latimes.com
They made a mistake. Let them serve the punishment. Then they can move on. That was the message from UCLA coach Chip Kelly on Wednesday regarding four Beaumont High students suspected of stealing jewelry and other items from Colorado’s locker room late last month at the Rose Bowl during a game between the Buffaloes and the Bruins. “I think any mistake at that age, I think it’s a very valuable lesson for them to learn,” Kelly said. “But I don’t think — I’m in 100% agreement with [Colorado] coach…
2 months ago
latimes.com
A hush had fallen over the Rose Bowl in the final minute, the boos that serenaded UCLA players running into the locker room at halftime replaced by indifference among the few remaining fans. Down to fourth-string quarterback Chase Griffin because of injuries, the Bruins were forced to run one last meaningless play against Arizona State. When Griffin’s pass fell incomplete, a teammate on the sideline threw up his hands in disgust and turned to leave the field. As chants of “A-S-U!” filled one cor…
2 months ago
latimes.com
Once bustling with activity, UCLA’s football practice field nearly has emptied on a warm morning. Heat glimmers off the artificial turf. The only sound is the squish of sneakers on that turf as Bryce McDonald jogs around the perimeter with a friend, savoring every step. Each one is a small victory, a reminder that he’s here. He’s alive. He’s doing something he enjoys. He has a purpose as the Bruins’ chief of staff. The next day, sitting outside the Wasserman Football Center, McDonald glances at…
2 months ago
latimes.com
Seventeen seconds into an interview, the usual everything-is-fine, we-will-get-this-fixed player pablum was abandoned Monday when UCLA linebacker Oluwafemi Oladejo revealed a rift between the Bruins’ offense and defense. “I think slowly by slowly,” Oladejo said Monday, referring to the team’s 27-10 loss to Arizona last weekend, “we just started to kind of get disunified.” It wasn’t a slip-up; Oladejo went on to repeat the theme multiple times while acknowledging that the Bruins’ struggling offen…
2 months ago
latimes.com
Spotting Adem Bona trying to pick him up just inside half court, the guard five inches shorter made his move. Dribbling past the UCLA big man into the paint, Saint Francis’ Cam Gregory appeared to have Bona beat by half a step on his way to the basket. Nope. Sprinting from behind, the headband-wearing Bona closed with superhero speed. He leaped to contest the shot, his right arm swatting the ball off the backboard as Gregory went flying onto the court behind the baseline. Bona gave his poor vict…
3 months ago
latimes.com
Living with someone who’s 7 feet 3 doesn’t only lead to looking up. A few months ago, Lazar Stefanovic glanced across the four-bedroom apartment he shares with Aday Mara and two other UCLA freshmen and noticed a stool that had been in the living room was now residing in Mara’s bedroom. The tallest Bruin since 7-7 center Mike Lanier in the early 1990s, Mara had placed that stool at the end of his bed so that his size-18 feet would have something to rest on. It was a temporary fix, Mara eventually…
3 months ago
latimes.com
Uh-oh. Things appear to have gotten a bit awkward between UCLA’s struggling offense and its better half. Linebacker Oluwafemi Oladejo repeatedly used the word “disunified” Monday to describe the team during its 27-10 loss to Arizona on Saturday, saying the defense was paying too much attention to the offense’s inability to produce points late in the game. “I think slowly by slowly we just started to kind of get disunified, which we can’t let happen,” Oladejo said. “ … I think people were discour…
3 months ago
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It was the sort of loss that left UCLA longing for something else, like basketball season. Two quarterbacks were lost to injury. Two field goals went astray, including one that was blocked. Three chances in the red zone came up empty. Fittingly, the Bruins’ final drive against Arizona on Saturday night ended with a third-string quarterback throwing a fourth-down pass that fell incomplete, giving the ball back to the Wildcats. About the only countermeasure UCLA could employ from there was calling…
3 months ago
latimes.com
Oh, brother. Another quarterback Ethan Garbers would have to contend with at the Rose Bowl. This one happened to be his biggest supporter, not that having the same last name would keep Chase Garbers from sharing any critiques. “He was just kind of saying when I run that I need to get down a little bit more,” Ethan said of the brotherly advice after the younger sibling guided UCLA to a convincing victory over Colorado last weekend. So, in other words, slide? “Yeah,” Ethan said two days after runn…
3 months ago
latimes.com
Having just absorbed a loss to UCLA at the Rose Bowl, Colorado players returned to their locker room Saturday night to find some of their jewelry stolen. The Pasadena Police Dept. has launched an investigation into the incident that was believed to have occurred during the Bruins’ 28-16 victory over the Buffaloes, according to Lisa Derderian, a spokeswoman for the City of Pasadena. “That’s awful for anybody,” UCLA coach Chip Kelly said Monday. “You would think that when you go anywhere that your…
3 months ago
latimes.com
There’s some lingering drama as UCLA approaches its basketball season opener. Coach Mick Cronin said Friday that two of the team’s international freshmen were awaiting clearance from the NCAA. Although Cronin would not identify the players, The Times has confirmed through a person close to the situation they are Aday Mara and Berke Buyuktuncel. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to publicly reveal their identities. Mara’s case appears to be the most complex…
3 months ago