Men's Basketball Signs Eric Freeny to National Letter of Intent
November 08, 2023 | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES โ The UCLA men's basketball program has received a signed National Letter of Intent (NLI) from high school senior Eric Freeny, as announced on Wednesday by Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men's Head Basketball Coach.
Freeny, a 6-foot-4 guard at Centennial High School in Corona, Calif., has been ranked No. 76 in his high school class by 247Sports.com in the website's national recruiting rankings. Both 247Sports.com and ESPN.com have rated him as the eighth-best player in the state of California.
"We are thrilled to have Eric join our UCLA family," Cronin said. "I love what Eric can add to our program. He's talented and tough. He's a true winner from a great high school program with an outstanding coach. 'Free' can shoot the ball, defend and rebound, and we do need shooting. He has proven himself on the national AAU circuit as one of the leading scorers in the country, playing for the Compton Magic. Eric cares about winning and he's excited about becoming a Bruin. He comes from a great family, and we are all very excited to have him join us in Westwood."
Hailing from Corona, Calif., Freeny is currently a senior at Centennial High School (Corona, Calif.). Last season, he secured All-CIF Southern Section Open Division honors and was a second-team All-Riverside County selection. Freeny becomes the second basketball player from his high school in the last year to sign with UCLA. Bruins' freshman Devin Williams, a 6-foot-10 forward, spent the past three years at Centennial High School and signed his letter of intent with UCLA last November. Freeny and Williams were teammates the past two seasons at Centennial.
Freeny's current high school squad at Centennial has entered the season ranked No. 3 in the Southern California region in the Los Angeles Times' preseason top-25 rankings.
Freeny helped Centennial High School to the CIF Southern Section Open Division title as a junior in 2022-23. His high school team finished the year with a 30-4 overall record, advancing to the CIF State Open Division regional final in Southern California. Centennial defeated St. John Bosco, 58-56, to capture a third-consecutive CIF Southern Section Open Division crown.
A four-year varsity basketball player at Centennial High School, Freeney will enroll as a freshman at UCLA for the 2024-25 academic year.
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