UCLA Offers 4-Star PG Deron Rippey Jr.

Following last week's NBPA Camp that UCLA basketball coaches attended, the Burins threw an offer at 2026 four-star point guard Deron Rippey Jr.

Rippley reportedly stood out at the camp and garnered UCLA's offer along with ones from Duke, Kentucky and Indiana. Alabama, Kansas, Louisville, North Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, and many others also have offers out to the 6-foot-2 explosive guard.

The Blairstown, New Jersey product is the composite No. 17 ranked recruit in the nation and was named a 2025 USA Basketball U19 roster finalist following the camp.

247Sports Director of Scouting Adam Finkelstein evaluated Rippey just over a month ago. Here's what he had to say about the point guard:

"Rippey was very solid this weekend, averaging 15 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and over 2 steals per game to lead New Heights to a 3-1 record. He had head coaches from Connecticut, Duke, Louisville, Auburn, Miami, Texas Tech, and Texas watching him, and even walked away with a new offer from the Longhorns before the weekend was over," he said.

"While Rippey was largely letting the game come to him this weekend, he’s got the athleticism to make momentum changing plays at any given point, both rising up at the rim or turning on the jets. Rippey has always been a two-way guard, who impacts the game as much on the defensive end as he does the offensive end. We also saw evidence of clear improvement with his shooting this weekend, which was once considered a liability, as he connected on 10 of his 23 attempts from downtown. While there were some moments he could have asserted himself more, it was a session that showed largely positive developments."

UCLA coach Mick Cronin's system perfectly fits with an explosive, dynamic guard like Rippey and is going to have the perfect example of one in Westwood next season after landing New Mexico transfer Donovan Dent.

Cronin, after leading the Bruins to a 23-win season and a second-round exit in the NCAA Tournament, is going to lead a national consensus-ranked top-10 team into next season. The Dent acquisition addressed many of the offensive problems that plagued UCLA for much of the season and in the national tournament.