UCLA Basketball: Ex-Big 12 Transfer Unpacks Decision to Join Bruins

Why this talented forward is joining the Blue and Gold.

Mar 12, 2024; Kansas City, MO, USA; UCF Knights guard Darius Johnson (3) drives to the basket around Oklahoma State Cowboys forward Eric Dailey Jr. (2) during the first half at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports / William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports

New UCLA Bruins rising sophomore transfer Eric Dailey Jr. is joining Mick Cronin's 2024-25 squad in an effort to contend for the kind of championship equity he couldn't find while with the Oklahoma State Cowboys. The 6-foot- small forward was a four-star recruit out of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

During an interview with David Woods of Bruin Report Online, Dailey unpacked his recruitment by Cronin and UCLA — and why he ultimately elected to continue his collegiate career there.

"It really happened fast," Dailey said of UCLA's expediency in reaching out to him after he entered the NCAA transfer portal. "So the portal story is crazy. I was going back and forth myself... It was a Friday, and I was going to enter it Monday. And I was like, 'What am I waiting for?' So I [declared] Friday, and I went and worked out, I came back to my phone and my phone had a million messages... It's a lot of good schools that reached out, but I think this one really caught my eye. And I just started from there, just had some Zoom calls, some conversations."

Another key element of the recruitment process was the addition of another new transfer addition, former Louisville Cardinals guard Skyy Clark.

"In the basketball world, it's small for us players, so we know everybody. So I called Skyy Clark, Skyy Clark's calling me, saying how good the team's going to be and all this," Dailey added.

"I know what type of people I want to be around, and I know what type of person I am," Dailey said of his fit with the club. "I felt like this was just a place where I could be myself, and the coaches, everybody here understands that, and we all have the same common goal, which is to win the national championship.

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