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Report: UCLA's potential starting point guard denied admission

Report: UCLA's potential starting point guard denied admission

Only days after one of its top recruits failed to qualify, UCLA learned it has lost a second key newcomer due to academic issues.

Jon Octeus, a Colorado State transfer considered the likely heir apparent to Kyle Anderson at point guard, has been denied admission to UCLA, the Fort Collins Coloradoan reported Monday. A UCLA spokesman declined comment when asked if he could confirm the report.

Assuming Octeus indeed never plays for the Bruins, that could be an even bigger loss than top 75 recruit Jonah Bolden being ruled a partial qualifier Friday. With junior Tony Parker and McDonald's All-Americans Kevon Looney and Thomas Welsh, UCLA has sufficient frontcourt depth to make up for not having Bolden, but Octeus might have been the best option for the Bruins at point guard.

UCLA now only has nine scholarship players on its roster next season and three scholarship guards: senior Norman Powell, sophomore Bryce Alford and newcomer Isaac Hamilton.

The only scholarship point guard on UCLA's roster now is  Alford, who showed flashes of competence as a shooter and distributor last season but is probably better suited to a backup role because of his defensive shortcomings. UCLA could also attempt to convert 2013 McDonald's All-American Isaac Hamilton to point guard, but he is far from an ideal fit for the position considering his reputation as more of a volume scorer than a distributor in high school.

If point guard becomes a season-long issue for UCLA, the Bruins will surely rue some swings and misses on the recruiting trail last year. UCLA landed a bevy of elite big men but the Bruins failed to land point guard targets Jordan McLaughlin (USC), Quentin Snider (Louisville) and Josh Perkins (Gonzaga), creating a void at that position.

Octeus, a 6-foot-4 senior, started for Colorado State last season and averaged 13.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists. He might not have been able to duplicate those numbers for UCLA, but he at the very least provided a potential option at a position of weakness for the Bruins. 

The timing of UCLA's decision to deny Octeus admission also isn't ideal for him. Unlike UCLA, which is on the quarter system and doesn't start fall classes until late September, most schools already began classes weeks ago and might have a hard time adding a transfer. Returning to Colorado State also wouldn't seem to be an option since the Rams are out of scholarships.

Octeus reportedly was recruited by Cincinnati and Missouri before selecting UCLA in June. It's possible those two could get involved again, as could Oregon, which has a history of accepting late transfers and a need for immediate help after losing most of last year's roster to graduation, transfers or disciplinary issues.

On Sunday night, Octeus tweeted cryptically "And life goes on . . ."

In retrospect, it's pretty easy to figure out what he meant. UCLA is no longer an option, and now the senior is left to search for a new home.

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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!