UCLA Bruins News

Home

Quizzes

Newsletter

Mar 21, 2025; Cleveland, OH, USA; New Mexico Lobos guard Donovan Dent (2) dribbles in the second half against the Marquette Golden Eagles during the NCAA Tournament First Round at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Dent Details UCLA's Winning Approach in Transfer Pitch

Originally posted on UCLA Bruins on SI | By Connor Moreno | Last updated Jun 28, 2025 11:00 AM ET

Donovan Dent's transfer and return to his hometown may have been a foregone conclusion all along, but that didn't mean Mick Cronin and UCLA didn't have to go all-in on a pitch to attract the highly-touted transfer.

In an exclusive interview with BruinReportOnline's David Woods, Dent revealed what the pitch was like from the Bruins as a five-star recruit and what ultimately confirmed -- rather than attracted -- his move to Westwood.

"The biggest pitch to me was, they just told me that they know what I'm capable of," Dent said of Cronin's pitch to him. "I don't think we have a single high school recruit, if I'm not mistaken. He's bringing in older guys. He knows what group he wants to win.

"He was telling us how the group that took him to the Final Four was all older guys, more vets and all that. So that was the biggest pitch to me, is that I just feel like this team can win. We're all vets, we've all been where we need to be and we all want to take that next step. Just being able to fill in that role, I think it's going to be a fun season for that."

Dent not only comes into a group of older, tenured guys, he's coming to Bruins team with an established identity that is missing one crucial piece. Luckily, Dent fills exactly what they need.

After finishing their first season in the Big Ten Conference with a 23-11 record and soon thereafter falling to Tennessee in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, the Bruins' trajectory is looking up for next season.

Many share that same sentiment, including ESPN College Basketball Analyst and legendary head coach Dick Vitale, who included UCLA in his list of the 12 best men's college basketball teams.

Vitale ranked UCLA as the 10th-best team in the country, noting their success in the transfer portal, headlined by the acquisition of Dent, as the main reason the Bruins are a team to look out for ahead of the next season.

"Mick Cronin's Bruins keep grinding," Vitale wrote under UCLA's top-10 ranking. "Tyler Bilodeau and Eric Dailey Jr. headline a team loaded with talent, including transfers Donovan Dent, Steven Jamerson II and Xavier Booker. Look out Big Ten; this team is coming strong."

The former coach had high praise for the Bruins' transfer class, which is highly-ranked across recruiting boards, mostly due to the five-star transfer point guard.

UCLA finished the season with the 164th overall offense with similar low rankings in field goal percentage, 3-point percentage and free throw shooting.

With Dent addressing a dire need for improvement offensively, the Bruins are primed to build off the momentum of their inaugural season in the Big Ten by proving to be a true contender in the college basketball stratosphere.

This article first appeared on UCLA Bruins on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: