By JACOB POLACHECK
The UCLA men’s basketball program has added frontcourt standout Mac Etienne to the program beginning in the 2021 winter quarter, head coach Mick Cronin announced Monday in a press release.
Etienne, a 6-foot-10 center from Middletown, N.Y., has signed his grant-in-aid and is enrolled in UCLA’s 2021 winter quarter.
“We’re very excited to add Mac Etienne to our program,” Cronin said. “He’s a high-character young man who has tremendous potential, and he’s certainly going to be a big part of our team next season. He can be an impact player for us in the frontcourt, and he has really improved his game over the last year. With Mac, you’re talking about a skilled post player with very good mobility and great size, standing at 6-foot-10.”
After spending the past two years at Suffield (CT) Academy, Etienne intends to redshirt the 2020-21 season.
Etienne is joined by five-star forward Peyton Watson and four-star guard Will McClendon as the third signee in UCLA’s 2021 recruiting class.
Ranked by 247Sports.com as the No. 5 center and No. 31 overall prospect in the Class of 2021, Etienne committed to UCLA on Nov. 30 over Illinois, Marquette and Miami.
He averaged 15 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks per game last season at Suffield Academy before being named the 2019-20 Gatorade Boys’ Basketball Player of the Year in Connecticut.
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