2 Bruins With Most To Prove Next Season
Next season will not only be a defining year for UCLA's basketball program, but it will also be a defining year for these two players.
This offseason, UCLA assembled a fairly solid roster. But what really headlines next season is the returning core made up of a few potential superstars. If they fall short of expectations, UCLA's season could come crumbling down.
Trent Perry
The first player who arguably has the highest expectations next season is Trent Perry . The reason for this is because of the explosive development we saw from him last season, where he started the year on the bench and eventually became UCLA's third-leading scorer.
In some ways, this season could be viewed as a revenge year for Perry. In UCLA's loss to UConn in the second round of the tournament, Perry scored just five points on 2-of-8 shooting while committing two turnovers and three personal fouls. It was a rough performance, to say the least, and is definitely on Perry's mind entering this season.
Considering Perry will now be the leader of UCLA's offense next season, it can already be inferred that he will feel a lot of pressure. Because of that, he needs to play the best basketball of his career in order to truly meet expectations. An elite season could also mean a long career beyond college basketball for Perry.
Xavier Booker
Xavier Booker also struggled to find his footing at times last season. In some games, Booker played fewer than double-digit minutes, and by the middle of the season, he was completely out of the starting lineup. The main reasons were his inconsistent defensive motor and unwillingness to consistently play physically in the paint.
With Booker returning next season, the stakes become even higher. However, he did show considerable improvement during UCLA's tournament run. He was UCLA's leading scorer against UConn and also recorded eight rebounds and four blocks against UCF.
Those two performances definitely changed the narrative surrounding Booker's future at UCLA. But if he is unable to maintain that level of play, we could see his minutes decrease significantly, especially considering UCLA now has multiple frontcourt options waiting for opportunities. This is not a season Booker can afford to waste.
The bottom line is these two players have an advantage because they are already familiar with Mick Cronin's system. Because of that, UCLA needs both players to perform at their absolute peak. If they do not, things could get ugly not only for UCLA's season, but potentially for their long-term careers as well.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/ucla as 2 Bruins With Most To Prove Next Season .
