This is the fourth part of an ongoing summer basketball series, with a spotlight on the UCLA men’s basketball program. Stay tuned to uclabruins.com this summer for additional chapters about the Bruins.
Perry’s Progression
Look no further than Trent Perry for one of the Big Ten’s most substantial individual leaps last season.
Perry, who excelled at nearby Harvard-Westlake School, played modest minutes as a true freshman in 2024-25. A former McDonald’s All-America selection at Harvard-Westlake, he averaged 3.7 points and 1.7 rebounds across 32 games during his freshman campaign – averaging just over 11 minutes per game.
Fast forward to his sophomore season and Perry blossomed. He finished third on UCLA’s team in scoring (12.6 ppg), second in assists (97) and tied for second in steals (32, along with Skyy Clark).
“Trent will be in much more of a leadership role, obviously, this season,” Cronin said. “He’s ready for that. He’s a great player who has really gotten better. His development from year one to year two was tremendous. Trent is one of the most committed, hard-working players to his craft that I’ve ever had, and the same could be said for Eric Dailey.”
A dynamic scorer and with a much larger role last season, Perry’s shooting numbers flourished across the board. He shot 39.2 percent from 3-point range and barely trailed Bilodeau at the free throw line, sinking 133 of 155 attempts – an 85.8 clip. Move past UCLA’s first 11 games last season, and Perry shot a scorching 90.4 percent at the charity stripe over the final 25 contests (113 of 125).
The rising junior modestly chuckles when asked to explain his free throw success.
“Just trying to stick to the basics, sticking to my routine and trusting myself a lot,” Perry said. “Free throws are free, at the end of the day, so as long as you stay calm, stay poised and not worry about anything in the arena, you can have a high success rate. Coach always tells me to get fouled, so I’m trying to get to the free throw line three to four times per game.”
Perry identified ball handling and decision-making as his primary offseason areas of emphasis. His experience playing both on and off the ball alongside point guard Donovan Dent last season provided valuable growth opportunities. Dent emerged as one of the nation’s most productive facilitators, averaging 7.6 assists over 35 games and posting eye-popping numbers down the stretch. In mid-March, he tallied the fourth recorded triple-double in UCLA history, totaling 12 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists in a Big Ten Tournament win over Rutgers.
“Just learning from Donnie last year, how he carries himself as a point guard, as a leader, I want to apply those skills going into this season,” Perry said. “I want to be an extension of our coach on the court and be the energy guy for us this year.”
Echoing Dailey Jr.’s sentiments about roster continuity and staying loyal to UCLA, Perry remains grateful for the journey and some adversity he faced as a freshman.
“I can’t put into any real words to describe it, but I am very grateful,” Perry said. “A lot of people who may have gone through my first year, they would have transferred. That’s just the day and age we live in. I’m not sure many people would go that route. I’ll give you Jeremy Fears at Michigan State as a good example. He’s entering his fourth year at Michigan State. He is a true point guard and has a very good relationship with Coach Izzo, and I think I’ve got the same thing with Coach Cronin. I respect that. I have become very familiar with UCLA, with UCLA’s fans, really with everything here, and that allows me to be much more comfortable in my own skin, both as a player and as a person here at UCLA.”
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