With ample time remaining in the college basketball transfer portal window, plenty of player movement is still expected before rosters take final shape. However, amid the excitement of the Sweet 16 on Thursday night, UCLA head coach Mick Cronin secured one of the offseason’s biggest victories by landing Mountain West Player of the Year Donovan Dent for his final year of eligibility.
BREAKING: New Mexico transfer guard Donovan Dent, one of the top players in the portal, has committed to UCLA, he tells @On3sports. Chose the Bruins over Kentucky and Gonzaga.
The 6-2 junior averaged 20.6 points and 6.4 assists per game this season. Shot 41% from three.… pic.twitter.com/9GwYYqAv3C
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) March 29, 2025
Donovan Dent Joins UCLA from the Transfer Portal
All-American honorable mention Donovan Dent has committed to UCLA, bringing his elite scoring ability and dynamic playmaking to the Bruins. A highly efficient guard, Dent is nearly unstoppable in the lane thanks to his crafty ball-handling and exceptional body control. Last season, he averaged 20.4 points and 6.4 assists while shooting 49% from the field and over 40% from three for Richard Pitino’s New Mexico Lobos. At 6-foot-2, Dent is arguably the most talented returning point guard in college basketball, with only Purdue’s Braden Smith and incoming Iowa transfer Bennett Stirtz offering a comparable case.
Stirtz may have outshined Dent in the NCAA Tournament, leading Drake to a first-round upset while Dent did the same for New Mexico. However, rather than entering a portal battle, Stirtz followed his head coach Ben McCollum from Drake to Iowa. Dent, on the other hand, chose not to follow Pitino to Xavier, making him the most sought-after transfer so far—and potentially the biggest prize of the entire offseason.
With powerhouse programs like Kentucky, North Carolina, and Gonzaga all showing interest, and even a brief flirtation with Mark Pope’s Wildcats, Cronin’s ability to secure Dent came as a surprise. Cronin, whose Midwestern roots have always made him an unconventional fit at UCLA, has faced growing scrutiny as the shine from his 2021 Final Four run fades. Despite being under contract through the 2027-28 season and boasting two Sweet 16 appearances and a Final Four in his six-year tenure, Cronin has voiced frustration with the challenges of UCLA’s new Big Ten reality—especially the grueling travel demands.
While his seat isn’t scorching, it has been warming up, and landing a top-tier talent like Dent is a statement move. There’s still work to be done to build a Big Ten title-contending roster, but securing Dent is a major step toward revitalizing UCLA’s program and re-energizing the fanbase.
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