the second half during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The guard only averaged 2.0 points and 1.6 rebounds per game for the season, but his role increased greatly in the late stages. His three best games came during the final two weeks or so, including 10 points and five rebounds against crosstown rival USC and eight points, five rebounds, and two assists against a really good Purdue team.

Eric Freeny's 2026-27 Role and Progress

So, where does that leave Freeny for the upcoming season? It really depends on how UCLA wants to approach its lineup. Many assume Perry and Texas Tech transfer Jaylen Petty will lock down the guard spots, and Booker and Dailey Jr. will start in the frontcourt, although transfers Sergej Macura and Filip Jovic, plus heralded freshman Joe Philon, may challenge for one of those spots.

That leaves the three positions open to whoever takes them, and that all depends on what UCLA wants that player to be able to do. If the Bruins want a bigger but mobile guy to man the spot, Jovic or Philon could do it, or Dailey Jr. could take it, and Jovic, Philon, or Macura could take his spot down low.

If they want to go to an undersized player, Freeny could be the option. He doesn't have the height at the position he'll face against most opponents, but he has the length, athleticism, and "three-and-D" capabilities to be a factor in that role.

But that also requires him to develop a more well-rounded game throughout the offseason, becoming a more consistent player across the board and a more reliable and menacing scoring threat without having to be the lead scorer. Still, at worst, Freeny should be the sixth man for the Bruins this season with starter potential, and not enough people are talking about the player he could become as his career continues.

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