Bruins Need a Leader to Push Through Trying Times

The UCLA Bruins are going through it in the worst way after losing their fourth-straight game on Monday night. With nowhere to turn and continued struggles being the only result, someone must step up and lead this group out of the depths.

Jan 10, 2025; College Park, Maryland, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Kobe Johnson (0) grabs a rebound during the first half against the Maryland Terrapins at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images | Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

The UCLA Bruins (11-6, 2-4 B1G) are not playing good basketball right now, simply put. After falling to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (9-8) on Monday night on the road, they have now lost four straight and are quickly playing themselves out of contention for a conference and national title.

With no end in sight to this stretch of struggles, the Bruins must turn to their veterans to step up and lead this team. Head coach Mick Cronin tried his best to motivate his team through grueling postgame comments and being ejected against Maryland last week, but it looks be a player's duty.

With a litter of fresh transfer players in their first season in the Bruins program, it is hard to find a clear-cut leader that will take this team by the horns and get them back on track. There are three or four options, but at least one individual must step up and lead this team back to success.

Sophomore guard Eric Dailey Jr. is in his first season with the team after transferring from Oklahoma State this past offseason. He has not only been a difference maker on the floor but has been extremely vocal in postgame press conferences to send a message regarding his team's play.

"We just got to come together, stay strong, stay tight through moments like this," Dailey said following the loss to Rutgers. "Every team is going to go through something similar to this and we just got to find ourselves, find a way to get out of this, that's it."

Those are words spoken from a leader, even though Dailey would not be considered a veteran. Another strong candidate would be senior guard Kobe Johnson who has also been outspoken on his team's struggles and what they must do to regain a winning mentality.

Johnson can be seen in team huddles during timeouts and in between possessions constantly talking, motivating his guys, and playing the role of a leader. His offensive production has risen over the past few weeks as well, earning 32 points over his past three games.

One final option that the Bruins could use to help lead this group is a guy that has been apart of this program longer than anyone else on the team. Junior guard Dylan Andrews is in his third season under Cronin and is one of the only non-transfer veterans on the roster.

Andrews has been struggling mightily of late, scoring just 14 points over his past six games. He was held to just five minutes of action with zero points in the loss to Rutgers. His production has dropped, but one game could change a lot within his game.

Even though he may not be playing well, Andrews understands this team and program better than anyone not named Mick Cronin. If he is able to communicate to his guys and deliver some sort of motivation and will-to-win, they may have a saving chance to get back to where they were.

The Bruins have expended a myriad of options in hopes of fixing their recent issues to score the basketball and play solid defense for all 40 minutes. If Cronin cannot motivate these guys enough, it must come from inside the huddle and this team needs an added spark more than anything.

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