This post was updated April 5 at 4:29 p.m.
Mick Cronin took an international approach to rebuilding his roster after the end of the 2022-2023 season.
UCLA men’s basketball’s coach brought in four freshmen hailing from France, Spain, Slovenia and Turkey.
But just weeks after the end of the 2023-2024 campaign, a second member of that group is seeking a new home away from Westwood.
Freshman guard Jan Vide entered the transfer portal, Verbal Commits reported Friday afternoon. The former top Slovenian recruit joins French guard Ilane Fibleuil as the second international player to enter the transfer portal, and the fourth Bruin overall.
Like Fibleuil, Vide received limited playing time in his freshman campaign, making zero starts while averaging 7.3 minutes per game. He reached double-digit minutes six times, with three of those games coming in the final four contests of the season.
Vide averaged 1.9 points per game on 38% shooting from the field.
At the Pac-12 tournament, Vide played 10 minutes in the first round against Oregon State before tallying four points in 24 minutes against Oregon. After the Bruins’s season-ending loss to the Ducks, Cronin said the late-season playing time for Vide was a product of the guard’s efforts in practice.
“He’s been a great kid all year, listening, trying every day,” Cronin said March 14. “He’s a great example of what you want as a coach. You ask kids, ‘Hey, whether you play or not, come in and work your ass off and have a great attitude.’ Very few do that – he does. I was just rewarding him.”
That same night, Vide told the Los Angeles Times he would be returning for the 2024-2025 season. Now, that no longer seems to be the case.
Although four Bruins – Fibleuil, Vide, redshirt sophomore guard Will McClendon and redshirt junior forward Logan Cremonesi – have entered the portal, none of UCLA’s starters have departed.
Guards sophomore Dylan Andrews and junior Lazar Stefanovic announced their returns on social media, while freshmen guard Sebastian Mack and guard/forward Brandon Williams haven’t publicly announced their intentions for next year.
The biggest lingering question mark is forward/center Adem Bona, who entered the NBA Draft last year while retaining his collegiate eligibility before returning for his sophomore campaign. Bona built off a Pac-12 Freshman of the Year season by earning Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and averaging 12.4 points per game.
Vide’s transfer opens up another scholarship for Cronin to use in the portal after already bringing in former Louisville guard Skyy Clark and former USC guard Kobe Johnson.
