UCLA adds South Dakota State transfer big man William Kyle III

UCLA continues to retool its roster heading into its first season in the Big Ten. Wednesday morning, the Bruins added an important piece to the front court after South Dakota State power forward William Kyle III announced his commitment to UCLA following an official visit to Westwood.

The 6-foot-9, 230-pound Nebraska native shined in his sophomore season for the Jackrabbits and helped the team earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament last month.

The explosive rising junior averaged 13.1 points and led the Summit League champions with 6.6 rebounds to go along with 1.7 assists this year. His 1.6 blocks per game was good enough to put him second on that list among all players in the Summit League in the 2023-24 season.

It helped him earn the Summit League Defensive Player of the Year award.

Nebraska and Wake Forest emerged as two top contenders in the battle for the Bellevue native. Iowa State and Kansas State were two other programs involved.

He scored at least 15 points in 15 games during his sophomore season including a 26-point performance against Denver back in January. He had nine games in which he blocked at least three shots including games against South Dakota and Kansas City in which he had five blocks.

Kyle's ability to protect the rim and help in the paint will help the Bruins make up for the loss of big man Adem Bona, who recently decided to enter the NBA draft after two seasons in Westwood.

The Bruins have now added several pieces from the transfer portal this spring including wing Kobe Johnson (USC), point guard Skyy Clark (Louisville), forward Eric Dailey, Jr. (Oklahoma State) and power forward Tyler Bilodeau (Oregon State).

Kyle will have two seasons of remaining eligibility with the Bruins.

Video provided by College Basketball Scouting (YouTube)