Former UCLA forward William Kyle III transfers to Syracuse, 1st portal pickup of cycle
Former UCLA forward William Kyle III has transferred to Syracuse, he announced on social media Thursday night. Leonardo Eriman | Asst. Video Editor
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Former UCLA forward William Kyle III has transferred to Syracuse, he announced in a social media post late Thursday night. A 6-foot-9 forward, Kyle is the first pickup of the transfer portal cycle for the Orange.
A Bellevue, Nebraska, native, Kyle has one year of eligibility remaining following two seasons at South Dakota State and one at UCLA. With the Jackrabbits, he started 49 games across two seasons, increasing his points per game from 8.9 as a freshman to 13.1 as a sophomore. His rebounding metrics increased, too, moving from 4.8 per game to 6.6 while also adding 1.6 blocks per game.
In his sophomore season, Kyle’s performance earned him Summit League Defensive Player of the Year, a First Team All-Summit League selection and the Summit League Tournament MVP.
After transferring to UCLA for his junior campaign, Kyle didn’t start in any contests and averaged 9.6 minutes per game across 32. His averages plummeted, averaging 2.9 points per game and 1.8 rebounds.
Kyle is set to replace part of the production left behind by the graduation of Eddie Lampkin Jr., Naheem McLeod and Jyáre Davis in the frontcourt. The three combined for 23.3 points and 16.3 rebounds per game. Kyle also joins Donnie Freeman in the returning frontcourt depth, who is returning for his sophomore year following a season-ending injury in early January.
