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Donovan Dent

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Donovan Dent
Dent with the New Mexico Lobos in 2024
LSU Tigers
PositionPoint guard
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Personal information
Born (2003-12-02) December 2, 2003 (age 22)
Riverside, California, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High schoolCentennial (Corona, California)
College
Career highlights

Donovan Dent (born December 2, 2003) is an American college basketball player for the LSU Tigers of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). He previously played for the New Mexico Lobos and UCLA Bruins. He was named the Mountain West Conference Player of the Year with the Lobos in 2025.

High school career

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Dent was born in Riverside, California,[1] and attended Centennial High School in Corona. As a senior, he averaged 16.2 points and 6.6 assists per game, leading Centennial to a 33–1 record and a state championship.[2][3] As a result, he was named California Mr. Basketball and the John R. Wooden High School Player of the Year.[4][5] A four-star recruit, he committed to play college basketball at the University of New Mexico.[6][7]

College career

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New Mexico

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After playing a role as a reserve during his freshman year, Dent had a breakout season as a sophomore.[8] Against Colorado State, Dent hit the game-winning layup to defeat the Rams, 68–66.[9] He finished his sophomore campaign averaging 14.1 points and 5.4 assists per game, while being named to the second-team All-Mountain West.[10]

During his junior season in 2024–25, Dent emerged as the Mountain West Conference's leading scorer.[11] Against VCU, he scored a career-high 40 points leading the Lobos to a 78–71 victory.[12] After standout performances against Fresno State and UNLV, Dent was named the Mountain West Player of the Week for the third time of the season.[13] He finished the season averaging 20.5 points and 6.4 assists per game and was named the Mountain West Player of the Year.[14] He also received honorable mention from both the Associated Press and United States Basketball Writers Association for their All-America teams.[15][16]

UCLA

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After the season, Dent entered the transfer portal.[17] On March 28, 2025, he announced his decision to transfer to the University of California, Los Angeles, to play for the Bruins.[18][19] He struggled early in the 2025–26 season while dealing with a string of injuries and the pressure of returning home to the Los Angeles area amid high expectations.[20][21] On January 20, 2026, Dent had 23 points and 13 assists in a 69–67 upset win over No. 4 Purdue.[22] His play improved after a February 17 loss to Michigan State.[23] On February 21 against Illinois, he took the inbound pass with 4.9 seconds remaining in the game and drove the length of the court to make the game-winning layup at the buzzer for a 95–94 overtime win over the No. 10 Illini. He finished the game with 14 points and 15 assists and no turnovers.[24][25] In the following game against USC, he scored a season-high 30 points and added eight assists with no turnovers in an 81–62 win over their crosstown rivals.[25] Dent received honorable mention for the All-Big Ten team.[26]

In UCLA's opener in the Big Ten tournament, he had 12 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists for his first career triple-double in a 72–59 win over Rutgers.[27] It was the first triple-double in the tournament's history.[28] In the following game, he had 23 points, 12 assists, six rebounds, and four steals in an 88–84 quarterfinals win over No. 8–ranked and third-seeded Michigan State.[23][29][30] He was limited to two points in 10 minutes in the semifinals against Purdue after suffering a mild calf strain. Already playing without their leading scorer, Tyler Bilodeau, who left the quarterfinals with a minor knee strain, the Bruins lost to the Boilermakers 73–66.[31] Dent returned in the Bruins' opener in the 2026 NCAA tournament, when he had a career-high six steals along with 10 points, five assists and no turnovers to help No. 7–seed UCLA win 75–71 over No. 10–seed UCF.[32] He finished the season averaging 13.3 points and 7.6 assists, which ranked third nationally, with only 1.8 turnovers per game.[1][33]

Following his senior season at UCLA, Dent announced that he would retire from basketball and not pursue a professional career.[34][35] According to Dent, he decided with his family and chose to retire on his own terms.[36] He also stated how he wants to give back to the youth and become a trainer for aspiring basketball athletes back in Albuquerque.[36][37]

LSU

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In August 2026, Dent was granted a temporary restraining order against the NCAA and as a result granted a fifth season of eligibility after filing a lawsuit in the state of California. He committed to play his final season at Louisiana State University.[38][39]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2022–23 New Mexico 34218.5.507.211.6852.02.3.9.75.6
2023–24 New Mexico 353531.3.520.375.6822.55.41.5.714.1
2024–25 New Mexico 353535.3.490.409.7842.36.41.4.920.4
2025–26 UCLA 353434.4.408.254.6562.97.61.7.313.3

See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 "Donovan Dent". UCLA Athletics. Retrieved September 12, 2025.
  2. ↑ "Boys' basketball player of the year: Donovan Dent of Corona Centennial". Los Angeles Times. March 20, 2022. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
  3. ↑ "Centennial's Donovan Dent is the IE Varsity boys basketball player of the year". Daily Bulletin. April 3, 2022. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
  4. ↑ Flores, Ronnie. "Mr. Basketball 2022: Making A Dent". Cal-Hi Sports. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
  5. ↑ "Centennial High Athlete Receives 2022 John R. Wooden High School Player of the Year Award". www.cnusd.k12.ca.us. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
  6. ↑ Grammer, Geoff (September 15, 2021). "Lobos look 'Inland' once again for latest hoops recruit". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Donovan Dent says yes to New Mexico basketball". KRQE. September 16, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
  8. ↑ Grammer, Geoff (December 11, 2023). "Lobos' super sophomore Donovan Dent continues to crush California competition". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
  9. ↑ Webber, Will (February 22, 2024). "Dent's game-winning play for Lobos makes social media splash". Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
  10. ↑ Grammer, Geoff (November 3, 2024). "Mountain West coaches heap praise on Donovan Dent as he leads Lobos into season". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
  11. ↑ Grammer, Geoff (January 13, 2025). "Around the Mountain: UNM's Dent, honored again with a weekly award, is making case for Player of the Year". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
  12. ↑ Webber, Will (December 18, 2024). "Lobos' Dent puts up career-high 40 points in 78-71 win over VCU". Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
  13. ↑ "Donovan Dent Earns Mountain West Player of the Week Honors". KRQE. January 28, 2025. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
  14. ↑ Heisen, Aaron (March 29, 2025). "Inside look at why Donovan Dent is transferring to UCLA". Daily News. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
  15. ↑ "Associated Press All-America Team". AP News. March 18, 2025.
  16. ↑ "USBWA unveils 2024-25 Men's All-America Team". United States Basketball Writers Association (Press release). March 19, 2025. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  17. ↑ Champion, Brandon (March 25, 2025). "New Mexico star enters transfer portal days after loss to Michigan State". mlive. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
  18. ↑ "UCLA lands MWC Player of Year Dent from portal". ESPN.com. March 29, 2025. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
  19. ↑ "UCLA finds its Dylan Andrews replacement in former New Mexico standout Donovan Dent". Los Angeles Times. March 29, 2025. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
  20. ↑ Bolch, Ben (December 3, 2025). "New defensive alignment and returning Tyler Bilodeau lift UCLA past Washington". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 8, 2025.
  21. ↑ Bolch, Ben (November 25, 2025). "Mick Cronin blames himself after UCLA's troubling loss to Cal". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 8, 2025.
  22. ↑ Solorzano, Anthony (January 20, 2026). "Donovan Dent and Tyler Bilodeau lead UCLA to stunning upset of No. 4 Purdue". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
  23. 1 2 Kartje, Ryan (March 13, 2026). "UCLA stuns Michigan State to advance to Big Ten tournament semifinals". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
  24. ↑ Campbel, Sean (February 21, 2026). "Donovan Dent channels Tyus Edney, lifts UCLA to stunning OT win over No. 10 Illinois". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 21, 2026.
  25. 1 2 Bolch, Ben (February 25, 2026). "UCLA basketball's winning formula could carry the team well into March". New York Post. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
  26. ↑ McNeill, Dylan (March 10, 2026). "Tyler Bilodeau is the only Bruin to get Big Ten All-Conference honors". USA Today. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  27. ↑ Morrissette, Connor (March 12, 2026). "Donovan Dent's triple-double leads UCLA to third round Big Ten Tournament win over Rutgers, 72-59". 247Sports. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
  28. ↑ Kartje, Ryan (March 12, 2026). "Donovan Dent achieves Big Ten tourney history in UCLA win over Rutgers". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
  29. ↑ Bolch, Ben (March 13, 2026). "UCLA withstands loss of Tyler Bilodeau to beat Michigan State". California Post. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
  30. ↑ "UCLA loses Bilodeau but ousts Michigan St. in Big Ten quarters". ESPN. AP. March 13, 2026. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
  31. ↑ Kartje, Ryan (March 14, 2026). "UCLA falls to Purdue in Big Ten semifinal without injured Tyler Bilodeau". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 14, 2026.
  32. ↑ Bolch, Ben (March 20, 2026). "UCLA basketball withstands all blows to win NCAA Tournament opener". California Post. Retrieved March 21, 2026.
  33. ↑ McNeill, Dylan (May 25, 2026). "Former UCLA Bruin Donovan Dent not seeking a professional career". USA Today. Retrieved May 28, 2026.
  34. ↑ Bassett, Bailey (May 25, 2026). "UCLA basketball's Donovan Dent sounds off on shocking retirement decision". ClutchPoints. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
  35. ↑ "Former UCLA point guard Donovan Dent says he's retiring: report". New York Post. May 24, 2026. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
  36. 1 2 Johnson, Kris (May 24, 2026). "Donovan Dent walks away on own terms". 247Sports. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
  37. ↑ Grammer, Geoff. "Back in Burque: Former Lobo Donovan Dent is done playing and ready to teach the game he loves". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
  38. ↑ "Former UCLA Guard Donovan Dent Commits to LSU in Transfer Portal Ahead of 2026-27 CBB Season". Bleacher Report. August 21, 2026.
  39. ↑ "Jaxon Kohler, Donovan Dent among players granted TRO in California and may enter portal". On3.com. August 18, 2026.
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