The Bruins are saying goodbye to one veteran but welcoming back another.
UCLA men’s basketball senior guard David Singleton announced Thursday morning that he is returning for his fifth year with the blue and gold. Singleton’s announcement preceded redshirt senior center Myles Johnson declaring his intentions to forgo his last season of eligibility to focus on his engineering career. Both players had an extra year of eligibility from the NCAA which granted all student-athletes another season because of the pandemic.
“The opportunity to have one more chance to play for this great institution, to represent the four letters, to go down in history, it’s an opportunity I just can’t pass up,” Singleton wrote in his social media post. “It’s one more chance at the Big Dance. See you back in Pauley, next season.”
Let’s work! #GoBruins pic.twitter.com/aEgDQ0HkqK
— DS3 (@davesingleton34) April 28, 2022
Singleton has spent each of his four collegiate seasons in Westwood, boasting career averages of 4.7 points and 1.5 rebounds across 127 career contests. The guard played 16.7 minutes a night this past season – the lowest of his four-year career – but cashed in on 45.1% of his shots from beyond the arc.
“David has been a great leader for us, and we are excited that he will continue his education and use his extra year of eligibility,” said coach Mick Cronin in a written statement. “David has been a big shot maker through the past four seasons, and his return is a major boost for us. He embodies everything that our program believes in.”
Johnson – who is in the first year of a two-year engineering graduate program – started his career with Rutgers and spent four seasons with the Scarlet Knights before transferring to UCLA ahead of the 2021-2022 season. The 6-foot-10 center put up 3.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game while playing in every contest for the Bruins.
“Simply put, he’s (Johnson is) one of the best people who I have had the pleasure of coaching,” Cronin said in the statement. “He is a very driven, humble and motivated young man who is destined to make our world a better place. UCLA basketball has become a much better program by having Myles Johnson as part of our family.”
— Myles Johnson (@MylestheMonster) April 28, 2022
Johnson joins junior guard Johnny Juzang, junior guard/forward Jake Kyman and freshman guard/forward Peyton Watson as players to leave the program this offseason, with redshirt senior forward Cody Riley – who also has another year of eligibility – also expected not to return.
Should senior guard Jules Bernard stay in the draft process, UCLA will have three empty scholarships in addition to its three-man incoming freshman class.
“Though my time here was short, I will always carry the support, friendships and special bonds,” Johnson wrote in his social media post. “I hope my story inspires others to use their knowledge and platform to share their own stories and accomplishments, helping to motivate and cultivate the next generation.”
