BYU basketball: UCLA point guard Matt Carlino transferring to BYU

PROVO — Matt Carlino, a highly-touted freshman point guard who recently announced his decision to transfer from UCLA, says he's going to enroll at BYU next semester and begin practicing with the Cougars next month.

Carlino, who joined UCLA after graduating from high school after his junior season, won't be eligible to play for the Cougars until next December. He picked the Cougars over UNLV, Saint Mary's, Butler and San Diego.

"I'm very excited to announce my transfer to Brigham Young University," Carlino said Wednesday in a press release. "I firmly believe that this next step in my personal and athletic life will help me grow as an individual as well as a player. Since deciding to transfer out of UCLA a few weeks ago I've visited a number of universities and feel that BYU offers the best fit for me on many levels."

Carlino is a 6-foot-2 175-pound point guard who played two seasons at Highland High in Gilbert, Ariz., before moving to Indiana prior to his junior season to play for Bloomington South High School in Bloomington.

At Bloomington South High, where Carlino led his team to a 23-1 record and a USA Today No. 5 national ranking, he was All-Conference Indiana and named to the Indiana Junior All-Star team.

The addition of Carlino fills BYU's biggest need for next season. With Jimmer Fredette in his final season, the Cougars only have sophomore Nick Martineau and redshirt freshman Anson Winder ready to step in at the point guard spot. Winder's talents might be better suited for the shooting-guard position. Also joining BYU's backcourt next season will be Damarcus Harrison, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard from South Carolina. The Cougars have two big men, Nate Austin from Lone Peak High and Ian Harward from Orem High, returning from LDS missions before next season. Current starting swingman, Kyle Collinsworth, is expected to leave for a church mission following this season.

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