UCLA freshman Bona returning for soph

UCLA’s Adem Bona will withdraw his name from the 2023 NBA draft and go back to school for his sophomore season, he told ESPN on Wednesday.

“I have a great relationship with the coaching staff; I love my colleagues and I love this school,” Bona stated. “I know UCLA is the right program for me and I like it here. I believe I have the tools to go pro now, however I know there are some elements of my game I require to improve on. This process is just as much about timing as it has to do with ability, so I require to prepare and put myself in the best circumstance when turning professional, and I don’t think the time is now. “

Bona, the No. 48 possibility in the ESPN 100, was called Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and to the All-Defensive group after averaging 7.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 23 minutes per game, shooting 68% from the field.Editor’s Picks 2 Associated Bona hurt his shoulder in the Pac-12 tournament semifinal diving on the flooring for a loose ball, causing him to miss out on the Pac-12 national championship, which the Bruins lost to Arizona, in addition to the opening game of the NCAA competition. Bona elected to play in a round-of-32 win against Northwestern, reaggravating the injury and missing out on UCLA’s Sweet 16 loss to Gonzaga.Bona had surgery for a shoulder labrum tear in early April that eventually prevented him from conducting individual team exercises and thwarted his opportunities of acquiring adequate traction to hear his name employed the preliminary, adding to his choice to return to UCLA.” It was terrific knowing there are a lot of teams that believe in me and know that I have the ability to dip into the

next level,”Bona said.” Having the chance to talk with teams, getting their viewpoints of me as an individual and also as a basketball player actually motivated me, however also equipped me with the tools needed to have a strong season.”Bona states his expectation is he will be back on the court this summer and cleared for full basketball activity in October, enabling

him to have a productive sophomore season that could propel him back into first-round factor to consider in a weaker 2024 draft swimming pool. “The objective yesterday is still the same today,”Bona said.”Last year my objective was to win as many games as possible and also the huge objective was the championship game. Individually I wish to reveal everybody that I’m the very best defensive player in the Pac-12, an All-American-level player and the best huge in the nation.”Coming off an impressive season in which it won the Pac-12 regular-season champion, made a No. 2 tournament seed and ended up with a 31-6 record,

UCLA is undergoing a major shift this offseason, having already lost its top 5 scorers in Jaimie Jaquez, Tyger Campbell, Jaylen Clark, Amari Bailey and David Singleton. Retaining Bona was exceptionally crucial considering how little continuity the Bruins will have.”I believe my function on the group is going to be vital because we lost the majority of our veterans,”Bona stated. “I’m going to take on a bigger role this year and show the nation aspects of my game that you didn’t get the possibility to

see last year.” Head coach Mick Cronin has drawn in an extremely concerned freshman from Real Madrid in 6-foot-7 Slovenian guard Jan Vide, who led the FIBA U17 World Cup in scoring last summer and was called MVP of the Adidas Next Generation Tournament finals conducted earlier this month at the Euroleague Final Four, to assist alleviate the blow of losing so much firepower. He also landed three four-star employees in Sebastian Mack, Devin Williams and Brandon Williams, along with French guard Ilane Fibleuil from INSEP Academy in Paris. Utah transfer Lazar Stefanovic will also be called upon to be a crucial contributor.The Bruins still have numerous scholarships to fill as they round out their roster for next season.Jonathan Givony is an NBA draft professional and the creator and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a private searching and analytics service used by NBA, NCAA and global teams.