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Jan 10, 2025; College Park, Maryland, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Eric Dailey Jr. (3) takes a shot over Maryland Terrapins center Derik Queen (25) during the first half at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

Bruins Battle On Court Amid Wildfire Woes

Originally posted on UCLA Bruins on SI
By Madeleine Considine | Last updated Jan 12, 2025 2:00 PM ET

Friday night’s 79-61 loss to Maryland was another tough setback for UCLA, but the postgame reflections from sophomore forward Eric Dailey Jr. and senior guard Kobe Johnson shed light on the deeper challenges the team is navigating — both within the game and beyond. While grappling with their third straight defeat, the Bruins are also dealing with the emotional toll of the catastrophic wildfires devastating Southern California.

Dailey, a first-year Bruin who transferred from the Big 12, opened up about the impact of the wildfires back home, sharing his gratitude that his house remains safe while empathizing with those who have lost so much.

“Luckily, my house is safe, but I can't say the same for everybody,” Dailey said. “It's a tough situation right now. A lot of people had to evacuate. A lot of people are losing their homes. It's tough. I've never seen anything like it. I'm from Florida, and we have hurricanes, but fire is just a whole different animal. I pray for the families that are going through this, and I hope that we can get the city back together after all of this is done.”

Wearing a protective mask due to a recent injury, Dailey refused to use it as an excuse for his performance.

“I'm getting used to it a little bit. I gotta do what I have to do to protect my health,” he said. “The mask is no problem. I can shoot the ball way better than what I’m doing as well.”

Despite the challenges, Dailey sees the tough schedule and grueling travel as preparation for the professional level.

“We all want to be pros. We’ve got to get ready now,” he said. “Flying across the country, playing tough teams every night — that’s what the NBA is. That’s what pro basketball is. We’re just getting ready for the next level.”

Like Dailey, Johnson emphasized the importance of staying united as the Bruins navigate the challenges of a deep and competitive Big Ten.

“It’s never easy to take three losses, but we’ve got to move on to the next one,” he said. “We just got to stay together as a team. That’s exactly what this league is about. It’s a good league from top to bottom. Every game is going to be a tough, difficult game, so we just gotta stick together.”

He also reflected on the high level of competition in the Big Ten, which regularly features future NBA talent.

“Every night you’re playing somebody that’s going to be a future NBA player, so it’s definitely a fun league to be in,” Johnson said.

Both players addressed head coach Mick Cronin’s ejection midway through the second half, acknowledging the challenge of staying focused under heightened emotions.

“We’ve got to have his back the same way he has our back,” Dailey said. “We tried a little bit, but we have to have more firepower than that earlier in the game as well. It starts from the turnovers. We need more deflections as well as a team.”

Johnson echoed Dailey’s sentiments, emphasizing the need to maintain composure.

“Of course, the whole arena is going to get involved when that moment happens, but we just have to try to stick together as a team as much as possible and finish that game as strong as possible,” Johnson said. “Coach unfortunately got kicked out, but we got to keep moving forward.”

As UCLA prepares to face Rutgers on Jan. 13, both players remain focused on improvement. Johnson summed up the team’s struggles with a simple, yet pointed observation:

“We’re still soft in a lot of areas, so we’ve got to be better.”

With a combination of grit, unity, and perspective, the Bruins aim to not only bounce back on the court but also to support one another through the challenges they face away from it.

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This article first appeared on UCLA Bruins on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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