Report: UCLA Men's Basketball Targeting Harvard F Chris Ledlum
Before they even get a chance to tip off their postseason, the Bruins appear to be laying some groundwork for next year.
UCLA men's basketball has contacted Harvard transfer forward Chris Ledlum, Cerebro Sports' Andrew Slater revealed Wednesday morning on Twitter. Ledlum entered the transfer portal Tuesday, and has also heard from Kentucky, Ohio State, Indiana, Florida, Xavier and several other top programs, per Slater.
Ledlum is widely viewed as the first major transfer to hit the market this year.
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.
Back in November, Ledlum scored 30 points and reeled in nine rebounds against Loyola Chicago, and he finished with 17 points and nine boards against Kansas a month later.
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.
When he first arrived at Harvard, Ledlum came off the bench, and then the COVID-19 pandemic cost him his entire sophomore season. Ledlum was only able to play in half of the Crimson's games as a junior, although he did step into the starting lineup and average 16.7 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game when he was available.
Ledlum is only a 29.4% 3-point shooter for his career, but 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.
At 6-foot-6, 225 pounds, Ledlum has a near-identical frame to Jaime Jaquez Jr., who is likely down to his final few games in a UCLA uniform.
With Jaylen Clark's injury status up in the air, the Bruins may need an experienced wing who can fill in for Jaquez next season. Clark has only been ruled out for the Pac-12 tournament in Las Vegas this week, although some are worried his lower leg injury could hold him out far beyond that.
UCLA's 2023 recruiting class ranks No. 14 in the country and No. 3 in the Pac-12, but it only has commits from guards and power forwards thus far.
Coach Mick Cronin added Kentucky guard Johnny Juzang via the transfer portal in 2020, as well as Rutgers big man Myles Johnson in 2021. The Bruins were unable to add a transfer in 2022, though, making them the Pac-12 team without a transfer on their roster.
That could figure to change in 2023, with Ledlum already emerging as the staff's first legitimate target.
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