UCLA Basketball: The Bruins’ youth are about to grow up in a hurry

The next 2 out of 3 games for the UCLA basketball team are going to require the Bruins’ youth to grow up pretty quickly. Despite what happens, the youth will come away a lot stronger.

Last Saturday against Michigan, the UCLA basketball team struggled to find offense from someone not Aaron Holiday or Thomas Welsh. The Bruin veterans did an amazing job keeping their team in the game, but they could only do so much.

Together, Welsh and Holiday totaled 17/29 (58.6%) shooting. The rest of the team shot 8/28 (28.6%).

We also saw that at the end of that game, the Bruins were unable to step on the gas, simply because there was no gas. But there were other factors that came into play.

That contest was UCLA’s first true road game of the season. Can you imagine what it must have been like for the younger Bruins to go into a rowdy environment like that and try to play with some sort of consistency? I’ll tell you one thing, playing in a packed house of a storied program on the road is a lot tougher than playing against a cupcake in front of a half-full Pauley Pavilion where the Den is the only active part of the crowd.

So now they have that experience (albeit one game) as well as the experience of playing against a good basketball team, which they are going to need as the Bruins take on the tough, defensive-minded #25 Cincinnati Bearcats on Saturday and a week later head to New Orleans to face the #8 Kentucky Wildcats in the CBS Sports Classic.

So it is in fact time for the Bruins’ youth to grow up.

If anyone needs to lead by example, it is Prince Ali. Though he is a sophomore, this is his third year with the program. He is returning from taking last season off due to injury. Ali was recently inserted into the starting lineup after freshman Jaylen Hands injured his foot. In those first three games he started he was averaging 15.7 points. Against Michigan he had three, so having him step up in these next few games is vital to the Bruins’ success. Ali has to become UCLA’s third option behind Holiday and Welsh.

having some of the younger players step up when the vets need a breather will do wonders going forward

Speaking of Hands, he has had explosive moments, but also moments that show his inexperience with the college game. Consistency needs to be the thing he works on because he has no problem getting the ball in the rim and to his teammates, he just needs pace himself.

Kris Wilkes is the other freshman that has stood out early on, though it was real early on when Wilkes was most active. In the last few games, he hasn’t necessarily disappeared but he also has not played with the same intensity as those first three games where he averaged 16.8 points (for the season he is putting up 12.3 ppg).

Chris Smith is another freshman that has had some impressive moments. The unfortuate thing with his situation is that he is being pulled in a few different directions due to depth concerns. With a thinned out front court, Smith has had to occasionally go down low, but is also needed out on the wing. More minutes against quality opponents will help Smith adjust to each new contest, but his role has to be defined.

The Bruins have some very good talent on their roster, they now have to harness it. UCLA has played a lot more consistently on offense the last few games, but having some of the younger players step up when the vets need a breather will do wonders going forward.

Next: The UCLA Basketball All-Time Team

The younger players have a chance to do that in the comforts of their own home. This Saturday we will see how the youth does in front of the most packed Pauley crowd they have seen this season with a nationally televised game against a ranked opponent as their setting. Time to step up.