Adem Bona has spent the past two seasons in Pasadena at UCLA. His next looks like it won’t be with the Bruins, though, based on the latest update on the sophomore center.
Jeff Goodman shared the report based on sources speaking to The Field of 68. Those expectations are that Bona will be entering his name into the 2024 NBA Draft. With that, he will likely be foregoing the remainder of his college career.
“UCLA big man Adem Bona is expected to declare for the NBA Draft and is unlikely to return to college, source told @thefieldof68,” Goodman wrote on Twitter.
Bona just finished his sophomore season at UCLA. In total, he appeared in 66 games with the program with starts in all but one from his freshman year. In that time, he averaged 10.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks while shooting 62.1% from the field.
As a sophomore, he did shoot worse from the field overall at 58.8% down from 67.5% as a freshman, albeit on three extra shots per game. Still, he improved his scoring at 12.4 ppg. while improving his rate at the free-throw line at 69.6%. That all led him to being first in blocks on the team as well as second in points, rebounds, and field-goal percentage.
Bona played high school basketball at Prolific Prep in California. He was a five-star prospect there and the No. 20 overall recruit in the 2022 cycle. That’s according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He rated as the No. 3 C in the class behind only Dereck Lively II (Duke, Dallas Mavericks) and Kel’el Ware (Oregon, Indiana). He was also the No. 2 player in the state behind just CG Amari Bailey, his teammate at UCLA.
Bona and Bailey led the way for the No. 19 class in the nation for UCLA per On3’s 2022 Industry Basketball Team Recruiting Rankings. Dylan Andrews, a four-star point guard who led the team in scoring and assists this past season, joined them. SG Abramo Canka did as well in the four-man group.
Bona could have returned to college once again to improve his stock further. Instead, he looks to, per sources, be jumping to the professionals in hopes of a career at the next level.
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