Softball anticipates high-impact versatility in dynamic four freshmen recruits

The Bruins will build a new team with versatility in mind.

Four incoming freshmen from California will join UCLA softball for the 2019-2020 season as the Bruins have a chance to defend their 2019 national title. Coach Kelly Inouye-Perez said after graduating a large senior class – including starters infielder Brianna Tautalafua and utility Taylor Pack – flexibility was the main appeal of the recruiting class.

“I think this is going to be a class that will impact the field immediately,” Inouye-Perez said. “(Assistant coach Lisa Fernandez) does a great job of recruiting and bringing in just versatile and very athletic players, … which is very similar to this last year. We saw versatility, we saw people play a lot of positions, and I expect exactly that this year”

Middle infielder Maya Brady is ranked as Softball America’s No. 2 recruit in the nation coming out of Oaks Christian High School. Inouye-Perez attributed some of Brady’s talent to the fact that she hails from an athletic family – her mother Maureen Brady was an All-American pitcher at Fresno State in the 1990s, while uncle Tom Brady is a six-time Super Bowl winner as the quarterback for the New England Patriots.

“She’s a product of her environment and obviously has some really athletic genes,” Inouye-Perez said. “I really credit her mom, probably more than anything, and Tom Brady even says great things about his sister. (Maureen Brady) was a very competitive high level softball pitcher at Fresno State, and (Fernandez) and I both competed against her in college when Fresno State was striving for national championships as a program.”

Also joining the Bruins is Seneca Curo, who hit .505 with a 1.448 OPS during her senior year at Ramona High School as a power-hitting shortstop.

Two of the Bruins’ graduated seniors include Tautalafua and Pack, the primary third and first basemen, respectively. Though Brady and Curo both primarily played shortstop in high school, Inouye-Perez said it’s likely that field positions of both returning and incoming players will shift to adapt to the vacancies left by graduated Bruins.

“(Curo and Brady) are two phenomenal, just really talented infielders who can play any infield or outfield position,” Inouye-Perez said. “We’re going to have some versatility again, where first base, third base, are going to be positions that we’re really going to figure out who allows us to be at our best.”

No. 16-ranked right-hander Lexi Sosa will join the UCLA pitching rotation after finishing her senior season at Mater Dei Catholic High School with a 1.07 ERA in 177 and 1/3 innings, collecting a 24-2 record while also hitting .462 with 11 home runs.

With Sosa’s talent in the circle and at the plate, Inouye-Perez drew comparisons between her and rising redshirt senior pitcher Rachel Garcia, who was also a top recruit coming out of high school.

“She hit for big numbers offensively, she can hit it out of the park, and she throws in the mid-to-high 60s, but has really worked on having more movement and the off-speed,” Inouye-Perez said.

No. 11-ranked Alyssa Garcia – who played catcher at Mater Dei – will also be joining Sosa and the Bruins for the 2020 season. Garcia, who also spent time at first base, was characterized by Inouye-Perez as someone who could contribute offensively.

“I really believe she’s someone who’s going to do things, like Taylor Pack, and put up big numbers, hit the long ball, hit for average,” Inouye-Perez said. “She’s someone who has been recognized as one of the top hitters in California, so we’re really excited to have her in the lineup.”

With the start of the season still months away, Inouye-Perez said that even with the talent that the Bruins have already recruited, they are still open to bringing on more players.

“There could always absolutely be potential additions,” Inouye-Perez said. “We graduated a large class, and with that we’re always looking to make sure that we have the depth in our lineup.”

Former women’s basketball player works to redefine herself outside of the sport

Almost everyone has a rehearsed way they introduce themselves when they meet someone new.

It’s those few words that follow a person’s name and explain what they do – a job, a major, a sport. For Chrissy Baird, those words were, “I play basketball at UCLA.”

Until she didn’t.

“I was meeting all these new people that I had never met before and I would say, ‘Oh hi, I’m Chrissy and I –’ and I had never done that where I didn’t know what to say next,” the former UCLA women’s basketball guard said. “This was the first time I kind of thought, ‘I’m just Chrissy, that’s it. I hope that’s good enough for you.’”

Baird realized her inability to introduce herself properly was a product of a greater problem – the loss of her identity without basketball.

The Wheaton, Illinois, native had played basketball since she was 5 years old. She said since she came from an athletic family and had always been pretty good growing up, the “basketball player” label just stuck.

“I think I just kind of got used to (basketball) as my ‘thing;’ that was always my ‘thing’ and I never had to find anything else,” Baird said. “I think that’s why it’s hard now.”

In the four months since she graduated and stopped playing basketball, Baird has noticed she gets fewer likes on her Instagram pictures. She no longer receives messages from little girls telling her what an inspiration she is. She stopped seeing her face flash across ESPN.

But it was time for the next stage of her life. And she had a plan.

The “Pro Plan”

The UCLA women’s basketball coaching staff put a system in place to guide its athletes into the real world.

Associate head coach Shannon Perry-LeBeauf said she and coach Cori Close created a “Pro Plan” for each senior. The plans included weekly and monthly check-in points designed to build the players’ futures by breaking the process into smaller steps.

The Pro Plan was originally designed to help former Bruins Jordin Canada and Monique Billings prepare for the WNBA, but it grew into a broader practice for the team.

“We decided to try to do something like this no matter what they’re trying to do (after college) because the thought is they’re all going to go pro in something,” Perry-LeBeauf said. “So what do they need to do to make sure that they’re ready when they leave here?”

Baird was one of the players who would be going pro in something other than basketball. She said her goal was to work for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes to serve as a mentor for others like her.

Baird attended FCA camps as a child and had a mentor, Kristin Stockfisch, through FCA in high school. During college, Baird served as a camp counselor and became a leader in an on-campus Bible fellowship to continue ministry even without FCA.

Through the fellowship, Baird met UCLA beach volleyball assistant coach Jenny Johnson Jordan, who became a mentor for the basketball player. Baird said her relationships with Stockfisch and Jordan made her want to be a guide for others.

“I couldn’t have imagined going through this period of my life without having someone like (Stockfisch and Jordan),” Baird said. “I think I realized the power of those relationships in my athletic experience so … I saw (FCA) as the opportunity to be that person for somebody else.”

With a future in ministry in mind, Baird began attending meetings with Close to develop her Pro Plan. Close also had an affiliation with FCA, and together the pair worked through markers that eventually led Baird to an interview and a job offer.

Four days after her final basketball game as a Bruin, Baird accepted a job at UC Santa Barbara working for FCA. She said an outsider might have assumed she was transitioning smoothly, but internally she was struggling with the loss of basketball.

“You all thought I was doing just fine – I’m living in California, I just moved to Santa Barbara, I live 10 minutes from the beach,” Baird said. “My life might look a certain way, it might look like I’m having a good time, and I’m actually having a hard time.”

Perry-LeBeauf said she experienced a similar sensation after she stopped playing basketball at Iowa and attended graduate school as a “normal” student.

“It’s just a long process that you’re a part of and then all the sudden it does get you where you want to go, and now what?” Perry-LeBeauf said. “Even though you know what you’re supposed to do, it’s still hard.”

Writing it into existence

Baird expressed her feelings by writing – a passion she had been pursuing quietly for years.

Jordan had heard Baird give a few speeches she had written for fellowship events and her senior banquet, and the coach said she was impressed with Baird’s ability to talk about her struggles so openly.

“The transparency that she has kind of mixed with the vulnerability and strength is something I’ve always really admired about her,” Jordan said. “I just love how willing (Baird) is to talk about the duality of you can be having this really great life and you can be going through a lot of struggles at the same time.”

One of the products of Baird’s writing is a blog articulating her loss of identity after basketball.

But she was hesitant to click ‘submit.’

“I just didn’t share it because I was like, ‘Well nobody really asked my opinion,’ and so I’m just offering my thoughts to the world that aren’t asked,” Baird said. “But then I thought that’s part of it, that there’s courage in that – nobody asked but I’m going to tell you anyway.”

As of July 12, Baird said the first post had more than 1,000 views from 17 countries.

Jordan said the blog post especially resonated with her, as she was a former athlete who went through a similar identity crisis.

“The things (Baird) was writing, I was like ‘Oh, my gosh, that’s so true,’ about how ‘What do you do?’ and ‘I’m Chrissy the basketball player,’ how people would introduce her,” Jordan said. “I totally remember all that.”

Baird no longer receives messages from young girls who were inspired by her ability on the court, but she has gotten responses from people her own age and older who relate to her story.

“You’re not going to see my face flash across ESPN anymore, but my words are reaching people, so how do I find value in that?” Baird said. “Just because it’s different doesn’t mean it’s bad or less than what it used to be.”

Baird said speaking publicly about how she felt and the positive reception of her blog helped her realize that her life after basketball can still be meaningful.

She just had to stop searching for a new tagline to introduce herself.

“I don’t really think I have a ‘thing’ anymore,” Baird said. “I think I just am who I am.”

Sons of Westwood return to the court to compete in The Basketball Tournament

The Sons of Westwood are back for the second straight year.

The majority-UCLA alumni team will be competing in The Basketball Tournament for a $2 million prize awarded to the winner of the 64-team, single elimination tournament, which was started by Jonathan Mugar in 2014. The No. 4-seeded Sons of Westwood will play in the eight-team Salt Lake City regional this week starting Thursday in order to advance to later rounds held in Chicago, Illinois.

Sons of Westwood is led and organized by general manager Grant Kitani – a Temple men’s basketball graduate assistant and former UCLA men’s basketball manager. The team’s coach is Ryan “Moose” Bailey, who was a guard for UCLA from 1998 to 2001.

Former Bruin guards Jordan Adams, Malcolm Lee and Isaac Hamilton have all returned to the squad from last year. It will welcome newcomers such as former UCLA forwards David and Travis Wear as well as guard Larry Drew II.

Kitani said it is exciting to come back together with his fellow UCLA alumni for a second run at the title.

“I saw how special it was to be a part of a basketball family like UCLA,” Kitani said. “After I graduated I often felt myself thinking about UCLA basketball again. If I felt this way, I was sure the players would feel that way.”

Though few of the players in TBT are under an NBA contract, the tournament features players with plenty of basketball experience who are used to competing at a high level.

Sons of Westwood features five former NBA players, three of which have seen action in the past three years. It also has Shizz Alston, a former Temple standout who played in the NBA Summer League with the Indiana Pacers from July 6-12.

“For the most part, these guys have all played at a very high college level,” Kitani said. “Most of them are professionals that come from all over the world. I didn’t fully understand how competitive it could be. It is really tough to win a game.”

No. 1-seeded Eberlein Drive – led by former NBA champion James Michael McAdoo – is one of the favorites to win it all. Team Challenge ALS is the No. 2 seed in the region, and it knocked the Sons of Westwood out of TBT in the round of 16 in 2018.

Its loss prevented the Sons of Westwood from collecting the winner’s $2 million dollar reward. The extra money players can win is really helpful when they aren’t on NBA contracts, Kitani said.

“The money definitely helps when you aren’t in the NBA because it’s a pretty big paycheck for the time they put in,” Kitani said. “I don’t think the money is the most important thing though. Our players love to do it for the fun and professional exposure of being on ESPN.”

In TBT, each team decides how it’s going to split its $2 million. For Sons of Westwood, each players’ win share is at least $100,000, often matching or exceeding the salary of the players.

Aside from the cash prize, TBT boasts one more trait that differs from the NBA and NCAA – the Elam Ending.

Nick Elam, a middle school principal and member of the high IQ society Mensa, decided to make an ending to a basketball game that eliminated the need for intentional fouling.

To prevent the prolonging of games by intentionally fouling, the Elam Ending stops the clock at the first dead ball with under four minutes left in the fourth quarter. Then, the number seven is added to the leading team’s score and the new total is the number of points needed for either team to win the game.

In 2017, Mugar decided to implement the Elam Ending for the tournament’s preliminary play-in games. It was such a hit that it was brought back for the entirety of the 2018 tournament and will be returning for all 2019 games as well.

“It’s certainly really exciting if you’re a spectator,” said Kitani. “But when you’re in the game, it’s really nerve-wracking. In a normal game, you can hold the ball and get fouled, but not in the Elam Ending.”

The Sons of Westwood will begin its tournament run Thursday when the team faces off against the No. 5-seeded L.A. Cheaters.

Local barber cuts out place in Westwood as the go-to for renowned Bruin athletes

The Rose Bowl. Pauley Pavillion. Adalberto “Albert” Duran’s station in Oakley’s Barber Shop.

All have hosted some of UCLA’s most legendary athletes and coaches.

Duran has been working at Oakley’s, a barbershop on Gayley Avenue in Westwood, for over 40 years and has cut the hair of widely recognized Bruin athletes and coaches such as John Wooden, Reggie Miller and Troy Aikman.

Growing up in Santa Monica, Duran was exposed to UCLA Athletics at a young age, and said he and his sister often rode bikes to UCLA and Westwood Village.

“I went to see a UCLA basketball game in 1967 and fell in love,” Duran said. “Growing up in the area and seeing the game, I became a Bruin.”

Duran said he didn’t plan on becoming a barber growing up, and he had been an avid sports fan from a very young age.

“I got my barber’s license as a favor to my stepdad who owned a shop in Sawtelle,” Duran said. “Oakley’s hired me because my father had worked with the owner and that became my career. But I really always loved sports because my mother was a die-hard Dodgers fan, and I grew up down the road from UCLA basketball in the ’60s.”

One of his customers, Billy Martin – who has served as the UCLA men’s tennis coach for 26 years – said Duran has become a staple in the community.

“I’ve been going to him forever, my kids went to him for 25 years,” Martin said. “A bunch of my players have become his regulars over the years, as well as countless other UCLA students.”

The full list of notable Bruins that have had their hair cut by Duran spans multiple decades and sports.

Duran said he has developed connections with more recent customers like former UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen, UCLA football coach Chip Kelly and former UCLA men’s basketball guard Norman Powell, who Duran kept in contact with during Powell’s championship run with the Toronto Raptors in June.

Duran said many of his clients often stop by the shop after they leave Westwood, recalling when Rosen received a haircut at Oakley’s after signing with the Arizona Cardinals. Even Houston Rockets guard Russell Westbrook often stops by to say “hi” during the offseason.

“The athletes spend their youth and college time around here,” Duran said. “For a lot of guys, they look back so fondly on this place and the people of Westwood.”

Martin said it is Duran’s amiable personality and community involvement that continue to make Duran the well-known Westwood barber that he is.

“He’s one of my favorite guys,” Martin said. “I’ve recommended a bunch of people to him over the years, and he’s done good local events, like when he was the official barber for the Los Angeles Open (tennis tournament).”

Duran said the thing that stands out to him above anything else is the support UCLA athletes and Oakley’s give one another.

“You support them because they are local athletes,” Duran said. “They like coming here because we can talk sports and watch on the TV here. We care about them and they give back to us.”

Duran has created his own UCLA community at Oakley’s, complete with photos of notable athletes and coaches on the wall of his station.

“(Kelly) came in really quickly, like, 10 days after his hire,” Duran said, as he pointed to his picture with Kelly. “Now he’s one of my customers, and he’s here every two weeks for his regular haircut.”

Duran even witnessed one of UCLA basketball’s oldest and most storied relationships – the often comical connection between Wooden and former Bruin Bill Walton.

“When Wooden told (Walton) to go get a haircut, Oakley’s is where he came,” Duran said. “It’s from the famous practice story, he left in the middle of practice, came here for a cut and ran back to practice.”

Duran also cited the amount of basketball coaches who have sat in his chair, from Wooden to Ben Howland to newly hired Mick Cronin.

He also said some of his favorites to see walk through the door were Miller and the Jack Haley, who were teammates on the UCLA men’s basketball team from 1984 to 1987.

“They would always come in together every single time,” Duran said. “They were fun-loving kids that goofed around, but I don’t think I saw them separated at all in their time here.”

Duran’s clients don’t just hail from the world of sports, though.

Actor Charles Bronson, filmmaker J.J. Abrams and professional tennis player Jack Kramer have all had the constant hair guidance of Duran.

When asked about his favorite moments, Duran was not able to narrow it down to one – he could only list dozens of stories from his four-plus decades in the barbershop.

But one of his highlights was the aftermath of the Bruins’ most recent title on the hardwood.

“I will always remember the 1995 UCLA basketball title,” Duran said. “We all came back to Oakley’s after work to watch the game. We had local people walking in, drinking, watching and celebrating like a community.”

When it came to his biggest UCLA haircut, Duran said there was only one.

“I can say I’ve cut John Wooden’s hair,” Duran said. “He’s John Wooden. You cannot go any bigger as a Bruin or really any sports fan.”

UCLA women’s soccer looks to step up game with addition of All-American defender

The Bruins added Lucy Parker at the right time.

UCLA women’s soccer announced the transfer of the junior All-American defender from LSU on June 25, and though Parker didn’t travel with the Bruins to Naples, Italy, for the World University Games, she will be eligible for the 2019 season.

Of the 11 incoming freshmen set to join UCLA, only two are true defenders – the position that the Bruins were most lacking last season. Rising junior midfielder Viviana Villacorta said the addition of Parker, a top-ranked defender with experience at the collegiate and international level, will help elevate the Bruins’ backline.

“I know we were really limited with our defenders (last year), so having (Parker) come in – especially since she’s had international experience – I think it’s going to bring another level to this team and bring more competitiveness,” Villacorta said.

Parker started every game at center back for the Tigers as a freshman and a sophomore, posting three goals from the backline each season. In 2018, Parker led LSU to 10 shutouts en route to clinching the SEC championship, earning her United Soccer Coaches Third-Team All-American honors, first-team All-SEC and All-Southeast Region honors in her final season in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Internationally, Parker has made 22 appearances for the U15-U21 English national teams. She also played with the Arsenal Women Football Club for 10 years and earned Arsenal Player of the Year three times.

Offensively, UCLA tied for most goals in the nation last season, placed second for most assists and fourth for shots on goal per game. But in defensive categories, the Bruins were 35th in goals-against average and tied for 23rd in shutout percentage with 12 shutouts.

Its goal-scoring ability earned UCLA a spot in the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament, but the low defensive numbers forced coach Amanda Cromwell to rotate potential offensive threats – including then-senior forward/defender Hailie Mace and then-sophomore midfielder Delanie Sheehan – to outside back.

“Having an extra center back is going to be huge because we had so many midfielders (last year), so now for our backs it will be good to have an extra back just in case anything happens,” said rising redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Lauren Brzykcy.

Other incoming defenders include freshmen Brianne Riley and Kylie Kerr. Riley started in all four of the Bruins’ World University Games and was named a NSCAA High School All-American on Wednesday.

“(Last year) we didn’t have a lot of defenders so it was still competitive, but with more we can step up our game,” Villacorta said.

The Bruin backline will be put to the test when UCLA takes on reigning national champion Florida State – which finished eighth in the country for goals scored last season – August 29.

Editorial: Well-meaning Senate Bill 206 may shortchange students through UC’s revenue loss

The California Senate wants student-athletes to get paid.

Maybe it’s about time, maybe it’s an outrage. But either way, the problem remains: Money doesn’t grow on trees.

Senate Bill 206 would allow California student-athletes to profit from their own likenesses. In other words, they would be able to sign with agents or sponsors, making money off their personal brands. This challenges long-standing NCAA rules, which prohibit college athletes from doing so.

Lawmakers say they hope the bill will help student-athletes who, despite raking in cash for their universities, may never see a profit from playing. This is especially true for the majority of athletes who will not go on to professional sports careers and could benefit from sponsorships while still at the peak of their athletic achievements.

But the road to hell is paved with good intentions – and a couple million dollars the UC doesn’t have.

The benefits for student-athletes are clear, and arguably well-deserved. But in order to create a sustainable system, the state must work collaboratively with its universities in order to cushion the blow when the bills begin to pile up.

As of now, it’s done nothing of the sort.

The California Senate Appropriations Committee estimated NCAA penalties would cost the UC up to $1.8 million. Penalties aside, university revenue would also take a hit. The committee report found that the California State University system stands to lose $9 to $15 million. The UC predicts losses as well.

At first glance, this seems straightforward – the UC loses money, life goes on. That is, until you consider how the UC might respond.

The University will likely take strides to make up for its lost profits – a move California legislators must anticipate.

And while this bill is designed to help students, it’s concerningly unclear if state legislators will step in to protect them from potential backlash.

SB 206 provides no safeguards to ensure the UC is protected from losses in vulnerable areas. Less profitable sports or student-athlete scholarships might be on the line. Worse, it could affect students far outside the purview of athletics.

The state legislature would effectively be enacting a bill that creates fines and revenue loss, but provides no oversight regarding how the UC will approach these losses.

This is potentially dangerous – especially in the hands of an institution that has routinely raised tuition to overcome such shortcomings.

The state’s legislation is not, at its core, misguided. Student-athletes bring in huge amounts of money to the University, and they have long been exploited at its hands. But in crafting such a proposal, the state must be willing to provide oversight and support to the UC system. Otherwise, SB 206 runs the risk of creating undue burdens for the students it is trying to help.

Maybe it is time for student-athletes to make money off their contributions to the University’s bottom line.

But it’d be unfair for the state to wash its hands of the UC just yet.

New executive vice president appointed to UC Health system

The University of California Board of Regents appointed a new executive vice president for UC Health on Thursday, according to a University press release.

Carrie Byington, a clinician, educator and researcher, was appointed to help lead UC Health’s five academic medical centers and 18 health professional schools across the UCs. UC Health also oversees student health clinics on UC campuses as well as on-campus counseling centers.

Upon starting at UC Health, Byington will also have a tenured faculty position in pediatrics at UC San Francisco, where she trained in pediatric infectious diseases.

The clinician and educator has served in multiple previous leadership and faculty positions, with positions at Texas A&M University and the University of Utah prior to her most recent appointment.

At Texas A&M, she was the vice chancellor for health services and the senior vice president of its University Health Science Center.

Before that, Byington served as the principal investigator for the Utah Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences and the associate vice president for faculty and academic affairs at the University of Utah Health Sciences Center.

Byington’s post will begin Oct. 31. She will replace John Stobo, the current executive vice president, who has worked for the UC for since 2008.