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Fast-Rising New Jersey Guard Tahaad Pettiford Picks Up UCLA Men's Basketball Offer

One of the young standouts from the Nike EYBL showcase in Orlando is now officially on the Bruins' radar.

Benjamin Royer

(Photo Courtesy of Tahaad Pettiford/Instagram)

A rising East Coast guard has picked up an offer from the Bruins.

Still more than a year away from the 2024 class taking hold of the spotlight, UCLA men’s basketball has sent out its sixth offer for the recruiting class, this time to guard Tahaad Pettiford, as announced by Pro Insight's Andrew Slater on Twitter on Tuesday afternoon.

The Bruins join Bryant, UConn, Rutgers, Seton Hall and St. Johns in offering the 6-foot-1 prospect, becoming the first program not on the East Coast to reach this step in Pettiford’s recruitment.

The 247 Sports Composite and Rivals have Pettiford ranked as a four-star guard. 247Sports has the shifty playmaker ranked as the No. 5 point guard, No. 4 player in New Jersey and No. 44 overall recruit in the class of 2024, while Rivals has him ranked No. 51 overall.

Pettiford is currently a sophomore at Hudson Catholic High School (NJ) and plays for the New Heights Lightning in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League.

At the Nike EYBL showcase in Orlando over the weekend, coach Mick Cronin and assistant coach Darren Savino – who is originally from New Jersey – were in attendance to watch top-level high school prospects, one of which was Pettiford.

In the first session on Sunday, Pettiford led the Lighting to a victory over the Team Takeover, scoring 18 points in front of coaches from across the nation.

UCLA has already been a possibility for Pettiford even before Cronin and Savino offered the surging guard.

On April 1, the rising junior listed Westwood as a location he would like to visit in the near future.

Pettiford joins five-star small forward Naas Cunningham as the second 2024 prospect from New Jersey to pick up an offer from UCLA.

In a 247Sports article from Sunday, National Basketball Analyst Travis Branham listed players that had their stock improve over the Nike EYBL event. Pettiford was included, and Branham wrote a small scouting report about his in-game abilities.

“The Jersey City (N.J.) Hudson Catholic point guard has a dynamic handle, able to create scoring opportunities for himself and others,” Branham wrote. “He makes shots, gets in the lane and has vision as a passer.”

The Bruins have offered three other guards for the class of 2024 — Johnuel Fland, Isaiah Elohim and Vyctorius Miller — all of whom are listed as five-stars by the 247Sports Composite. Tyger Campbell and Amari Bailey are both likely be gone by the time the 2024-2025 season rolls around, and even Will McClendon and Dylan Andrews will be upperclassmen by that point.

UCLA does not have a commit in either its 2023 or 2024 recruiting classes as of Tuesday.

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Benjamin Royer
BENJAMIN ROYER

Benjamin Royer is a contributing writer at All Bruins, in association with the FanNation and Sports Illustrated networks. Royer is a third-year student at UCLA, where he is a Sports contributor for the school's award-winning student-run newspaper, The Daily Bruin. Royer was previously the Sports Editor at The Valley Star, Los Angeles Valley College's independent newspaper, and he helped develop the Twinger Talk YouTube channel and The Double Play podcast. He is also a professional actor, previously appearing in programs on Showtime, ABC, Disney Channel, FOX and CBS.