WATCH: Mac Etienne Discusses Benefits of Enrolling Early, UCLA's Final Four Run
UCLA men’s basketball big man Mac Etienne talked to reporters before practice Monday about the head start he got in his growth joining the team early last season, in addition to the work he’s been putting in alongside Cody Riley and Myles Johnson to prepare for this year.
MAC ETIENNE
What was it like being here last year?
Yeah, that was a crazy experience. I got here and I didn't expect to play. And then I got here and we started winning, and then just kept winning and winning. And then we got to the Final Four. By the end of the tournament, I was like, 'Wow, I'm so happy I left high school to come and do this, to experience this with all my teammates.' We have like our whole team back. So having the whole team back, our chemistry is on a whole 'nother level. We come into everyday practice like family. The whole experience last year help us become closer, and it's only going to excel us this year,
How much better of a player are you now?.
It definitely helped me mentally. I really understand expectations and everything we all need to do as individuals and as a team to help us do what we did. Because we were on a streak of losing, like four or five games at the end of the season, and we flipped the whole switch come tournament time. You can really tell the difference of what we did, how we played, how hard we played and how together we played. And so I learned a lot mentally from that whole experience. Which helped me and will carry over to this year.
Impression of UCLA now that on campus not in quarantine?
LA is a great place. I've met a lot of friends and family here. I've gotten to explore the campus a lot and meet new people. People out here a lot nicer than New York, and so I'm greeted everywhere with just kindness and everybody having a positive attitude. So I'm loving it here. And the weather is definitely better. It's not cold in the winter.
Text from high school teammates when in Final Four?
My teammates from Brewster were really supportive and they would watch every single game. They'd send me videos of me on the court. (inaudible) 'Like, a week ago, you were just in the dorms and we were joking around and now you're on national TV playing against whoever.' So it's been a crazy experience but all my teammates from Brewster showed me a lot of love during the whole process, so enjoyed it.
How is going up against Cody and Myles accelerate improvement?
Cody and Myles are two experienced veterans. Myles is one of the best defensive players in whole college basketball. Cody is a great player who's helped me progress my game a lot last year and this year. So really going against vets and experienced players has made me learn a lot of little tricks and details about the college game that I might not have picked up if I were just to go somewhere where I would have been a freshman going against another sophomore big. They've helped me a lot on the court. But off the court too, they've helped me become a better person. I love Cody. He's just showed me a lot through his experiences. He's showed me what to do and what not to do, how to carry myself off the court. So he's been a really big role in helping me become a better person. So that's been good.
Shoes?
These are the team shoes. I have my own shoes, but I just where what was given to me.
What model are those?
Zions. They are pretty comfortable. I like them. These are my first time having them and I like them a lot.
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