UCLA basketball coach Steve Alford announced Wednesday that Alex Olesinski, a power forward from La Lumiere School in La Porte, Ind., has officially signed a national letter of intent.
The Roswell, N.M., native will help UCLA fill its gaps at the forward position after losing freshman Kevon Looney to the 2015 NBA draft and sophomore Wanaah Bail to a transfer after the end of last season.
The forward is rated as a three-star recruit by ESPN, Scout.com, 247Sports and Rivals.com. His presence in the paint notched him 10.1 rebounds per game in his senior year at La Lumiere School – a stat that helped him end the year with a double-double average when combined with his 13.5 points per game.
The incoming freshman has shown a versatility playing the four, as he complemented his rebounding stats with 44 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
“Alex is a talented player who has very good size, a great understanding of the game, can really shoot the ball well and never takes a possession off,” Alford said in a press release. “He’s the kind of student-athlete we look for at UCLA, and we’re excited to have him join us on campus this summer.”
Olesinski will join a Bruin freshman class that includes guards Prince Ali and Aaron Holiday.
Compiled Aubrey Yeo, Bruin Sports senior staff.
if we get Jaylen Brown, we will be better than last year. Parker has only one year to prove himself. He’s come a long way and 20 lbs lighter he could be great. We will need help on the board w/o Norman and Kavon. Look for Welsh and Goloman to help a lot. But, in the end we need a thug