John Savage and I sat down to eat lunch somewhere in Brentwood before the season began. I had covered UCLA baseball for the two previous seasons but I was going to be otherwise occupied during spring quarter. I knew I wouldn’t get to see many of his team’s games this season so I wanted to catch up and wish him well.
Author Archives: Sam Strong
Sam Strong: Dateline in transition
I have to admit, it feels strange not to begin one of these things with a dateline. It was always step one in the process. Sit down and write the name of the city you’re in. If I got nothing else right – and I got a lot of things wrong on these pages over […]
Minnesota triumphs over UCLA, brings Bruins’ season to a close
AUSTIN, Texas — The stands emptied right along with UCLA’s hopes of continuing in the NCAA Tournament. The game clock, on the other hand, just kept ticking. The Bruins trailed the Minnesota Golden Gophers by 23 with more than four minutes left. It was abundantly clear to the few people left at Frank Erwin Center […]
A natural leader: Larry Drew II guides Bruins in NCAA play
A pair of dog tags hang from a chain around Larry Drew II’s neck as he sits in the press room at UCLA’s J.D. Morgan Center. “I bought this a couple weeks ago at H&M,” says Drew, pondering the matte black rectangles while cupping them in his hand. “But I rarely wear any type of […]
UCLA’s Kenny Donaldson helps teams balance grades, games
The UCLA basketball team is preparing for its toughest test of the season this week, the NCAA Tournament. Because UCLA is on the quarter system, the Big Dance also not so conveniently coincides with finals week on campus. While their classmates are here cramming for exams, the Bruins will hit the road, taking their playbook […]
Bruins sputter out at Pac-12 tournament
LAS VEGAS — The 283 mile drive from UCLA’s campus to the MGM Grand doesn’t generally require a full tank of fuel, but after playing three games in as many nights at the Pac-12 tournament, UCLA was running on empty.
UCLA triumph tempered by loss of Jordan Adams
LAS VEGAS — UCLA had just beaten Arizona for the third time this season, a 66-64 triumph in the Pac-12 Tournament semifinals. The win was arguably one of the Bruins’ most impressive performances of the season, but no one could have guessed that by peeking inside their locker room.