UCLA roster breakdown: How Bob Chesney made Curt Cignetti's blueprint his own to rebuild the Bruins

The former James Madison coach brought in a gaggle of transfers to quickly turn around what had been a dysfunctional UCLA program The comparisons between Bob Chesney and Curt Cignetti are numerous. Both worked their way up as journeymen from the lower levels of the sport, stacking double-digit-win teams and even placing players in the NFL. For Chesney, his path took him from Division III Salve Regina to Division II Assumption to FCS Holy Cross. Conference championships followed at each stop. Both coached at James Madison, where they led the Dukes to conference championships and, for Chesney, a spot in the 12-team playoff. Both moved to down-on-their-luck Big Ten basketball schools and brought in players they were familiar with to help revamp their rosters.

Thirteen JMU players followed Cignetti to Bloomington, and seven remained on the national title roster. UCLA has a dozen former Dukes on its roster, and roughly half are significant contributors. A key difference in roster build is the perceived level of talent. Whereas Indiana ranked 72nd in the 247Sports Talent Composite coming into last season, UCLA is 24th in 2026, largely due to the retention of key players, notably five-star Nico Iamaleava. At Indiana, Cignetti has capped one of the great turnaround stories in the sport's history with a national title. In Chesney's case, he hopes