LOS ANGELES — UCLA men’s basketball guard Dylan Andrews averaged 27.5 points per game in the Pac-12 Tournament, but was far from satisfied with how his sophomore season ended.
“Job still not finished,” Andrews wrote on X the day after UCLA’s 68-66 loss to Oregon in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Tournament. “See you next year.”
The Bruins entered the season third in the Pac-12 men’s basketball preseason poll with a roster constructed to replace the production and experience of current NBA players Jaime Jaquez Jr., Amari Bailey and Jaylen Clark and French professional player Tyger Campbell. However, UCLA finished the season fifth in the conference, with a disappointing 16-17 overall record, the program’s first losing season since 2016 under former coach Steve Alford.
It was also the first time head coach Mick Cronin missed the NCAA Tournament since taking over in Westwood in 2019, ending Cronin’s consecutive tournament streak at 12, which began in 2011 at Cincinnati. Cronin is 115-53 overall after five seasons at UCLA.
“In coaching, it’s hard when you’re asking guys to do stuff they’re not ready to do yet, they’re not trained to do yet,” Cronin said.
Kenneth Nwuba, a reserve center, was the team’s only senior on scholarship. Nwuba’s outgoing roster spot will go to incoming freshman guard Eric Freeny, a four-star recruit from nearby Corona Centennial High.
Another newcomer will be freshman guard Christian Horry, a walk-on from Harvard-Westlake, who is the son of seven-time NBA champion Robert Horry.
“It means everything to me,” Horry said. “Ever since I was younger, I’ve always wanted to go to UCLA. My mom went to USC and she always fought me about that because I’ve always wanted to go to UCLA. It was a long process, I had to stay patient.”
Horry’s goal is to earn a scholarship eventually as a 3-and-D player.
“I see myself earning a scholarship in a couple of years,” Horry continued. “I aim to play…
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