UCLA’s own version of a European Union is complete.

Turkish forward Berke Büyüktuncel signed a grant-in-aid agreement with the Bruins, head coach Mick Cronin announced Saturday.

The announcement comes two days after UCLA landed 7-foot-3 center Aday Mara of Spain. Both are considered potential first-round NBA draft picks.

“Our program is very excited to be adding Berke this season,” Cronin said. “He has established himself as a versatile forward with tremendous talent. Not only can he create for his teammates and score, but he has also developed an identity as a defensive stopper. Berke has become a well-known, highly-regarded international prospect. We can see him excelling at UCLA, both in our basketball program and in the classroom. With Jaime Jaquez having graduated in the spring, we had been searching for a multi-dimensional player with good size, and Berke fits that description. He can do it all on the basketball court. We really like our frontcourt and we’re going to have depth there, with returners Adem Bona and Kenneth Nwuba and incoming freshmen Aday Mara and Devin Williams. Adding an impact player with Berke will be a major asset, and we’re looking forward to having him join us in Westwood.”

Büyüktuncel (pronounced BER-keh buh-YOOK-tin-shill), along with fellow 2023 signee Jan Vide, competed at the FIBA U19 World Cup in Hungary last month.

The 6-foot-9 forward turned in a solid all-around performance with averages of 11.4 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists while leading Turkey to a third-place finish. He struggled from the field, shooting just 38.3% and 8 of 23 on 3-pointers, but connected on 26 of 30 free throws.

Büyüktuncel helped secure the bronze medal with 19 points on 5-of-12 shooting, five assists and four rebounds in an 84-70 win over Team USA.

He has been compared to recent UCLA standout Jaime Jaquez Jr., who was drafted by the Miami Heat in the first round of the NBA draft earlier this spring. Büyüktuncel has the ability to handle the ball on the perimeter, play with his back to the basket and crash the boards.

Büyüktuncel is the eighth official addition to the Bruins’ roster, joining international products Mara, Vide (Slovenia), Ilane Fibleuil (France) and Utah transfer Lazar Stefanovic (Serbia). All were recruited by ex-UCLA assistant Ivo Simovic, who left the program after one season to join the NBA’s Toronto Raptors as an assistant.

UCLA’s signing class also includes combo guard Sebastian Mack and forwards Devin Williams and Brandon Williams (no relation).

Büyüktuncel is the second player on the roster with ties to Turkey. Sophomore Adem Bona, the reigning Pac-12 Conference freshman of the year and all-conference defensive team selection, moved from Nigeria to Turkey at age 13 to pursue basketball.

The Bruins now have 12 scholarship players, one below the NCAA limit.

A roster whose only contributing returners from last season include Bona, backup center Kenneth Nwuba and guards Dylan Andrews and Will McClendon suddenly looks much different than it did in the weeks following a Sweet 16 exit in Las Vegas at the NCAA tournament in March.

The Bruins, who compiled a 31-6 record, lost Jaquez Jr., the Pac-12 player of the year, along with national defensive player of the year Jaylen Clark, all-conference point guard Tyger Campbell, all-conference freshman team guard Amari Bailey and 3-point specialist David Singleton. They represented the team’s top five scorers last season.

Now, though, a possible rebuilding year looks more like a restocked roster with the size and versatility of a preseason Top 25 sleeper.