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UCLA’s Mick Cronin on 6-9 freshman Berke Buyuktuncel: “He’s going to have to be a factor for us.”

For the majority of Mick Cronin’s tenure at UCLA, Jaime Jaquez regularly operated as a matchup problem for the opponent at power forward.

The marriage between Cronin and the 6-7 Jaquez was one that was made in basketball heaven and it resulted in three straight trips to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament, highlighted by a Final Four appearance in 2021.

With Jaquez now set to begin training camp with the Miami Heat after he was selected 18th in the 2023 NBA Draft, Cronin needs a replacement.

Enter Berke Buyuktuncel.

“He’s going to have to be a factor for us,” Cronin said of the 6-9 Buyuktuncel Monday on the College Hoops Today Podcast. “At the other positions, we have players. We have some options. If we’re going to play a versatile forward, it’s going to have to be Berke or Brandon Williams, who’s another freshman.”

Buyuktuncel averaged 11.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 3.7 assists at the FIBA U19 World Cup this past summer in Turkey. He’s part of a deep core of newcomers for the Bruins that features several foreign prospects including freshmen Aday Mara, Jan Vide, and Ilane Fibleuil along with Utah transfer Lazar Stefanovic (10.3 points).

UCLA lost over 80 percent of its scoring from last season’s team that finished 31-6 and won the Pac-12 regular season title.

The Bruins are currently ranked 31st in the ROTHSTEIN 45.

Leftovers