University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Kobe Johnson, Dylan Andrews
Photo by: UCLA Athletics
Men's Basketball Looks Ahead to Big Ten Media Day in Chicago
October 01, 2024 | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES – UCLA head coach Mick Cronin, senior Kobe Johnson and junior Dylan Andrews will represent the UCLA men's basketball program at Big Ten Men's Basketball Media Day in Chicago on Thursday, Oct. 3.
Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men's Head Basketball Coach, enters his sixth season as the Bruins' head coach in 2024-25. Johnson heads into his senior season at UCLA after having spent the previous three seasons at the University of Southern California (USC). Andrews prepares for his third season in Westwood, having led the Bruins in scoring (12.9 ppg) and assists (3.7 apg) as a sophomore last season.
The Bruins enter the 2024-25 campaign with a 17-man roster, including eight returning student-athletes from last year's team. UCLA has added nine newcomers in the summer, including six transfer students and three freshmen (Trent Perry and Christian Horry from Harvard-Westlake School, and Eric Freeny from Corona Centennial High School).
Johnson, a 6-foot-6 guard from Milwaukee, Wis., excelled the past three years at USC. As a junior in 2023-24, he averaged 10.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.2 steals per game (through 31 contests). He was honored on the Pac-12 Conference's All-Defensive Team for the second straight year, ranked second in the league in steals per game (2.2) and finished 14th in the Pac-12 in assists per game (3.3).
Andrews, a 6-foot-2 guard from Gardena, Calif., finished his sophomore season as the Bruins' leading scorer (12.9 ppg), also tallying 2.2 rebounds per game and a team-leading 3.7 assists per contest. He averaged 35.2 minutes per game, which ranked third among all Pac-12 players in 2023-24. Andrews ranked No. 5 in the Pac-12 in assists per game (3.7) and was No. 6 in the league in assist-turnover ratio (1.92). He scored in double figures in 20 games, totaling at least 20 points in five contests.
Coverage of Thursday's Big Ten Men's Basketball Media Day will be available on Big Ten Network and the FOX Sports app, as well as the Big Ten Conference's social media channels. Panel discussions including a trio of head coaches will begin at 7 a.m. (PT), with Coach Cronin taking the stage at 7:40 a.m. (PT). Coach Cronin will be accompanied on stage during a panel discussion with Maryland head coach Kevin Willard and Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell.
In addition, breakout podium interview sessions will run from 10 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. (PT) on Thursday. Head coaches and selected student-athletes from all 18 men's basketball programs will rotate for 15-minute live interviews on the Big Ten Network set. These Big Ten Network interviews will run from approximately 9 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. (PT), with broadcasts available on BTN and the FOX Sports app.
Coach Cronin, along with Johnson and Andrews, are scheduled to join the Big Ten Network's studio set at 10:45 a.m. (PT) this Thursday.
The Bruins' 31-game regular-season schedule will begin on Monday, Nov. 4, as UCLA hosts Rider University in Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Game times have not yet been finalized.
Fans can catch an early look at UCLA's team in a home exhibition contest against Cal State L.A. on Wednesday, Oct. 30. The game time and broadcast details for UCLA's home exhibition game have not been finalized.
UCLA finished its 2023-24 campaign with a 16-17 overall record and a 10-10 mark in the Pac-12 Conference (fifth place, regular-season standings). The Bruins are looking to return to the NCAA Tournament after having made back-to-back Sweet 16 trips in 2022 and 2023 and having advanced from the First Four to the Final Four in 2021.
PRESEASON ALL-BIG TEN
The Big Ten Conference has unveiled its preseason all-league team, with Purdue junior guard Braden Smith secure the conference's preseason player of the year honors (as selected by a media panel).
Ten of the Big Ten's 18 teams are represented on the Preseason All-Big Ten Team. Purdue's Braden Smith is joined by Indiana's Oumar Ballo, Iowa's Payton Sandfort, Minnesota's Dawson Garcia, Ohio State's Bruce Thornton, Northwestern's Brooks Barnhizer, Oregon's Jackson Shelstad, Penn State's Ace Baldwin Jr., Rutgers' Dylan Harper, and Washington's Great Osobor.
Six members of the 2024-25 Preseason All-Big Ten Team earned All-Big Ten honors last season. The league's coaches named Smith to the First Team, while Baldwin, Barnhizer, Garcia, and Sandfort earned Third Team honors. Thornton was recognized as an honorable mention.
UCLA'S TICKET INFORMATION
Season ticket packages for UCLA's upcoming men's basketball season are now available. Fans can call (310) 206-5991 or email tickets@athletics.ucla.edu for more information. Single-game tickets for the team's non-conference home games will be available later this fall. For more information about tickets, call UCLA Athletic Sales & Service at (310) 206-5991 or via email at tickets@athletics.ucla.edu.
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