WATCH: Kenneth Nwuba Talks Transformation, New UCLA Teammates

UCLA men's basketball big man Kenneth Nwuba spoke with reporters ahead of Thursday morning's practice session at the Mo Ostin Basketball Center. Nwuba talked about improving his game in the offseason, losing weight and reshaping his body, learning post moves from associate head coach Darren Savino and what his first impressions of the incoming freshmen class have been.

What have you done to get better and be ready for opportunity?

Well I'll say I've been working hard and I I don't want to be the same player I was last year. I have to be better than what I was last year. I have to keep working on my conditioning, running and be able to play with the other guys. So I've just been working all summer just to be better player.

Have you trimmed down some?

Yes, I have. I will say I weigh... the last weight I looked when I didn't take my health serious was like 270, but now I weight like 250.

Notice that at all? More mobile?

Yes. Like a human being, when you stand in the mirror, you look at yourself. So every time I'm in the gym and working on myself and working on my weight and working on my conditioning, I just look at myself and make sure that I'm doing the right stuff.

What have you done to develop your offensive game?

Honestly, it is all about mental and, you know, 'Go get it.' And I'll just keep the same energy. What I was worried about is my conditioning, because when you get tired, you will not be able to do some certain stuff, like run and block shots. But I'll keep the same mentality. So when I keep working out and keeping my conditioning, health improvement and all that kind of stuff, my defense is going to go up, so I've just been working on it.

Savino help develop post game?

Coach Savino has been working on my touches around the rim and he said, 'When you end up very middle or around the rim, you can work on your touch because it's not all about dunking. You just have to know how to finish around the rim and use the backboard and all that kind of stuff.

Impressions from Adem?

Well, what I've seen from Adem is he's agile, he's very strong. And, you know, he's my brother. He's from the same place I'm from, he's African. So, when we play in practice, we compete against each other. And I'm trying to get at him and he's trying to get at me, and at the end of the day, we're making each other better. So Adem is a very strong player and he's very mobile. And, I'm not gonna lie, every time I practice with him, I want to be doing what he's doing. But at the end of the day, I'm trying to better myself in every step that I go through life. But we go at it and Adem is a very strong big man player and I love playing with him.

How close is his home in Africa to where you're from?

That's a good question. I don't really know.

Not same country?

Overall impression of the freshmen?

My impression of the freshmen is that it's going to be a different year. And we fast, we agile, we can move the ball and, what's the word that LA uses? Boujee. But team wise, it's gonna be great. And we have good teamwork and good mentality. So it's gonna be good.

Who is the boujeeist?

Amari.

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