UCLA Basketball: Bruins Starter Playing, Badly, Through Illness
Your UCLA Bruins men's basketball team has had a frustratingly uneven season, thanks in no small part to fielding a very, very young club one year removed from an upperclassman-laden Sweet Sixteen group. Mick Cronin's 2023-24 crop sports seven freshmen, eight new players altogether.
The 14-14 club most recently dropped two losses, first a 62-56 defeat to a now-11-17 USC Trojans program that's also stuck in the mud with its underwhelming new additions on Saturday, and last night a 94-77 blowout against the 16-13 Washington Cougars.
No Bruin had a more lackluster night than starting wing Brandon Williams, who scored zero points on 0-of-4 shooting from the field in just 13 minutes of action. His also "contributed" two personal fouls and one turnovers.
Per Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times, UCLA head Mick Cronin revealed postgame that the 6'7" freshman out of Queens was playing through a "horrible" respiratory illness.
So why was he playing at all, exactly, let alone starting? If his presence is an active detriment to his team's success, and he's having trouble breathing anyway, maybe it would behoove all parties involved to sit him? Williams has been relatively inconsistent this year but has flashed some promise. He's averaging a scant 3.1 points per game on 36.3% shooting from the floor, but his size, length and athleticism appear to intrigue Cronin.
But darn it, let the man rest for now!
