UCLA added another player to its transfer portal haul on Thursday.
Former North Carolina Central forward Anthony Peoples Jr. announced on social media on Thursday that he has committed to the Bruins.
Peoples played just six games last season. He had a season-high 16 points against St. Andrews on New Year’s Eve but ultimately finished the season with just 21.
Prior to North Carolina Central, Peoples spent two seasons at Lewis Clark State, where he played in a total of 61 games. He averaged 6.7 points and 3.5 rebounds in the 2023-24 season.
The transfer forward was high school teammates with new UCLA guard Donovan Dent when the two played together at Corona Centennial, where they won a state championship in 2021.
While People’s college resume is far from anything to write home about, at 6-9, his addition brings more depth and size to UCLA’s frontcourt.
UCLA is now up to five commits from the transfer portal. Its first, of course, was Dent, whose commitment changed everything for the Bruins, who are now being considered a top-10 team in college basketball
Dent was last season’s Mountain West Player of the Year and was one of the best players available. UCLA now has a Big 3 of him, Tyler Bilodeau and Eric Dailey Jr.
The Bruins also added Jamar Brown, a key wing who will likely serve as a rotational piece. Coach Mick Cronin isn’t afraid to make lineup changes throughout the year, though, so it wouldn’t be surprising if we see the two-time All-Summit League honoree get some starts.
Then there’s UCLA’s two newest centers — Steven Jamerson II and Xavier Booker. Should he reach his potential, Booker is the better player and should get the nod as the starter. He comes from the bigger school and has two years of experience playing in the Big Ten already.
UCLA now has a considerably deep team, something Cronin should utilize as a method of draining opponents by going 10 or see players deep, much like Michigan State’s Tom Izzo did last year.
We’ll see if Peoples ends up having a part in that.
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