Kusturica says not yet, St. John's slides

Nikola Kusturica gave the week its cleanest correction: the Serbian wing has not committed to UCLA, despite a burst of social posts treating the move as done. He told Hoops HQ's Krysten Peek, "I haven't made a decision yet regardless of the rumors or what everyone is saying," and named Kentucky, UCLA, Michigan, Gonzaga, "and others" as schools still in the mix. 1

That denial matters because the offseason board was already moving somewhere else. St. John's lost Donnie Freeman for the season, CBS dropped the Red Storm six spots, Florida held No. 1 on the fresh men's preseason boards, the Protect College Sports Act ran into opposition from Texas A&M and Texas, and Michigan kept enough roster pieces to make Mike Boynton Jr.'s interim tag harder to ignore. 23456

The reporting split is simple. EuroHoops reported on July 4 that UCLA was offering Kusturica a two-year, $12 million NIL deal, citing MeridianSports; the article used reported-offer language rather than an official-commitment announcement. 7 MARCA then reported that Travis Branham of 247Sports denied the $12 million figure, while UCLA remained well positioned in the recruitment. 8

Kusturica's own timeline points after the FIBA U17 World Cup. He told Hoops HQ that he was focused on the World Cup and would decide with his family afterward. 1 Serbia's tournament ended July 5 with a 107-81 loss to the United States in the gold-medal game, where Kusturica finished with 37 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. 9

The performance strengthened the case for why this recruitment moved so fast. Kusturica averaged 24.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2.3 steals, and 1.7 blocks across seven games at the FIBA U17 World Cup. 9 UCLA Wire reported that he made the tournament All-Star Five and won Best Defensive Player. 10

UCLA still looks like the leader, but the difference between "leader" and "done" is the whole story. Branham logged a UCLA Crystal Ball pick on June 30, and On3's Bruin Report Online projected UCLA on June 29. 11 Kentucky remains involved after Mark Pope watched FIBA U17 games in Istanbul, while Michigan and Gonzaga remain in Kusturica's own list even if reporting around Gonzaga has softened. 112

Donnie Freeman's Achilles injury is the week's most direct preseason-basketball change. The St. John's forward suffered a torn Achilles in a non-contact workout on June 30, had surgery by Dr. Martin O'Malley at Hospital for Special Surgery, and Rick Pitino said Freeman will miss the 2026-27 season. 2

Freeman was not a depth flyer. He averaged 16.5 points and 7.2 rebounds as a Syracuse sophomore, ranked as the No. 15 transfer in 247Sports' portal rankings, and projected as a starter for St. John's. 2 CBS responded by moving St. John's from No. 11 to No. 17 in Version 19 of its Top 25 And 1. 3

Denzel Aberdeen's eligibility is the one caution attached to Florida's No. 1 case. ESPN's Jeff Borzello wrote that Aberdeen needs an NCAA waiver for another year and that his path to playing again is unclear, but Florida's frontcourt of Alex Condon, Thomas Haugh, and Rueben Chinyelu remains intact. 4

The Protect College Sports Act had a rougher week than its calendar status suggests. Texas A&M System Board of Regents Chairman Robert L. Albritton and University of Texas System Board of Regents Chairman Kevin P. Eltife sent a June 27 joint letter to Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn opposing the bill "as it is currently written." 5

That is a political problem because Cruz is one of the bill's sponsors and both schools sit in his home state. The letter did not identify specific provisions, and KBTX reported that it had requested clarification without receiving details. 5

Kyle Saunders put the bill's odds at 15% to 20% of becoming law in this Congress, noting that Senate Majority Leader John Thune has not scheduled a floor vote and that ordinary legislation needs 60 votes for cloture. 14 Saunders also argued that the SEC and Big Ten cover 26 states and 52 senators, which makes home-state pressure a real obstacle rather than a messaging problem. 14

There was still a pro-legislation voice in the window. Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould discussed her Senate Commerce Committee testimony and said it would be "irresponsible" not to consider the PCSA's optional media-rights pooling provision. 15 For basketball fans, the practical read is that federal governance remains a calendar watch, not a settled offseason rulebook.

Boynton's strongest argument is no longer only his own pitch. He told The Athletic's CJ Moore that he is "operating as if I'm going to be the coach," and Michigan's roster has since given that position more weight. 6

Moustapha Thiam, a 7-foot-2 transfer center from Cincinnati, recommitted to Michigan for 2026-27 after May's departure. Thiam averaged 12.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks at Cincinnati and ranked as the No. 13 overall transfer prospect. 16 On3's Michigan coverage reported that Thiam joined Elliot Cadeau and Trey McKenney as projected starters staying in Ann Arbor. 17

Michigan is now up to at least nine players staying under Boynton, including Cadeau, McKenney, Thiam, J.P. Estrella, Brandon McCoy Jr., Lincoln Cosby, Joseph Hartman, and Quinn Costello. 18 That does not force athletic director Warde Manuel to remove the interim tag, but it changes the risk calculation. Under the NCAA coaching-change clock described by Yahoo Sports, Michigan players can enter a 15-day transfer window about 31 days after May's June 23 departure, which points to roughly July 24 unless a permanent hire triggers a different window sooner. 6

The clearest women's roster piece came from the Big East. Hoops HQ ranked the top 20 impact transfers entering Big East women's basketball, with Anna Foley from Quinnipiac to Villanova at No. 1, Johnea Donahue from Bowling Green to Georgetown at No. 2, Karina Bystry from Northern Kentucky to Butler at No. 3, Tamar Singer from Miami (Ohio) to Butler at No. 4, and Zoey Ward from Iona to DePaul at No. 5. 19 Butler landed four of the top 20 players on that list, while UConn was absent because Hoops HQ framed the Huskies as a program that usually does not need the transfer portal. 19

UConn still had guard-rotation news. Kayleigh Heckel, a former USC guard, transferred to UConn after averaging 6.9 points per game in 2025-26, and Roundtable placed her in the Huskies' backcourt mix with Ashlynn Shade, Allie Ziebell, and KK Arnold after Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd left in consecutive years. 20 Fox Sports also noted that USC star JuJu Watkins had returned to practice after ACL recovery, with Watkins saying she felt "back like myself" while practicing with the team. 21

The coaching-market loose end remains Cal State Bakersfield. The CSUB women's basketball job remains active as of July 6. The CSUB careers site lists the position as open until filled after a May 26 posting date, and a LinkedIn job page for the same head-coaching position remains available. 2223

A few men's roster notes belong below the top line. Kentucky self-reported a Level III NCAA recruiting violation after assistant Mo Williams replied "Let's gooooooooooooo" to Tyran Stokes' X post before Stokes had signed financial-aid paperwork; Kentucky self-imposed contact and communication bans, and the NCAA added a one-week ban on all written or electronic recruiting correspondence. 24 Mark Pope also said he is "not in desperate need of adding more pieces" to Kentucky's staff while the final assistant spot remains open. 25

Arkansas added an actual games-on-calendar item for the dead part of the offseason. The Razorbacks will play four Baha Mar Hoops Summer League games in Nassau from July 31 through August 4, facing the Bahamas National Team, Carleton University, Toros del Valle, and the University of Calgary. 26 John Calipari said Arkansas needed the trip to build chemistry because Billy Richmond III is the only returning player with significant program experience. 26

The next useful checkpoints are concrete: Kusturica's family decision after the FIBA event, whether St. John's changes its frontcourt plan after Freeman's injury, whether Thune gives PCSA a floor date, and whether Michigan resolves Boynton's status before the transfer-clock pressure becomes real. 12614