UCLA’s roster for the upcoming season is already in place, but Mick Cronin isn’t wasting any time looking ahead.
After a disappointing year that still ended with a 24-12 record, a preseason No. 12 ranking, and a 7-seed in the NCAA Tournament, the Bruins have spent the offseason reshaping the group around a few major departures. Tyler Bilodeau, the team’s leading scorer, was drafted by the Brooklyn Nets.
Donovan Dent and Skyy Clark are also gone. In response, Cronin worked the portal and added Azavier Robinson, Jaylen Petty, Sergej Macura, and Filip Jovic.
He’s also kept recruiting on multiple fronts, bringing in Joe Philon, Nikola Kusturica, Javonte Floyd, and Gunars Grinvalds to round out the roster.
Now the attention is shifting to the 2027 class, and UCLA has jumped in on one of the more coveted guards in the country. Antonio Pemberton announced on social media that the Bruins had offered him, giving Cronin a shot at a highly regarded 4-star point guard from Methuen, Massachusetts.
Pemberton, who just finished his junior season at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire, was recently named Gatorade Player of the Year in New Hampshire. The 6-1 guard is ranked as a 4-star prospect in the 2027 class by 247Sports, and his recruitment has picked up fast. This week alone, he’s added offers from Michigan State, Kansas, and South Carolina, with Alabama, Georgia Tech, and Auburn having already offered back in June.
On the floor, Pemberton brings a scoring package that fits the modern game. He can get downhill and finish through traffic, knock down the midrange pull-up, and stretch defenses from beyond the arc. At the Adidas 3SSB Championships, he led the U17 level in scoring with 28 points per game.
UCLA still hasn’t landed its first commitment from the 2027 class, so getting Pemberton would be a major early win. Trent Perry could be off to a strong season next year, and if that happens, the Bruins may need another go-to scorer to step in. Pemberton has that kind of upside, and even if he doesn’t arrive as the centerpiece, he still projects as someone who could give UCLA 10 points per game as a freshman.
Cronin is a little late to the party in Pemberton’s recruitment, but the Bruins still have a path if they can get him on an official visit quickly. If that happens, UCLA could put itself firmly in the mix.
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