UCLA Basketball: Mick Cronin Talks Evolution Of Returning Star’s Game
As your UCLA Bruins men's basketball program gets ready to start its 2023-24 season, they have a different feel to them. The Bruins lost many of their more experienced players, and now they will be faced with having to build out a team with a ton of young talent.
Adem Bona is entering a new reality with the Bruins this season, and he will be expected to step up more as a leader for this team. The Bruins have a very young team, and Bona is going to be counted on to lead the way more often throughout the year.
UCLA head coach Mick Cronin gave thoughts on the situation, and how he will help Bona as the year progresses.
“Adem’s role changes vastly for us,” Cronin said. “That’s my job – to get him in that mindset, and then how to deal with being that type of guy. It’s going to be a growth process for him, offensively, to be much more of a focal point of our offense than he was a year ago.”
Bona knows that his role is changing, but he is ready for the challenge of leading this team. It’s his time to shine, and he believes that having experience from other players will help him step up into this new role of his.
“To be able to look up to guys like Jaime and Tyger … they’d been in college for four years and had experience and been to the Final Four, I think gave me an upper hand,” Bona said. “Dave is a good role model to pick his brain … and I think he’s given me great advice.”
Bona averaged 7.7 points and 5.3 rebounds a game last season, and those numbers are expected to take a big jump. UCLA will be counting on him more this year, and it'll be interesting to see if he can live up to the hype.
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