LOS ANGELES — A common notion permeates throughout the UCLA men’s basketball locker room as the players discuss their expectations for this season. They share a cautious optimism. Confidence to predict success, coupled with wariness to not get ahead of themselves.
“I just don’t want to jinx it,” point guard Donovan Dent says. “I think we could go deep, like Final Four range, but I won’t say the big one. I won’t say nothing like that. But, yeah, I think we could get there.”
Dent and his teammates’ belief is steadfast because of what each sees when they crane their necks to scan their peers. They know what it takes to make a run. Bruins head coach Mick Cronin has drilled it into them.
Experience, talent, toughness. Specifically, in that order.
“It’s just gonna come down to how much we really want it,” Dent said.
Everything is in front of UCLA. After dipping their toes in the transfer portal water, the Bruins used last season to develop their roster. Now, with a mixture of nine returners and five transfers, they’ve found a marriage between guys who know the system and new pieces that can maximize the ceiling.
They opened the season ranked 12th in the Associated Press preseason Top 25, third among Big Ten teams behind No. 1 Purdue and No. 7 Michigan. They brought in five transfers who are all upperclassmen. They’re starting four seniors.
In their first preseason game Oct. 17, against a formidable San Diego State team in the Aztecs’ Viejas Arena, that experience, talent and toughness led them to a 67-60 win.
Those traits first appeared as jeers rained down on the Bruins when they ran on the court for warmups. As the bowl inside the Viejas Arena filled – admirably for an exhibition game – senior guard Skyy Clark said he didn’t have any nerves and that confidence trickled down the roster, sparking a 17-0 opening run.
Eventually, SDSU tested UCLA’s wit. The Aztecs opened the second half with a 15-5 surge that cut the margin to three, the bowl rocking in deafening support. But the Bruins’ experience, talent and toughness shined through again.
“I’m happy they made the run,” Cronin said. “I wanted to see how Donny and Skyy and the guys were going to react. I purposely didn’t call timeout. Which, you can do that when you have maybe the best two guards in the country.”
A heavy proclamation before the season has started, but the point was backed with evidence. Led by Dent and Clark, UCLA’s veteran-laden roster met SDSU’s right hook with a knockout punch.
Along with the experience, talent and toughness, Dent and his teammates believe in the ultimate goal because of the lineup flexibility.
“I think we have a super complete team,” Clark said.
It starts with that elite backcourt, buoyed by sophomore Trent Perry, who claims there’s no dropoff at the guard spot when he spells Dent or Clark. It continues with Eric Dailey Jr. and Tyler Bilodeau, now playing at their natural positions, with less pressure than a season ago where UCLA couldn’t win if those guys scored below their average. Furthermore, Jamar Brown is the Bruins’ X-factor, the piece they simply did not have last season: a true knockdown 3-point shooter who can hold his own on defense.
In two preseason games, Brown has already shown his value, filling in for Dailey as the junior nurses a knee injury. He’s 6 of 8 from 3-point range and, in Tuesday’s exhibition win against UC Irvine, he grabbed 10 rebounds to complete a double-double.
Everything, however, could come crashing down if the Bruins’ plan for the center position falls short. They went with a simplistic approach, asking transfers Xavier Booker and Steven Jamerson to focus mainly on protecting the glass and rim. But in a Big Ten Conference where height and physicality are king, two unproven big men could be the Bruins’ crux.
For example, early in Tuesday’s game, the Anteaters allowed Booker the room to shoot, and he missed two jumpers. Later, he threw errant passes that disrupted UCLA’s motion offense, which often asks big men to step out on the perimeter and make crucial passes.
In UCLA’s game against SDSU, Jamerson had a free lane to the basket off a pick-and-roll with Dent, lost his footing and was called for traveling.
The Bruins’ kinks at center stand out because of their certainty everywhere else. This team isn’t complete yet, but the players are confident they can get there.
“I definitely think we’ll make a Final Four or national championship run for sure,” Clark said.