Elite Class of 2023 Recruit Ron Holland Lists UCLA Men's Basketball in Top 8

The Bruins are officially in the running for one of the top juniors in the nation, alongside Kentucky, Auburn, Texas and Memphis.

One of the top recruits in the country has started to narrow down his options, and the Bruins remain one of the contenders.

Class of 2023 small forward Ron Holland announced his top eight Sunday afternoon, and he included UCLA men's basketball on the list of semifinalists. Holland is also considering Kentucky, Auburn, Texas, Arkansas, Houston, Memphis and the NBA G League.

Before trimming things down to eight, the Duncanville (TX) product was also sitting on offers from Kansas, Oklahoma State, Oregon, SMU, TCU, Texas A&M and Texas Tech.

Holland visited Tennessee State and Memphis last summer, but he has yet to take an official this year. However, Holland has confirmed that he has one official on the books – a trip to UCLA on May 12.

That could position the Bruins as an early leader, although they do have to compete with several other programs boasting prestigious coaches and recent success on the court.

“I feel like it is coming down to a point where I need to cut down my list because I don’t want to waste anybody’s time," Holland said in an interview with 247Sports. "I feel like it’s time to lock in the options that are the best for me to help reach my goals.

Holland is a five-star prospect, according to the 247Sports Composite, Rivals and ESPN, with all three rankings having him among the top-10 recruits in the nation. Holland is the consensus top player in Texas and is one of the top forwards in the country as well.

The 6-foot-8 Holland put up 15.9 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game as a high school junior, leading Duncanville to a 35-1 record and Texas state title in the process. For his career, Holland is a 59% shooter from the field, 32% shooter from deep and 69% shooter from the free throw line.

Holland and Duncanville actually beat another Bruin target in the Texas state championship game – McKinney (TX) shooting guard Ja'Kobe Walter, who put UCLA in his own top eight on Wednesday.

The Bruins do not have a commit for their 2023 recruiting class, notably losing out on four-star shooting guards Dusty Stromer and Rayvon Griffith to Gonzaga and Cincinnati, respectively, last weekend. Holland and Walter are among the elite prospects the staff is still contending for, alongside five-stars Isaiah Collier, Matas Buzelis and KJ Evans and four-stars Andrej Stojakovic and Milan Momcilovic.

Coach Mick Cronin will have to secure more recruits in the upcoming cycle than he has since arriving in Westwood, with Jaime Jaquez Jr., Tyger Campbell, Jules Bernard, David Singleton and Amari Bailey all likely leaving the program next offseason. With as many as eight scholarship spots open after this year, Cronin and his assistants are apparently pushing hard to get big names like Holland to come to Westwood to fill out the future new-look roster.

“UCLA is big on me, and LA is a good spot to be," Holland told 247Sports. "Coach Mick Cronin and them they love me, and I love them, and I feel like they can get me to my dreams too.”

Holland played for Team USA at the U16 World Cup in 2021 and is currently showing out for Drive Nation on the Nike EYBL Circuit.

Follow Connon on Twitter at @SamConnon
Follow All Bruins on Twitter at @SI_AllBruins
Like All Bruins on Facebook at @SI.AllBruins
Subscribe to All Bruins on YouTube

Read more UCLA stories: UCLA Bruins on Sports Illustrated
Read more UCLA men's basketball stories: UCLA Men's Basketball on Sports Illustrated