Post by mhbruin on Aug 11, 2021 11:58:00 GMT -8
This preview is going to say a lot of things that are obvious to Bruin fans. There really isn't much that hasn't already been said 100 time.
Next are the 4th place UCLA Bruins. When I first previewed the roster, we weren't sure about Chris Smith, Cody Riley, Johnny Juzang, and Jaime Jacquez. As I am sure you know, everyone except Chris Smith is returning.
As a result, everyone who played in the NCAA tournament for a Final Four team is back next season. I don't know if that has ever been done before. The closest is the 2006 Florida team that returned all five starters and 7 of 8 rotation players from their 2006 National Championship team.
This team returns a TON of talent and experience, and there is plenty of talent on the way.
GRADUATING
- None -
IN THE DRAFT
My fondest memories of Chris will be watching how he supported his teammates during the Final Four run and how they embraced him. A fine player and a great teammate. Good luck with your pro career, Chris.
TRANSFERRING OUT
UCLA is the only team in the Pac-12 with no player in the transfer portal. We are one of only 3 major conference teams with no outgoing transfers.
RETURNING
This is a great recruiting class. This may not have a top national ranking, but class rankings give a lot of weight to how many players are in the class. A two-player class isn't going to rank that high.
We are adding a McDonald's All-American and another Top 50 player.
UPDATE
It's good to have depth, particularly when the injury bug hits. It is also probably better to have injuries early, so you can deal with the roster changes. Last season, we had roster issues all through the season, and that must have played a role in how long it took us to fully gel.
The injuries to McClendon and Etienne would be bigger factors without the depth. It may not hurt the team too much, but it will slow their development. It might make the roster management easier for Cronin.
Myles Johnson has looked better than I expected. He is not much of an offensive threat, but we have plenty of scorers. He looks like he will be a force on defense and the boards. We will miss Cody's offense a bit while he is out, but we could be better on defense, and that could more than offset missing Cody. I want him back, but I am not too concerned about him being out for a few games.
Speaking of defense, I agree with those who see Watson as more advanced defensively than offensively at this point. The athleticism is obvious. I just hope he keeps in front of guys on defense better, rather than making a brilliant recovery to block the shot. I think he will get a lot of steals this year.
Still speaking of defense, I was impressed with Nwuba in the Bakersfield game. When there were switches, he had to guard wings away from the basket, and he did a surprisingly good job of staying in front of them. I doubt he will have as much success with Villanova's guards, but he looks like he can contribute solid defense and rebounding when he is on the floor.
So three months after I first wrote the preview, I see little reason to change my opinion going forward. If anything I am a little more optimistic.
However, I reserve my right to go into deep pessimism after the Villanova game. We should learn a lot on Friday.
Next are the 4th place UCLA Bruins. When I first previewed the roster, we weren't sure about Chris Smith, Cody Riley, Johnny Juzang, and Jaime Jacquez. As I am sure you know, everyone except Chris Smith is returning.
As a result, everyone who played in the NCAA tournament for a Final Four team is back next season. I don't know if that has ever been done before. The closest is the 2006 Florida team that returned all five starters and 7 of 8 rotation players from their 2006 National Championship team.
This team returns a TON of talent and experience, and there is plenty of talent on the way.
GRADUATING
- None -
IN THE DRAFT
| Player | Games | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Chris Smith | 8 | 28 | 13 | 6 | 2 |
My fondest memories of Chris will be watching how he supported his teammates during the Final Four run and how they embraced him. A fine player and a great teammate. Good luck with your pro career, Chris.
TRANSFERRING OUT
| Player | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Destination |
| - None - |
UCLA is the only team in the Pac-12 with no player in the transfer portal. We are one of only 3 major conference teams with no outgoing transfers.
RETURNING
| Player | Games | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Class | Recruiting Stars | Recruiting Rank |
| Johnny Juzang | 27 | 32 | 16 | 4 | 2 | Jr | 4 | 33 |
| Jaime Jaquez | 32 | 35 | 12 | 6 | 2 | Jr | 4 | 82 |
| Tyger Campbell | 32 | 35 | 10 | 2 | 5 | Jr | 4 | 87 |
| Jules Bernard | 32 | 30 | 10 | 5 | 2 | Sr | 4 | 41 |
| Cody Riley | 31 | 23 | 10 | 5 | 1 | Sr | 4 | 44 |
| David Singleton | 32 | 17 | 5 | 2 | 1 | Sr | 4 | 80 |
| Jake Kyman | 31 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 1 | Jr | 3 | 170 |
| Mac Etienne | 13 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 0 | So | 4 | 49 |
| Jaylen Clark | 31 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 0 | So | 4 | 108 |
| Kenneth Nwuba | 18 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Jr | 3 | 241 |
This is a damned good core of players. That's seven Top 100 players and Jaylen Clark is almost a fifth. With 3 seniors and 5 juniors, we have maturity.
Further we have seen these guys play. Everyone has shown they are Pac-12 quality players (although I am sure some of you have doubts about Nwuba) and at least three of them are potential all-conference players. They play well together.
At this point, only four of these guys were ever recruited by Cronin recruits. (Cronin recruited Tyger and Jaime at Cincinnati.) Cronin is doing this with mostly Alford's players, although they don't really look like it anymore.
If this was the entire roster, we would have plenty of reason to be excited about next season. But wait! There's more!
Further we have seen these guys play. Everyone has shown they are Pac-12 quality players (although I am sure some of you have doubts about Nwuba) and at least three of them are potential all-conference players. They play well together.
At this point, only four of these guys were ever recruited by Cronin recruits. (Cronin recruited Tyger and Jaime at Cincinnati.) Cronin is doing this with mostly Alford's players, although they don't really look like it anymore.
If this was the entire roster, we would have plenty of reason to be excited about next season. But wait! There's more!
RECRUITS (#34 class, #4 in Pac-12)
This is a great recruiting class. This may not have a top national ranking, but class rankings give a lot of weight to how many players are in the class. A two-player class isn't going to rank that high.
| Player | Position | Recruiting Stars | Recruiting Rank | Offers |
| Peyton Watson | SF | 5 | 10 | Michigan, Oregon, USC, Arkansas |
| Will McClendon | SG | 4 | 45 | Illinois, Mississippi, Texas A&M, USC |
We are adding a McDonald's All-American and another Top 50 player.
247 may list Watson as a SF, but he may be able to play any position, including PG. He has a 7-3 wingspan, and is still growing into his body. Because of his height, length, slender body (but much stronger than he looks) and skills, he'll get compared to Tayshaun Prince, but he elevates higher and faster than Prince. He is an instant impact player.
You can see highlights of Peyton and younger brother Christian here
McClendon is an excellent prospect in his own right. Cronin will have the good kind of problem: finding PT for all these guys who are ready to contribute.
TRANSFERRING IN
To add to the embarrassment of riches:
He's not a 4-star, but he is a proven player in a major conference. He had as many blocked shots per game as our top three shot blockers combined.
I have watched some video of him. Offensively he is not very skilled. Savino should be able to fix that, but he might not be a big scorer this season.
CONCLUSION
The return of all the players is great news. We have talent, maturity, and experience. Six of our players were rated Top 50 out of HS.
But perhaps the best news so far is that Savino was not offered the Cincinnati job. Our outstanding coaching staff remains intact.
Everyone who makes predictions predicts that UCLA will win the Pac-12. Most "experts" see us as one of the top 2-5 teams in the country. When the #13 team in Kenpom and the #18 team in Torvick returns everyone from a Final Four run, we have plenty of reason to be optimistic.
A word of caution. Two of our tournament games went to OT and we won in the Elite Eight by 2 points. A bad break or two and we would not be calling this a Final Four team. As they say in the investment world, "past performance is not guarantee of future success". I wouldn't be making Final Four reservations quite yet. Once you get into a one-and-done tournament, there are no guarantees.
The early games matter, particularly the Gonzaga game. It would be REALLY nice to the the #1 seed in the West. Our path could be San Diego, San Francisco, and New Orleans. Villanova will be really good, even if we get them in Pauley.
However, we can reasonably expect to be REALLY good. It's hard to see a scenario where we are not the favorite to win the Pac-12 and we don't get a high tournament seed. Start planning your trip to San Diego for the first two rounds.
You can see highlights of Peyton and younger brother Christian here
McClendon is an excellent prospect in his own right. Cronin will have the good kind of problem: finding PT for all these guys who are ready to contribute.
TRANSFERRING IN
To add to the embarrassment of riches:
| Player | Size | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Blocks | From | Class | Recruiting Stars | Recruiting Rank |
| Myles Johnson | 6-10 255 | 24 | 8 | 9 | 1 | 2.4 | Rutgers | Sr | 3 | 371 |
He's not a 4-star, but he is a proven player in a major conference. He had as many blocked shots per game as our top three shot blockers combined.
I have watched some video of him. Offensively he is not very skilled. Savino should be able to fix that, but he might not be a big scorer this season.
CONCLUSION
The return of all the players is great news. We have talent, maturity, and experience. Six of our players were rated Top 50 out of HS.
But perhaps the best news so far is that Savino was not offered the Cincinnati job. Our outstanding coaching staff remains intact.
Everyone who makes predictions predicts that UCLA will win the Pac-12. Most "experts" see us as one of the top 2-5 teams in the country. When the #13 team in Kenpom and the #18 team in Torvick returns everyone from a Final Four run, we have plenty of reason to be optimistic.
A word of caution. Two of our tournament games went to OT and we won in the Elite Eight by 2 points. A bad break or two and we would not be calling this a Final Four team. As they say in the investment world, "past performance is not guarantee of future success". I wouldn't be making Final Four reservations quite yet. Once you get into a one-and-done tournament, there are no guarantees.
The early games matter, particularly the Gonzaga game. It would be REALLY nice to the the #1 seed in the West. Our path could be San Diego, San Francisco, and New Orleans. Villanova will be really good, even if we get them in Pauley.
However, we can reasonably expect to be REALLY good. It's hard to see a scenario where we are not the favorite to win the Pac-12 and we don't get a high tournament seed. Start planning your trip to San Diego for the first two rounds.
It's good to have depth, particularly when the injury bug hits. It is also probably better to have injuries early, so you can deal with the roster changes. Last season, we had roster issues all through the season, and that must have played a role in how long it took us to fully gel.
The injuries to McClendon and Etienne would be bigger factors without the depth. It may not hurt the team too much, but it will slow their development. It might make the roster management easier for Cronin.
Myles Johnson has looked better than I expected. He is not much of an offensive threat, but we have plenty of scorers. He looks like he will be a force on defense and the boards. We will miss Cody's offense a bit while he is out, but we could be better on defense, and that could more than offset missing Cody. I want him back, but I am not too concerned about him being out for a few games.
Speaking of defense, I agree with those who see Watson as more advanced defensively than offensively at this point. The athleticism is obvious. I just hope he keeps in front of guys on defense better, rather than making a brilliant recovery to block the shot. I think he will get a lot of steals this year.
Still speaking of defense, I was impressed with Nwuba in the Bakersfield game. When there were switches, he had to guard wings away from the basket, and he did a surprisingly good job of staying in front of them. I doubt he will have as much success with Villanova's guards, but he looks like he can contribute solid defense and rebounding when he is on the floor.
So three months after I first wrote the preview, I see little reason to change my opinion going forward. If anything I am a little more optimistic.
However, I reserve my right to go into deep pessimism after the Villanova game. We should learn a lot on Friday.
