Identifying Top Impact Transfer Targets For UCLA Men’s Basketball
The offseason is officially underway in Westwood, and the Bruins have some work to do.
UCLA men's basketball could be looking at a thin roster next fall, depending on upcoming NBA Draft decisions. David Singleton is out of eligibility, Jaylen Clark – who is out until at least December with an Achilles injury – declared for the draft on March 28 and Jaime Jaquez Jr., Tyger Campbell, Amari Bailey and Adem Bona could soon follow suit.
While it doesn't seem likely that the Bruins lose all of those players to the pros, it's clear that coach Mick Cronin and his staff have to start rounding out their lineup. Between the returning underclassmen and the three incoming four-star freshmen, UCLA could have as few as eight scholarships on the books for next season, leaving them five under the limit.
Even if Bona and Bailey return, the Bruins will have three scholarships left to use on transfers, late high school commits or international prospects.
UCLA will be lacking experience with or without Bailey and Bona, something the team has had an abundance of over the past few seasons. Reeling in veteran transfers could go a long way in turning this rebuild into a retooling, and several of the staff's targets have already become public.
Whether they aim to bring in one, two or three of them, here are the top options the Bruins could consider adding via the transfer portal over the next few weeks.
Chris Ledlum, Forward, Harvard
Reports first started to surface about the Bruins' interest in Ledlum all the way back on March 8 – the day after he entered the transfer portal.
Ledlum is coming off a breakout season with the Crimson, wrapping it up by earning unanimous All-Ivy League First Team honors. Ledlum averaged 18.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.1 blocks per game this year while shooting 47.3% from the field.
Those big numbers didn't come out nowhere, either, as Ledlum was a four-star recruit coming out of Northfield Mount Hermon (MA) in 2019. Ledlum had offers from Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Notre Dame, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Seton Hall, St. John's, TCU, Texas Tech, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and Xavier, but he elected to play in the Ivy League instead.
Although Ledlum is only a 29.4% 3-point shooter for his career, he attempted 4.6 shots from beyond the arc per game over the last two seasons. Ledlum has also gotten to the line 4.9 times per game in that span, despite only shooting 65.2% from the stripe.
Ledlum has a near-identical frame to Jaquez at 6-foot-6, 225 pounds, meaning he could step in as Cronin's new starting wing forward.
Kentucky, Ohio State, Indiana, Florida, Xavier and several other top programs are also pursuing Ledlum.
Khalif Battle, Guard, Temple
As of March 18, the Bruins were reportedly in contact with Battle.
Battle was a four-star recruit coming out of Trenton Catholic School (NJ) in 2019, mostly garnering offers from programs in the Northeast, plus Miami (FL) and Washington. The 6-foot-5 guard played 11 minutes per game across 24 appearances his freshman year at Butler, and then he transferred to Temple in 2020.
Although his true sophomore season was shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic, Battle emerged as a part-time starter while averaging 15.0 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. Battle was on his way to a breakout season in 2021-2022, averaging 21.4 points a night on .538/.488/.806 shooting splits through seven games, but a left foot injury cost him the rest of that year.
Despite the fact that Battle was the Owls' sixth man for much of this past season, he led Temple with 17.9 points per game. Battle was benched in Temple's loss to Wichita State on Feb. 16, though, and the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that he was not with the program in any capacity following that game.
Battle has also reportedly been in contact with Villanova, Arkansas, Arizona, Ohio State, Memphis, Florida, Florida State, USC, Louisville, LSU, Arizona State, South Carolina, Xavier and Oregon.
Nicolas Timberlake, Guard, Towson
UCLA joined the race for Timberlake back on March 20, according to multiple reports.
Timberlake arrived at Towson in 2018 after being a Class AA All-New England Preparatory School Athletic Council Team selection in his senior year at Kimball Union Academy (NH). The 6-foot-4 guard first earned a spot in the rotation in 2019-2020, when he won CAA Sixth Man Of The Year.
Over the next four seasons, Timberlake's production steadily grew. He is now fresh off of his second consecutive appearance on the All-CAA First Team, averaging 17.7 points per game on 41.6% 3-point shooting to get there.
Timberlake has also been in contact with Butler, Indiana, Kansas, LSU, Xavier, North Carolina and Ohio State.
Dalton Knecht, Guard, Northern Colorado
There was a laundry list of programs targeting Knecht the moment he entered the portal, but UCLA reportedly joined in on March 30.
Knecht primarily came off the bench during this junior season with Northern Colorado, but he became a full-time starter his senior year. In 32 games, Knecht more than doubled his scoring production by averaging 20.2 points per game, shooting 47.9% from the field and 38.1% from beyond the arc.
His 2022-23 performance earned him All-Big Sky Second Team honors.
Knecht was an NJCAA All-American at Northeastern Junior College (CO) before heading to Northern Colorado. In his sophomore season at Northeastern, Knecht averaged 23.9 points per game while shooting 51.2% percent from the field.
Arizona State, Arkansas, Colorado, Gonzaga, Grand Canyon, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa State, Kansas, Kentucky, LSU, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington and West Virginia as programs that have spoken with the Thornton, Colorado, native, as well.
Reese Dixon-Waters, Guard, USC
While there haven't been any public reports of Dixon-Waters' suitors on the transfer market, many have been quick to link him to UCLA.
The now-former Trojan would be a good fit for the program, given his high major experience and athletic 6-foot-5 frame. Dixon-Waters averaged 9.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.4 blocks in 25.4 minutes per game this season, joining the starting lineup in eight of his 29 appearances.
Coming off the bench the prior season, Dixon-Waters shot 46.0% from deep, but that number dropped to 29.6% this year. For his career, Dixon-Waters shoots 48.8% from 2, 35.0% from 3 and 80.9% from the free throw line.
Dixon-Waters has played against UCLA several times over the past three seasons, but he made his biggest impression on Bruin fans by dropping 16 points on perfect shooting in Pauley Pavilion on Jan. 5, 2023.
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