UCLA players praise the unsung heroes of Bruins program

On Saturday, UCLA put away Colorado on the back of a strong second-half performance. With the win, UCLA moved to 16-2 on the season with a 7-0 record in Pac-12 play.

In the postgame press conference, UCLA players were asked about a group hug they had with the program’s student managers following the win.

“It’s a little thing we have,” Adem Bona said. “I call it the family hug. It’s just a family hug. I call it a little family hug.”

While he spoke, next to him, Jaylen Clark said, “Shout out to the managers.” Then, Bona confirmed that this is a little tradition that UCLA has after games.

“Top from bottom, we hang out with our managers, we play video games, we don’t look at them as managers if you know what I mean,” Clark said. They come out with us. They hang out with us. Class together, like everything. They’re just a part of the whole family. Ain’t no levels. Ain’t no ranks. If they tell me something, I’m gonna respect it the same he tells me something. That’s just what it is.”

At this point, Jaime Jaquez took the mic to add, “Shout out to the managers again. They’re with us every night, every morning, putting in so much work. Like, if we’re working, they’re working with us. They rebound, they stay late, they do everything for us.”

Bona, Clark, and Jaquez are three of the most important players on one of the best basketball teams in the country. The fact that they’re working to stay close with people like the team managers says a ton about the culture that head coach Mick Cronin has built.

“They’re just like an extension of the team,” Bona concluded.

Mick Cronin believes in defense

UCLA looks like a team that is capable of making a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. To do that, as head coach Mick Cronin explained, the Bruins will need to play great defense.

“Teams that defend win national championships. And they also win NBA titles. We try to get out on the break as much as we can. But, the reality is, when you run into real coaches and real teams? You’re not gonna be out on the break all night. You’ve got to be able to win like this,” Cronin said.

“You get to the six-game tournament…and you’ve got to be able to dance to every song they play. Some are slow, some are fast. It ain’t the tango every night, right? You’ve got to be able to win in different ways against different styles. It’s not always going to be easy. But, when you defend, you always have a chance. Teams that only win when the ball goes in are in the NIT. Real programs win when things aren’t going their way. And (when) the kids find a way to make it go their way.”