Trent Perry took the leap for the Bruins in his sophomore season in 2025

Trent Perry had a breakout sophomore season for the UCLA Bruins. After not playing much in his freshman year other than being a spark plug defender. He got the opportunity to showcase his talents on both ends of the floor. Entering the starting lineup when Skyy Clark went out with his hamstring injury. Perry never looked back, and even when Clark returned, he stayed in the starting lineup. There were multiple games that he led the team in scoring and even saved them a few wins. Which will ultimately get them into the NCAA tournament.

Perry is a good scorer at each level. He can shoot in the mid-range and is a good 3-point shooter at 41.2%. An underrated part of his game though is his ability to get to the free-throw line when he does get there, he shoots it at a very good rate of 86.3%. Showing that he can capitalize on opportunities on the offensive end. His best game of the season came in a 71-60 win over Penn State. A game in which he scored 30 points and controlled everything very well for the team.

The Bruins bench did take a big hit when he made his way into the starting lineup. But Mick Cronin did not have a choice with Clark out. That was a sacrifice that had to be made to keep them above water. Even if it meant quite a few nights of getting zero production or points from the bench players.  Although as of recently, the team has found a little boost in Eric Freeny off of the bench now. Something that is really needed for them in case players get in foul trouble or fatigue.

Perry is a big part of this Bruins team for the future with so many players moving on and graduating. Such as Donovan Dent and Tyler Bilodeau, with also Clark’s extra eligibility year still in question. There is also the fear that in a big NIL era there could be a team out there to take him. Or if he really felt that his sophomore jump was enough, he could enter his name into the NBA Draft without an agent. Which allows him to test the waters and could always come back. His NBA outlook might be the most promising on this roster.