UCLA Basketball: Why Experts View International Prospect As Excellent Jaime Jaquez Jr. Replacement

A lot of similar traits!

Your UCLA men's basketball team is in the midst of another roster turnaround after a number of key contributors moved on to their next chapters in their respective careers and joined NBA squads. One goodbye that was more bittersweet than others was undoubtedly the 6'7 Jaime Jaquez. He truly embodied what it meant to throw on a Bruins uniform and showed up for four straight seasons for the university.

He was productive on both ends but especially on the offensive side of things and never allowed his athletic limitations stop him from becoming one of the best guards in the PAC-12 conference. Jaquez possessed an extremely high IQ on the fast break and just seemed to know where all of his teammates were but he also allowed UCLA to run a unique offense where he would drop down in the post and work from there.

So will UCLA be able to find anybody that could replicate what Jaquez was able to do during his time in Westwood? Well, experts David Woods and Tracy Pierson believe that if the Bruins are able to land Berke Buyuktuncel, he may able to fulfill a similar role.

"From what I hear he is 6'9," said Pierson. "He'll need a big guy to defend him because he's probably 215, he can back you in, he's got great footwork, the kind of guy Mick Cronin has been trying to recruit ever since he's been there. He's basically a taller Jaime Jaquez, a better shooting one probably."

(Via CBS Sports)

We'll be sure to keep you guys up to date on his recruitment but it will be huge if UCLA can officially land him!