LOS ANGELES — It was memorable eye-opener, a confirmation of the expectations UCLA men’s basketball head coach Mick Cronin had for a team orchestrated around transfer Donovan Dent.
At an open intrasquad scrimmage in late August, Dent demanded attention. He created driving angles with dribble moves, finishing those downhill darts with silky spin. He operated in pick-and-roll actions, setting up his teammates for easy baskets. He bulleted a pass to Xavier Booker. He threw a lob to Eric Dailey Jr. He also made all six of his 3-point shot attempts, the final one ending the scrimmage in his team’s favor.
That practice remained with Cronin over the next six months, providing a figment to cling to as Dent failed to re-enact that greatness. But now, after Dent’s performances in the past two games, Cronin’s getting flashbacks, and the hopes that it left him with at the time.
“You know when you guys came to practice this summer?” Cronin asked the media after Dent scored 30 points, dished seven assists and committed zero turnovers to lift UCLA (19-9, 11-6 Big Ten) to a dominant win against USC on Tuesday. “That’s the guy you saw.”
For most of UCLA’s season, “that guy” was nowhere to be found. He was mired by injury, bereft of all confidence. He had spurts of production, but nothing matching the past two games. Nothing like the way he’s playing ahead of UCLA’s trip to Minnesota (13-15, 6-11) on Saturday, which has reignited the belief in his teammates and coaches that was present prior to the season.
Dent’s performances against No. 10 Illinois and USC validated that summer practice was no fluke. He had a combined 44 points, 23 assists and zero turnovers. He manipulated the defense, probing with smooth drives and creating open looks with accurate passes. He called his own number, finishing at the rim and extending his range. More so, he looked like the cheerful, exuberant player those around him have always adored.
“He’s definitely in a better space,” Dent’s trainer, Shannon Sharpe, told the Southern California News Group. “He’s kind of playing more freely and looks like he’s having fun out there,”
Sharpe felt Dent’s early-season struggles were a mixture of things. The increase in competition, the expectations weighing on his shoulders, the discourse around him not meeting those marks, playing through injury, and adapting to a new system and new teammates.
“When you’re the guy on the team, and you’re the guy that everybody made big investments on being on the team, those wins and losses, kind of, fall on your shoulders,” Sharpe said. “I think he just had to figure it out.”
Dent heeded Cronin’s message to “get in the ring and throw punches.” He worked with Cronin to fix the problem with his shot form.
“Takes his body back, throws his balance off, and you’re going to shoot a line drive,” Cronin said.
Amid the negativity thrown his way, and at UCLA’s program after the chaos that followed the loss at Michigan State, Dent and his teammates grew closer.
“I think in the locker room, we’re at our highest point together as a team,” Dent said after the win against Illinois, thanks to his coast-to-coast, buzzer-beating layup in overtime.
UCLA is also clicking on the court. With Skyy Clark, who missed a month because of a Grade 1 hamstring strain, returning to the starting lineup, the Bruins’ three-guard look can be dangerous, in particular unleashing Dent.
“There’s so much more space on the floor,” Sharpe said. “It kind of brings a faster pace, and I think that’s where Donny’s special.”
Within that configuration, the Bruins are running guard-to-guard screen actions, making the defense choose between Dent’s drives and Clark or Trent Perry playing off the catch. Forward Tyler Bilodeau is taking the opposing rim protector away from the basket, making those layup attempts easier.
Connected in the locker room and with their new look-lineup, everything is starting to click for UCLA and Dent. Then again, that’s one in the same.
“Nobody’s going anywhere in March without their best players playing well,” Cronin said. “Your best players, obviously Donny being one of ours, has got to play well.”
“I’m hoping this groove continues,” Dent said. “This is the best time of the year to find something. I was struggling earlier in the season, so being in a groove right now would be huge for our team, and huge for myself.”
Like Cronin said, it would mean UCLA might have a chance to go somewhere in March.
UCLA (19-9, 11-6 Big Ten) at Minnesota (13-15, 6-11)
When: 11 a.m. PT Saturday
Where: Williams Arena, Minneapolis
TV/radio: FS1/AM 790
Related Articles
No. 5 UCLA eyes another Big Ten gymnastics title with Big Four Meet Alexander: Another big night for UCLA’s Donovan Dent Donovan Dent maintains his mojo as UCLA thumps USC UCLA men must build on what they learned in upset of Illinois No. 2 UCLA women celebrate their 1st outright conference title with rout of WisconsinHence then, the article about ucla men thriving as donovan dent has found his groove was published today ( ) and is available on Los Angeles Daily News ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( UCLA men thriving as Donovan Dent has found his groove )
Also on site :