Myles Johnson announces commitment to UCLA

Myles Johnson has officially announced his decision to transfer to UCLA. The Long Beach, California native will return to the West Coast after spending the last four years in Piscataway.

The 6-foot-11 center took to Twitter on Friday afternoon to make it official.

Johnson will graduate from Rutgers in the spring and join the Bruins as a grad transfer. He will have two years of eligibility left.

UCLA will be getting a polished big man ready to produce on both ends of the floor. This season for the Scarlet Knights, Johnson averaged eight points and 8.5 rebounds while shooting 62.8% from the field. He was named to the 2021 All-Big Ten Defensive Team after averaging 2.4 blocks and 1.1 steals per contest.

Johnson narrowed his decision to between UCLA or Stanford after being accepted into the Electrical Engineering graduate programs by both schools. UCLA’s engineering graduate school is ranked 15th nationally per U.S. News & Report.

UCLA is getting an elite defender in the post and a big that can rebound on both ends. This will be extremely welcomed in the lineup.

The Bruins entered the NCAA Tournament as one of the last four in. They played a First Four game and were able to make an incredible run to the Final Four. In the process, UCLA took out second-seeded Alabama and first-seeded Michigan before giving Gonzaga all they can handle.

The decision to go play for Mick Cronin is one that cannot be argued. UCLA saw seven of their top eight scorers be from the backcourt. Junior Cody Riley was the lone big man among the top eight and he scored 10 points per game. Johnson will add immediate production and depth to a unit that could use it.

Johnson becomes the second Scarlet Knight to announce his transfer decision. Mamadou Doucoure revealed his intention to transfer to La Salle earlier in the week. both Jacob Young and Montez Mathis remain in the transfer portal while Geo Baker and Ron Harper Jr. are preparing for the NBA Draft Combine.