LOS ANGELES — In UCLA basketball’s most brutal defeats last season, two distinct issues plagued the Bruins.
A 94-75 loss to Michigan on Jan. 7 was void of physicality as the Bruins were rattled in front of their fans at Pauley Pavilion, and lost the defensive rebounding battle to a towering Wolverines’ squad, 30 to 16.
An 86-70 loss to Wisconsin on Mar. 14 provided an unwelcoming introduction to the Big Ten Tournament. After earning the double-bye, the Bruins’ advantage was quickly nullified as the Badgers made 19 3-point shots to UCLA’s nine.
A deeper look shows these two facets — rebounding and perimeter shooting — were significant weaknesses throughout last season. UCLA ranked 135th in the nation in defensive rebounding rate and 73rd in offensive rebounding rate. The Bruins were 106th in the nation in 3-point percentage (35.2%) and ranked 222nd in 3-point volume.
Head coach Mick Cronin attempted to hide these deficiencies with an overly aggressive defense that could lead to turnovers and fast-break opportunities. But that Houdini act won’t be necessary this season.
In fact, the Bruins targeted transfers who could turn those flaws into strengths. They subtracted playmaking big men for physical ones; invested in shooters, and a point guard who can feed them.
Last season, Tyler Bilodeau mainly manned the center position, starting 32 of 33 games as the tallest Bruin on the floor. It was a tough task as Bilodeau, 6-foot-9, was undersized in comparison to opponents. He was also UCLA’s best form of shot-creation on offense. So, he was asked to score, and protect the rim and glass.
Aday Mara and William Kyle rounded out the rotation. But they played limited minutes, dealing with injuries and producing inconsistent performances. Mara, too, despite his 7-foot-3 stature, was more playmaker than bruiser.
This year, the roles have shifted. Bilodeau will play power forward, his natural position. He’ll have the responsibility of being the primary rebounder and rim protector lifted because the Bruins acquired three transfers — Xavier Booker Jr., Steven Jamerson and Anthony Peoples Jr. — who will be relied upon for their physicality, asked to simply set screens and rebound. Leave the offense to the others.
“I feel like we’re all going to get pretty good minutes,” Booker said on Friday.
Booker, specifically, was asked to switch from playing stretch four, which he did at Michigan State, to a paint-oriented five. He explained that assistant coach Darren Savino is focusing his development on “setting good screens, being physical and rebounding,” further indicating the simplified roles for the Bruins’ trio of centers.
Jamar Brown, a 6-foot-5 transfer from University of Missouri-Kansas City, will provide additional help on the glass. Cronin lauded Brown as one of the best rebounding guards he has coached — a valuable asset nowadays as players are being taught to crash the offensive boards from the corner.
“His mindset is to get every offensive rebound,” Cronin said of Brown. “It gives you that third body on the glass coming in from the perimeter, which makes a huge difference.”
Brown is the marriage of UCLA’s targeted improvement in rebounding and shooting. Last season, he led UMKC with 7.4 rebounds per game, while shooting 40.2% from 3.
Along with Brown, Skyy Clark and Trent Perry should be improved shooters this season. Over the final 16 games last year, Clark shot 43.8% from deep; while Perry believes a lack of confidence was the culprit for his shooting woes.
On Friday, both expressed an assurance they will find consistency from the perimeter this season. Part of that confidence stems from more opportunities to play off the ball, with Donovan Dent running point guard.
“If they have to guard all three lanes of the floor because you have shooters, and you can pass and find the shooters, it’s really hard on any defense,” Cronin said. “Our three-point shooting is a strength of our team.”
How often has Cronin claimed that in the last three years?
Cronin is a firm believer that “the toughest thing to coach is getting the ball in the basket.” When that isn’t a concern, though, he says, a coach’s job is easy.
So, what’s the ceiling of a team that can shoot and control the boards?
One that won’t get embarrassed on its home court, or flame out in the first round of the conference tournament.