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UCLA Men's Basketball Offers Class of 2026 Guard Alijah Arenas

Gilbert Arenas' son picked up one of his biggest scholarship offers yet, adding the Bruins to his list alongside Kansas, Texas and Nevada.

Benjamin Royer

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The Bruins have entered the recruitment for one of Los Angeles' top prospects, who just so happens to have strong NBA and Pac-12 ties.

Chatsworth High School (CA) guard Alijah Arenas – the son of former NBA All-Star guard Gilbert Arenas – became the third class of 2026 player to receive an offer from UCLA men's basketball, the Compton Magic announced Friday morning on Twitter.

Arenas has reeled in all seven of his offers since the start of April, with UCLA joining Fresno State, Kansas, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas and UTEP as the programs to officially add the San Fernando Valley recruit to their boards.

Arenas' father played for Arizona from 1999-2001, featuring heavily in rivalry matchups against the Bruins, but the Wildcats have yet to offer his son.

This is not the first time coach Mick Cronin has offered a former Pac-12 star's son. Tajh Ariza – the son of UCLA alumnus Trevor Ariza – is one of the other class of 2026 prospects who has received an offer from the Bruins.

Despite being just a freshman, Arenas exploded onto the scene with a 56-point performance against Canoga Park (CA) during the 2022-2023 high school season. He ended the campaign averaging 30.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.6 blocks and 1.4 steals per game.

The 6-foot-6 Arenas was named to MaxPreps' Freshman All-American Third Team for his efforts at Chatsworth.

Although 247Sports, ESPN, Rivals and On3 have not released rankings or star ratings for class of 2026 prospects, Arenas' stats, pedigree and early offers indicate that he could be a true blue chip recruit down the line.

Arenas is set to play for the Compton Magic on the AAU circuit this year, which could give UCLA an in, considering assistant coach Rod Palmer co-founded the program in 1993.

The pipeline from Compton to Westwood has been strong over the years, including the likes of Arron Afflalo, TJ Leaf, Ike Anigbogu, Jaylen Hands, Jalen Hill, Jules Bernard, Johnny Juzang, Jaylen Clark, Dylan Andrews and incoming freshman forward Devin Williams.

It will likely take Arenas a long time to decide where he will play in college, but with UCLA joining the prized prospect's recruitment on the early end, Cronin and company could be in good favor with him as they prepare to bring the West Coast into the Big Ten.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF ALIJAH ARENAS/INSTAGRAM

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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.