UCLA Grabbing Donovan Dent Marks a New Era for the Program

UCLA is making its claim that West Coast basketball begins in Los Angeles.

Mar 23, 2025; Cleveland, OH, USA; New Mexico Lobos guard Donovan Dent (2) dribbles in the second half against the Michigan State Spartans during the NCAA Tournament Second Round at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

West Coast basketball from the collegiate standpoint has not been respected since John Wooden walked out of Westwood. For a long time, there has been a need for a predominant West Coast power to challenge the monopoly held by the Midwest, Northeast and the South.

Power in the West since the days of Wooden has been passed around like a basketball. After Wooden retired, UCLA held on, but two-year tenures of Gene Bartow, Gary Cunningham and Larry Brown would hurt program stability, leading to the end.

UNLV had the power for a while, becoming the first West Coast national champions since Wooden's final year, but lost it the next year after a controversial loss to Duke in the final four.

Arizona under Lute Olson ran the 90s and into the 2000s. While UCLA did win the 1995 National Championship under Jim Harrick, he would be fired after the following season due to issues involving the NCAA. That stopped the Bruin resurgence in its tracks.

UCLA would get the power back in the 2000s, but Gonzaga rules the 2010s. Now, with a UCLA team that just signed one of the premier transfer players in Donovan Dent, this move could be marking a new beginning where the Bruins retake the West Coast as their female counterparts did this year.

Los Angeles has a defined love for basketball that is prevalent throughout the AAU and high school scene. However, there hasn't been a love for playing for your city that has prevented these kids from playing elsewhere.

That's okay. It is what it is. UCLA will take care of high school recruiting but to bring Donovan Dent back to his native California, waiving off offers from other big-time programs means a lot for what the Bruins can do.

If UCLA can act like a home for some of the best players from California to return to via the transfer portal, UCLA could create a basketball hub of experienced, determined players with refined basketball skills. That type of experience is worth gold, just as Auburn which has a starting five in their early 20s that just made the final four.

If Mick Cronin can pull the most out of Dent, the possibility of retaking the West Coast is right there.

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