Point Guard Tahaad Pettiford Puts UCLA Men's Basketball in Top 7
The Bruins are one of the last contenders remaining for one of the nation's best floor generals.
Class of 2024 point guard Tahaad Pettiford named his list of seven semifinalists Monday, and UCLA men's basketball made the cut. The Hudson Catholic High School (NJ) product is also considering Auburn, Kansas, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Seton Hall and UConn.
Pettiford was also sitting on offers from LSU, Maryland, Rutgers and St. John's.
UCLA offered Pettiford back on April 12, when he was still a fringe top-50 prospect with only five offers. The Bruins were also the first program outside the Northeast to offer Pettiford a scholarship, although the Huskies offered him earlier than any of the semifinalists.
UCLA associate head coach Darren Savino is originally from New Jersey, and he previously coached at Rutgers and St. John's. The Bruins have made an effort to offer a lot of the top prospects from the region over the past few cycles, and it recently paid off when four-star power forward Brandon Williams – a New York native – committed to UCLA in September and signed his National Letter of Intent in November.
Pettiford is also a four-star recruit, according to 247Sports, Rivals and On3, although he is now a five-star in the 247Sports Composite. In those cumulative rankings, Pettiford is the No. 2 player in New Jersey, the No. 2 point guard in the country and the No. 21 overall prospect in his class.
Since top-ranked point guard Elliot Cadeau has already verbally committed to North Carolina, Pettiford is the highest-ranked player left at his position.
The 5-foot-11, 160-pound playmaker is currently recovering from a torn meniscus that will likely prevent him from taking the court for Hudson Catholic until late in the season.
For his AAU ball, the high-flying Pettiford plays for the New Heights Lightning on the Nike EYBL circuit. Pettiford told 247Sports that he aims to make his college decision before the next AAU season tips off in April, at which point he is expected to be fully healthy.
UCLA does not have a single commit in its 2024 class, and that's after putting together a relatively small 2023 class with just two signees so far. Coach Mick Cronin has reformed both his staff and recruiting ideology to place a significant amount of emphasis on international talent pools, though, meaning traditional high school recruiting can be more targeted than it has been in the past.
Pettiford is the 15th class of 2024 prospect to earn an offer from the Bruins, and the sixth combo or point guard.
Tyger Campbell will be long gone by the time the 2024-2025 season comes around, and Amari Bailey is expected to be in the NBA by then. Even Dylan Andrews will be a junior at that point, meaning UCLA will need to continue bringing in young backcourt talent over the next few cycles.
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PHOTO COURTESY OF TAHAAD PETTIFORD/INSTAGRAM
