Kris Wilkes wavered over his decision last spring. He could enter the NBA draft and risk not being selected in the first round or come back to college and work his way into a surefire lottery pick.
The small forward ultimately returned to UCLA and showed Tuesday night at Pauley Pavilion how much of a jump he had made since the end of his freshman season.
Showing off an array of polished moves, Wilkes powered the No. 21 Bruins to a 96-71 victory over Purdue Fort Wayne in the opener of their 100th season.
He scored 19 of his career-high 27 points in the first half and finished with 10 rebounds, stirring the small crowd of 5,931 and justifying his recent selection to the preseason watch lists for both the Naismith and John R.