Anthony Peoples Jr., a 6-foot-9, 225-pound ahead, is making a serious transfer in his basketball profession by transferring from North Carolina Central College (NCCU), an HBCU, to UCLA of the Huge Ten convention.
Folks’s introduced his dedication to the Bruins by way of his Instagram web page, saying his transition from the Mid-Japanese Athletic Convention (MEAC) to the ultra-competitive panorama of the Huge Ten. At NCCU, he performed six video games throughout the 2024–25 season, totaling 21 factors and 6 rebounds over 61 minutes of play. His standout efficiency got here towards St. Andrews on December 31, 2024, the place he recorded 16 factors, eight rebounds, and two assists in 21 minutes.
Earlier than his time at NCCU, Peoples spent two seasons at Lewis-Clark State Faculty, an NAIA program in Idaho. Through the 2023–24 season, he appeared in all 33 video games, beginning two, and averaged 6.7 factors and three.5 rebounds per recreation. He shot 59.2% from the sector and tied for the workforce lead with 24 blocked photographs. His season highs included 13 factors towards Multnomah and 11 rebounds versus Evergreen State.
Backup to Huge Ten
Regardless of restricted beginning expertise—solely two begins at Lewis-Clark State and a reserve function at NCCU—Peoples’ bodily attributes and work ethic have caught the eye of UCLA’s teaching employees. In keeping with 247Sports, “The 6’9, 225-pound Peoples is predicted to offer depth and improve the physicality of apply. As a junior final yr, he averaged 5 factors and a couple of.4 rebounds per recreation. The expectation is that he would additionally present an emergency backup at middle, behind newcomers Xavier Booker and Steven Jamerson.”
North Carolina Central College is an HBCU basketball program led by head coach LeVelle Moton. Moton is a revered determine in faculty basketball and is thought for growing expertise and persistently competing within the MEAC. The Eagles have earned a number of NCAA Event appearances throughout Moton’s tenure. Cementing their place as one of many prime HBCU basketball applications within the nation.
UCLA, in the meantime, is likely one of the most storied applications in faculty basketball historical past. Boasting 11 nationwide championships and a legacy of manufacturing NBA expertise. Folks’s addition offers the Bruins further measurement and a hard-working presence within the publish, as he transitions from the HBCU stage to one of many sport’s largest platforms.
