I see the most glaring problem that we do not have a decent Big. Bilodeau is a power forward, not a 5, and having him playing defense against taller, stronger centers and at the same time expecting him to be the primary scorer and not wear down is wishful thinking. Kyle does not have the size--Johnson is our top rebounder. As for Mara, h…
I see the most glaring problem that we do not have a decent Big. Bilodeau is a power forward, not a 5, and having him playing defense against taller, stronger centers and at the same time expecting him to be the primary scorer and not wear down is wishful thinking. Kyle does not have the size--Johnson is our top rebounder. As for Mara, he may be better than last year but better than terrible is still bad--more turn overs, fouls and other give away than whatever he contributes. Kind of strange to me that with all the transfer players Cronin got, he did not get a decent Big.
In Cronin's scheme, it is give it to Billodeau (which every team is aware and packs in for) or create open 3's which UCLA had but 14% not going to do it.
Andrews is obviously in a very dark place about scoring and it does not look like he can get out of his funk. Do not know if/when we get back Dailey or Kyle?
UCLA will be fortunate to get into the Big Dance unless some miraculous turn around and will not survive the first week end.
I think you are off in your evaluation of Mara. Mara had zero turnovers today. He was 2-2 from the floor, had 2 blocks, a nice assist to Bilodeau in 11 minutes. What he needs is more playing time for this team to go anywhere. And, the guards need to learn when to feed him the ball, where to feed him the ball and also when not to feed him the ball. That comes with playing the game.
Thank you, Army, Mara is learning to use his size with finesse on defense, now on offense he's got that common big problem of putting the ball on the floor on the inside when he could reach the basket without that faint dribble.
I think you both are fair on Mara and just seeing the opposite sides of the same guy. There are obvious glaring holes in his game as UCLA4EVER says. We've seen him get pushed around and be slow to react, particularly on defense. I also see a lot of the potential that Army sees. In the later stages of the 2nd half, he had a nice drop step and baby hook, followed by getting good position in the high post with the ball and when the D came to him he found a wide open cutting Bilodeau for a dunk.
My issue with Mara is that he's almost a year and a half into the program and his development has been frustratingly slow with little progress so far. Mara obviously has some nice moves, can see the game, and his height commands attention on both ends, but his game speed and grit and confidence need to take giant steps, and that's gonna require a lot of real game time. It was clear in Dec 2023 that the team wasn't going anywhere, and I said Cronin should start playing guys with the future of the program in mind, but he didn't. Like Dimitri talks about Cronin not playing the bench against the cupcakes this year, similarly he hasn't devoted time to the players that we really need to be further along at this point in their careers.
FWIW, Mara was even in his 11 minutes today. I'd love to see him getting a more minutes every game, but I'd also love for him to be ready to see those minutes too.
We all see the flaws. As you said, the development requires playing time. If not, it may come from another program in the easy transfer era. Our potential is greater next year, if he gets developed. Would love to see Mara e able to develop the face up shot from the free throw line. It would open up space for cutters and his excellent passing. Plus, a little high/low action with Bilodeau.
In 11 minutes, Mara had one rebound, one assist and 5 points when others fed him under the basket for dunks. I remember he was under the basket for a rebound, was pushed back by a Nebraska guard, then fouled the guard--I call that a turnover. Could not rebound well because he does not jump (can he get both feet off the floor?). The point is his only "skill" is his 7'3" height, he can not move effectively and has limited ability to score--dunks under the rim and a spotty hook shot from two or three feet. He does not have the athleticism, skill or mobility needed which is not uncommon for men his size. Not many Chamberlins or Jabars or Mings.
I had high hopes when he decided to come to UCLA as the "crown jewel" of the international players but he was unplayable last year and not much better this year which is very sad.
I see the most glaring problem that we do not have a decent Big. Bilodeau is a power forward, not a 5, and having him playing defense against taller, stronger centers and at the same time expecting him to be the primary scorer and not wear down is wishful thinking. Kyle does not have the size--Johnson is our top rebounder. As for Mara, he may be better than last year but better than terrible is still bad--more turn overs, fouls and other give away than whatever he contributes. Kind of strange to me that with all the transfer players Cronin got, he did not get a decent Big.
In Cronin's scheme, it is give it to Billodeau (which every team is aware and packs in for) or create open 3's which UCLA had but 14% not going to do it.
Andrews is obviously in a very dark place about scoring and it does not look like he can get out of his funk. Do not know if/when we get back Dailey or Kyle?
UCLA will be fortunate to get into the Big Dance unless some miraculous turn around and will not survive the first week end.
I think you are off in your evaluation of Mara. Mara had zero turnovers today. He was 2-2 from the floor, had 2 blocks, a nice assist to Bilodeau in 11 minutes. What he needs is more playing time for this team to go anywhere. And, the guards need to learn when to feed him the ball, where to feed him the ball and also when not to feed him the ball. That comes with playing the game.
Thank you, Army, Mara is learning to use his size with finesse on defense, now on offense he's got that common big problem of putting the ball on the floor on the inside when he could reach the basket without that faint dribble.
I think you both are fair on Mara and just seeing the opposite sides of the same guy. There are obvious glaring holes in his game as UCLA4EVER says. We've seen him get pushed around and be slow to react, particularly on defense. I also see a lot of the potential that Army sees. In the later stages of the 2nd half, he had a nice drop step and baby hook, followed by getting good position in the high post with the ball and when the D came to him he found a wide open cutting Bilodeau for a dunk.
My issue with Mara is that he's almost a year and a half into the program and his development has been frustratingly slow with little progress so far. Mara obviously has some nice moves, can see the game, and his height commands attention on both ends, but his game speed and grit and confidence need to take giant steps, and that's gonna require a lot of real game time. It was clear in Dec 2023 that the team wasn't going anywhere, and I said Cronin should start playing guys with the future of the program in mind, but he didn't. Like Dimitri talks about Cronin not playing the bench against the cupcakes this year, similarly he hasn't devoted time to the players that we really need to be further along at this point in their careers.
FWIW, Mara was even in his 11 minutes today. I'd love to see him getting a more minutes every game, but I'd also love for him to be ready to see those minutes too.
We all see the flaws. As you said, the development requires playing time. If not, it may come from another program in the easy transfer era. Our potential is greater next year, if he gets developed. Would love to see Mara e able to develop the face up shot from the free throw line. It would open up space for cutters and his excellent passing. Plus, a little high/low action with Bilodeau.
In 11 minutes, Mara had one rebound, one assist and 5 points when others fed him under the basket for dunks. I remember he was under the basket for a rebound, was pushed back by a Nebraska guard, then fouled the guard--I call that a turnover. Could not rebound well because he does not jump (can he get both feet off the floor?). The point is his only "skill" is his 7'3" height, he can not move effectively and has limited ability to score--dunks under the rim and a spotty hook shot from two or three feet. He does not have the athleticism, skill or mobility needed which is not uncommon for men his size. Not many Chamberlins or Jabars or Mings.
I had high hopes when he decided to come to UCLA as the "crown jewel" of the international players but he was unplayable last year and not much better this year which is very sad.
Yep, Cronin's scheme is an open book.