A 6-foot-6 guard and March Madness star, Johnny Juzang, has withdrawn his name from the NBA draft and will return to UCLA this fall for his junior year.
“Going through the draft process has been an amazing experience.” Juzang said on Twitter. “I was blessed to connect with great people, learn and grow, and get a feel for life at the next level. I want to thank everybody who has helped me in this process including my family, trainers, school, and especially my dad who helped for countless hours!”
“We are very excited Johnny will be returning to UCLA,” head coach Mick Cronin said in a statement. “Johnny was an important addition to our team last year. He is a great player and an excellent teammate. Obviously, we had a special run in March and Johnny, playing on a sprained ankle, was magnificent along with his teammates. We are all excited to get back to work and build on our success.”
The versatile guard, who transferred from Kentucky last year, was named second-team all-conference in the Pac-12 after an impressive 2020-21 season. In his first season with the Bruins, Juzang averaged a team-leading 16 points on 44.1 percent shooting including 35.3 percent on his three-pointers to go with 4.1 rebounds. Juzang was one of the most notable players in March Madness, averaging 22.8 points and 4.0 rebounds in six NCAA Tournament games. He would score 137 points in this span, which is the second-highest figure in UCLA history after Gail Goodrich in 1965. He led the Bruins national semifinals, however, the team fell just short to the then-undefeated Gonzaga Bulldogs.
With his outstanding performance in the tournament run and much attention surrounding his name, there was talk that Juzang might be a first-round pick in the draft. However, according to ESPN analyst Chad Ford, Juzang had an underwhelming showing at the combine that hurt his status. According to Hoops Hype, he shot 3-for-10 from the field and also recorded three turnovers during his first scrimmage.
https://twitter.com/chadfordinsider/status/1412967216383856641
Besides Juzang returning, UCLA will also keep the majority of their team from last season, including Tyger Campbell, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Jaylen Clark, David Singleton, Mac Etienne and Jules Bernard. They’ll also be adding talented incoming freshmen in Peyton Watson and Will McClendon and transfer Myles Johnson from Rutgers. As of now, the Bruins are seen as a pre-season top-five team and a national championship contender team.
Juzang is excited for the 2021-22 season and what’s in store for the program.
“Westwood, I can’t wait to go to war!” Juzang posted on his social media account. “We’ve got a team full of warriors and there’s nobody I’d rather fight beside. With Coach Cronin and our staff, I’m very excited for this season. Let’s do something special!”
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