Fans, Alumni Campaign For UCLA to Admit Turkish Big Man Ege Demir
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Several months after reports first surfaced of his connection to the Bruins, one of the most promising young big men on the international stage has run into some speed bumps on his way to the United States.
Turkish big man Ege Demir verbally committed to UCLA men's basketball earlier this year, with Eurohopes first reporting his decision back on Sept. 25. The fall quarter had already begun in Westwood, though, so the timeline shifted to where Demir could join the Bruins in late December as long as he enrolled before winter quarter.
The move wouldn't be unprecedented at UCLA, given forward Mac Etienne did so in 2020 after graduating high school a semester early. Football recruits enroll early every year, starting class in January so they can take part in spring camp and offseason workouts.
Demir is facing slightly different circumstances, given his status as an international applicant.
According to 247Sports' Bruin Report Online, the Nigerian-born Demir has yet to earn a qualifying score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language, preventing him from being admitted at the moment.
UCLA Admissions says on its site that it looks for "a competitive score above 100 (with sub-scores above 22)." Harvard and Cal, on the other hand, require a minimum score of 80, while Michigan requires an 84 and Virginia requires a 90.
Fans have taken to social media, primarily Facebook and Twitter, with their frustration, pushing administration to either make an exception for Demir or lower their standards overall. UCLA alumnus and former Fox Sports and Bleacher Report writer Jay Guisto sent out a rallying cry of sorts for the fanbase, and even coach Mick Cronin's brother Dan tried to get #FreeEGE trending in a since-deleted tweet.
It remains to be seen if UCLA Admissions will change its decision regarding Demir, or if it will be able to do so in time for Demir to enroll for winter quarter.
Mick Cronin made a conscious effort to kickstart international recruiting this past offseason, hiring Serbia native Ivo Simovic as an assistant coach. Simovic brought in Italian guard/forward Abramo Canka in August, getting him on the roster in time for the season.
The Bruins have two other big men from Nigeria on their roster in freshman Adem Bona and redshirt senior Kenneth Nwuba. Like Demir, Bona also plays for Turkey internationally.
The 6-foot-10 Demir earned All-Tournament honors at the Adidas Next Generation International Junior Tournament in Belgrade in May, putting up 12.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game across four games for Tofas U18. In the 2021 tournament in Istanbul, Demir averaged 16.8 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.3 blocks in three appearances.
Demir played for Gemlik Basketbol Bursa in the 2021-2022 season, starting in 24 of his 28 outings with the Turkish squad. The Nigerian native averaged 9.8 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game over the course of the season.
Across all leagues and tournaments the past two years – when Demir was 16 and 17 years old – he put up 8.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.9 blocks, 1.1 assists and 0.6 steals per game in 48 games. Demir is a career 54.7% shooter from the field, but owns just a 50% clip from the free throw line.
If he were to join UCLA's post rotation in time for conference play, Cronin would have Bona, Demir, Etienne and Nwuba to work with for the remainder of the season. Without him, the Bruins will have to roll with the group that ranks No. 11 in the Pac-12 in defensive rebounds per game and No. 12 in blocks per game.
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PHOTO COURTESY OF CAN PEKER PEKCAN/TWITTER
