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UCLA men’s basketball roster gears up for first game of 2024-2025 season

Senior guard Kobe Johnson attempts to steal the ball from a Cal State LA player. (Nicolas Greamo/Daily Bruin senior staff)

Men's basketball


Rider
Monday, 7:30 p.m.

Pauley Pavilion
FS1

By Kai Dizon

Nov. 3, 2024 4:54 p.m.

Disappointment rang through the air as the final buzzer sounded in Las Vegas back in March.

The 2023-2024 season would be the Bruins’ first to finish under .500 since their 2015-2016 campaign.

And it was coach Mick Cronin’s first time missing the Big Dance since 2010.

But the coach got to work this offseason, bringing in six transfers – resulting in the No. 9 transfer class in the nation – to Westwood. And now, it’s time to see whether or not all that work was worth it.

No. 22 UCLA men’s basketball will tip off its 2024 season with a duel against Rider at Pauley Pavilion on Monday night. After a scrimmage against San Diego State in early October and an exhibition match against Cal State LA on Wednesday, there’ll be no more rehearsals – this one counts.

“We’ve got a great, unbreakable bond throughout this summer and through preseason,” said junior guard Skyy Clark. “We’ve been through hell and back with practice and just grinding.”

Last season, the Broncs went 15-17 with a 12-8 record in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. However, with what many may see as a mediocre opponent, all eyes will be on the Bruins.

But exactly who those eyes are on will be a tug-of-war.

“First of all, you have to earn minutes. Players determine playing time,” Cronin said. “(If) I’m going to give you the ball, you’re going to be the man. … Everybody knows we are trying to get a bunch of good players so we can get back to where we need to be at UCLA.”

Senior guard Kobe Johnson seems the favorite to lead the charge. The first UCLA-USC basketball transfer since World War II, Johnson averaged 10.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game for the Bruins’ crosstown rival last season.

It’s in the last category, though, that Cronin thinks Johnson really stands out.

“You guys don’t watch practice. Kobe is by far and away our assist leader,” Cronin said. “From July 8, our first practice, up until today. I want to say he has 40 or 50 more assists than the next guy, over a four month period of workouts. That’s not a surprise at all.”

Johnson’s fellow transfers aren’t too shabby either.

Junior forward Tyler Bilodeau, an Oregon State transfer, paced the Bruins with 24 points against the Golden Eagles on Wednesday night while Clark, a Louisville transfer, followed right behind at 17 as sophomore guard/forward Eric Dailey Jr., formerly of Oklahoma State, came in third with 11.

“(We’ve got a) really deep team with really competitive practices, just making everyone better,” Bilodeau said. “We have a great bond, so it’s a good mix there.”

Despite being listed as a forward, former South Dakota State transfer and junior William Kyle III was named to the 20-person Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Watch List, suggesting some added positional flexibility to Cronin’s crew.

Of UCLA’s returning crew, junior Dylan Andrews was the only one to start against Cal State LA. The guard is coming off a breakout sophomore campaign where he led the Bruins with 12.9 points and 3.7 assists per game.

With a seeming surplus of talent, the Bruins appear confident in one another to begin the season.

“They’re some dogs,” Clark said.

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Kai Dizon | Assistant Sports editor
Dizon is a 2024-2025 assistant Sports editor on the baseball, men’s tennis, women’s tennis and women’s volleyball beats. He was previously a reporter on the baseball and men’s water polo beats. Dizon is a second-year ecology, behavior and evolution student from Chicago.
Dizon is a 2024-2025 assistant Sports editor on the baseball, men’s tennis, women’s tennis and women’s volleyball beats. He was previously a reporter on the baseball and men’s water polo beats. Dizon is a second-year ecology, behavior and evolution student from Chicago.
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