The depth of this UCLA basketball team has already started to show, as many players got involved in the win over Arizona in the season opener.
Nine players were involved in the game, each of them making a difference in one way or another. In Mick Cronin's press conference following the game, he praised the fact that his team has the basketball IQ to play as deep as they did.
"We have great, great people on our team that they're smart enough to understand that the least important thing on the stat sheet is TP, total points. We got guys that understand that basketball is what you do without the ball."
Mar 22, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin reacts in the first half during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
"But it starts with, you know, older guys. [Jaylen Petty] started a lot of games at Texas Tech, Trent's [Perry] been around, and Eric [Dailey] and Book [Xavier Booker]. They're about the right things. So it's not a fight for me with these guys at all. They get it."
While Cronin made sure to praise the starters for the work they put in towards the win over Arizona, starting point guard Trent Perry made sure to give a ton of praise to one of the unsung heroes in the win over the Wildcats.
"Shout out my guys. First off, Joe Philon and Stink [Azavier Robinson]. You know, they know their role especially. Like, you know, diving for loose balls, being aggressive on defense, but especially my guy Sergej Macura," Perry said.
Macura played 13 minutes due to the absence of Auburn transfer forward Filip Jovic and played exceptionally well despite only seeing the court for limited time.
Mar 11, 2026; Nashville, TN, USA; Auburn Tigers guard Keyshawn Hall (7) strips the ball from Mississippi State Bulldogs forward Sergej Macura (11) during the second half at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
"My guy Sergej, you know, he came out first half and he was fearless," Perry said. "I mean, if you watched our first two exhibition games, he hardly ever played. He probably came in second half, five minutes left, late. You know, no warm-up."
"He came out here fearless, and I've been talking to him especially like, you know, keep your head up. You're a player. You're on this team for a reason, and I'm so proud of him. He showed up...Everybody's coming here to play and everybody knows what they're capable of."
While Macura's role moving forward may get a little muddy with Jovic returning to the lineup soon, it's very encouraging to know that the Bruins have capable and talented players they can rely on to come off the bench. The frontcourt was seemingly the thinnest unit on the team, but could instead be a deep rotation of three to four players.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/ucla as Trent Perry Reveals UCLA's Unsung Hero in Win Over Arizona .
