Mick Cronin replenishes frontcourt with Filip Jovic and Sergej Macura

UCLA basketball coach Mick Cronin’s front court is starting to take shape with the addition of two power forwards from the transfer portal.

The Bruins received commitments Thursday from Auburn’s Filip Jovic and Mississippi State’s Sergej Macura, who will join returning forwards Eric Dailey Jr. and Brandon Williams.

The 6-foot-8 Jovic came on late in his freshman season with the Tigers, scoring in double figures in each of the team’s last four games in the National Invitation Tournament. During the team’s five-game NIT championship run, Jovic averaged 11.4 points and 5.0 rebounds while showing his potential in a bigger role.

For the season, Jovic averaged 6.3 points and 4.0 rebounds in 18.2 minutes per game. He has three seasons of remaining eligibility, making him a particularly enticing addition.

The 6-9 Macura mostly came off the bench last season with the Bulldogs, starting just four games. For the season, he averaged 5.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 0.8 assists. He has two more seasons of eligibility remaining.

Both players hail from overseas, with Jovic coming from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macura from Slovenia. Jovic had previously played in Serbia’s top professional league, KK Mega Basket, averaging 12.4 points, 4 rebounds and 1.2 assists in his final season. Macura played for three pro teams in Europe.

UCLA remains on the market for a starting shooting guard, small forward and center in addition to players who could help round out the bench. The team’s other returners include point guard Trent Perry, center Xavier Booker and guard Eric Freeny.

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