UCLA men’s basketball secures commitment from 5-star center Adem Bona
UCLA men’s basketball coach Mick Cronin yells to his team. Cronin picked up his third pledge in the class of 2022 recruiting cycle Monday morning with the commitment of five-star center Adem Bona. (Daily Bruin file photo)
By Jon Christon
Nov. 1, 2021 8:36 a.m.
In a recruiting battle of blue bloods, the blue and gold came out on top.
UCLA men’s basketball picked up a commitment from class of 2022 five-star center Adem Bona on Monday morning. The No. 19-ranked player in his class, Bona was deciding between UCLA and Kentucky and ultimately chose the Bruins in a video with NBA insider Shams Charania.
Just in: 5-star prospect Adem Bona — a 6-foot-10 big man — chooses between Kentucky and UCLA. pic.twitter.com/NfvEjo18XY
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 1, 2021
According to 247 Sports, Bona is the 12th-best recruit in UCLA history with a recruiting score of 0.9928, sitting between former forwards Trevor Ariza and Kris Wilkes.
Bona plays high school ball at Prolific Prep in Napa, California, and will mark UCLA’s first freshman frontcourt player since redshirt freshman forward Mac Etienne reclassified into the class of 2020 last year.
The pledge also marks the third commitment in the class of 2022 as well as the program’s second five-star recruit in the class. Guard Amari Bailey – the No. 3 player in the country in the class of 2022 – and four-star guard Dylan Andrews will both join Bona on the squad next year for coach Mick Cronin’s fourth recruiting cycle in Westwood.
The Bruins now have the top recruiting class in the Pac-12, moving ahead of USC and Oregon on Monday morning in 247 Sports’ recruiting rankings. UCLA’s class of 2022 also surged into the top 10 nationally with Bona’s commitment, clocking in at No. 9 after starting the day at No. 21.
UCLA currently has four big men on the roster – two of whom are seniors. However, both redshirt senior forward Cody Riley and redshirt senior center Myles Johnson are available to return next year with the extra year of eligibility granted to all NCAA athletes because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
