Coming off a year in which it went 15-17, lost the last five games, and went an unspeakable 0-3 against cross-town rival USC, there’s no doubt 2016-2017 feels like a make-or-break season for UCLA.
The pressure is everywhere, yet quite a bit is actually falling on the shoulders of a player who wasn’t around for a one of last season’s losses. That player is Lonzo Ball, a freshman point guard who doubles as the most heralded recruit the program has signed in years. Led by Ball, Chino Hills High School in California went 35-0 and the senior was named both a McDonald’s All-American and the Naismith National High School Player of the Year.
As a projected one-and-done player, it’s also why he faces an unfair burden, as both the face of the program, and also one that some view as somewhat of a savior.
Yet if you think Ball is stressed, think again.
“That’s not pressure to me,” Ball told FOXSports.com late this summer, as he adjusted to his first few weeks on UCLA’s campus. “That’s what I’ve done my whole life. Everybody looks up to me to lead the team and that’s what I’m here to do. There’s a reason they gave me a scholarship.”
He explained that UCLA’s successes and failures aren’t ultimately about him. Like any smart player, Ball knows that while the focus is on him, there’s plenty of other star-power on the roster.
“It’s not just me though [that has to fix things],” Ball said. “It’s the whole team. It’s up to us to bring the history [of winning] back.”
And that, is what every college hoops fan needs to know about Ball: He isn’t just a star, but one of the more humble, well-grounded and team-first stars that the sport has seen in years.
It’s a trait Ball has always had, dating back to his earliest days in the sport, ingrained by his father, LaVar Ball, a former NFL player.
“My dad put that in me,” Ball said. “When I pretty much started, he asked me what position I wanted to play, and I said ‘point guard.’ And he told me, ‘point guards aren’t judged by how many points they score. They’re judged on just wins and losses. So if you win the game you had a good game, if you lose the game you had a bad game.’ So ever since then, that’s how I play.”
That isn’t just talk from Ball … he practices what he preaches. Ball and his younger brothers (both of whom are committed to play at UCLA in coming years) made a name for themselves nationally last year, when they led Chino Hills to a state championship. In the process, Ball showed what a true team player and pass-first, point guard does. He averaged a triple-double as a senior. Thanks in large part to the nifty passing of his older brother, LiAngelo Ball (a senior this year) was the team’s leading scorer.
And it’s that unselfish nature that precedes Lonzo entering his freshman year at UCLA. He’s already being dubbed as one of the best passers to enter college basketball in years, a big – 6-foot-5 -- athletic, skilled floor-general, that many compare to a young Jason Kidd.
UCLA coach Steve Alford, who first offered Ball a scholarship when he was a sophomore in high school, raves about his point guard.
“Look at the McDonald’s game, you’re sitting there watching the TV like, ‘Are you ever going to shoot?’” Alford said recently with a laugh. “He took like three shots in the McDonald’s game. But he’s going to get 15 assists too, and then he’ll get rebounds, he’ll get steals. He’ll ignite things. But it’s because he understands how to play. He plays the game the right way.”
And it’s that reason --- Ball’s basketball IQ --- Alford is as excited to coach Ball as fans are to watch him play. It’s also why, beyond his transcendent natural skill, Ball is so important to the fate of this year’s UCLA squad.
Last year was a struggle for the Bruins, and a lot of it had to do with simple depth and inexperience. The Bruins have lost seven players total to the NBA over the last two years (including a handful of underclassmen), and 2015-2016 was when it caught up with them. The lack of depth forced younger players into the lineup before they were ready, and others had to play out of position.
Ball’s presence should ease the burden. It will allow senior guards Bryce Alford and Isaac Hamilton to play off the ball after being forced into playmaking roles last year. It should also allow guard Aaron Holiday to do what he does best, which is get out in transition and make shots.
“My hope is that we can get minutes for Issac and Bryce [down] from 37, 38 to 32, 33 and get more efficiency, but those guys get better looks,” Alford said. “Aaron is the same way, Aaron shot 40 percent from ‘3,’ you’ve got three guys who can really shoot the basketball, and you’ve got a guy like ‘Zo who can really play make.”
Add in fellow freshmen T.J. Leaf (a forward, and fellow a McDonald’s All-American) and center Ike Anigbogu (a Top 25 recruit) and it’s easy to see why optimism is so high.
It’s also easy to see that if UCLA is to reach its goals, it’ll come behind the leadership of Ball.
It’s something he’s been doing his entire life, according to a man who knows him best.
“We used to go these tournaments years ago,” LaVar Ball said from his home in Chino Hills. “Lonzo’s only in the fourth grade, and he’s playing against eighth graders, and everyone’s saying ‘there’s no way we even compete with this big team.’ And we run them into the ground. The score was like 80, 90 [points] to 40-50. He’s throwing full court passes, shooting threes. People were like ‘I’ve never seen this before.’”
The elder Ball paused, then continued.
“It’s going to be the same thing at UCLA.”
The season's nearly one month away! Get a behind-the-scenes look at the Bruins on @Snapchat.
— UCLA Basketball (@UCLAMBB) October 10, 2016
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