Berke Buyuktuncel was among the last players to hit the NCAA transfer portal before the window closed on April 30. Buyuktuncel was a major part of Mick Cronin’s rotation last, and despite struggling for most of last season, he is still highly touted with many potential suitors.
Two Programs Reportedly Emerge As Favorites To Land Highly Touted UCLA Transfer
Buyuktuncel entered this past season with high expectations. According to 247Sports, Tracy Pierson, the 6-9 Turkish forward, “was considered one of the best young prospects in Europe and was just coming off big showings in various FIBA events last summer.”
But things didn’t go as planned from the get-go. Buyuktuncel, who started the process of enrolling at UCLA in 2022, was not cleared by the NCAA to play for the Bruins until November 18, three games into the campaign.
Buyuktuncel started the first game he was eligible to play, the Maui Invitational against Marquette, where he was overmatched. He made seven more starts between that game and January 20, scoring in double figures twice—the only two times he did so.
However, Buyuktuncel was relegated to the second unit after returning from injury, and fellow Brandon Williams took over the starting job. His minutes fluctuated widely over the last month and a half of the season, and he served as the ninth man during the Pac-12 tournament, playing six minutes over two games.
Buyuktuncel averaged 4.5 points and 2.5 rebounds in 16.2 minutes over 28 appearances. His shooting slash line was .385/.297.628.
Why did Buyuktuncel decide to leave Westwood?
Despite his struggles in 2023-24, it sounded like Buyuktuncel was considering returning to UCLA. But, Jack Nelson of Daily Bruins reported that Cronin brought in three forward transfers- Eric Dailey, William Kyle, and Tyler Bilodeau– essentially forcing Buyuktruncel’s hand.
Scouting Report
When Buyuktuncel hit the portal, it was thought that he would receive a lot of interest, which he certainly has. Buyuktuncel has three years left of eligibility, some raw talent, and significant potential, which he displayed when he was selected to the “All-Star Five” at the FIBA U18 European Championship.
Buyuktuncel is a lefty combo forward who plays with a lot of energy. Like most European players, Buyuktuncel is known for his offense rather than defense. He is a good shooter who can attack the floor. However, he has plenty of areas to work on
Here is a scouting report from Draft Digest:
Buyuktuncel is a lefty forward from Turkey who plays with a ton of energy. While he’s mostly an off-ball guy, he is actually quite effective at getting to the rim. He’s smooth for his size—boasting fluidity—and is great at driving in a straight line.
A smart off-ball mover, Buyuktuncel scores well as a cutter and puts himself in a position to capitalize on good looks. With that in mind, that’s mostly inside the arc, as his perimeter jumper still has some work to do. If he’s able to emerge as a better 3-point shooter at the college level, his positional size and floor spacing would be instantly translatable in the NBA. As of today, he projects mostly to be a spot-up shooter from deep, as his jumper isn’t reliable on the move or when creating for himself.
Who is Interested In Buyuktuncel?
Buyuktuncel has drawn interest from diverse schools, including Nebraska, Virginia, Cincinnati, Washington, Butler, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Kentucky, BYU, Iowa, and Louisville. He took a visit to BYU earlier this week and was in Lincoln (Neb.) for a visit with the Cornhuskers today, per HuskerOnline’s Robin Washut.
SBNation’s Robby McCombs recently said that sources told him BYU and Nebraska were the two favorites for Buyuktuncel’s services.
BYU is under first-year head coach Kevin Young, an NBA assistant since 2016. The Cougars have five scholarships available and a definite need at forward. McCombs also said that Buyuktuncel has a relationship with former BYU player Elijah Bryant, who plays professionally in Turkey. The two have been discussing BYU.
Nebraska is coming off its best season this century, winning 23 games, including 12 in the Big Ten. The Cornhuskers also made it to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014. The Huskers have two scholarships available for the upcoming season.
However, it doesn’t look like Nebraska is not looking for someone to contribute right away. Instead, Danny Jaillet of the Husker Big Red said securing Buyuktuncel is more of a future play. The Huskers will lose seniors Andrew Morgan, Rienk Mast, and Juwan Gary after this upcoming season.
