PAC-12 CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

March 13, 2024

Mick Cronin

Dylan Andrews

Adem Bona

UCLA Bruins

Postgame Press Conference

UCLA - 67, Oregon State - 57

MICK CRONIN: Congratulations to Oregon State. Extremely young team. Probably the youngest in the country. The only team we play younger than us. Their kids play hard. Wayne's a great guy. So congratulations on their season.

Obviously Dylan was unbelievable tonight -- 11-for-15, 31 points. So I tell these guys all the time that if you'll just play as hard as you can and work as hard as you can, results eventually come if you have talent.

So he and I have been on a journey all year to replace Tyger and figure out how he can be him instead of Tyger -- and just getting used to playing a lot of minutes. And he's gotten really comfortable in the last month, outside of the USC game -- was a tough night for all of us, me included. So we both had an off night that night. But other than that he's been great.

Our defense was excellent. And that was key to the game. You look really good when a guy gets 31 or more. It's a lot easier play calling. But I'll let you guys talk to them.

Q. Dylan, obviously Sebastian and Lazar didn't have their best game. Did you notice that and feel you had to carry the team tonight?

DYLAN ANDREWS: I wouldn't say "carry the team," but we're more focused on the defensive end of everything. So it was good to have the offense come, but our main focus was stopping Jordan Pope and Bilodeau. And I feel we did a pretty good job of that because those are two players that can get hot and streaky, and then can win the game for them. I feel we did a good job, and the offensive part just came by itself.

Q. Dylan, seemed like you had that match-up with Jordan Pope for most of the game. How tough of a match-up is he, and how do you think you did on him?

DYLAN ANDREWS: Jordan Pope, he's a great player. I have been playing against him when he was at Prolific Prep and I was at AZ Compass. So just to see that we're at the next level here playing is dope and a blessing.

All credit to him. He can really shoot. You've got to really be on him the whole entire time, so you don't know if he's going to drive it or step back and pull up. But I give credit to my team for sure just knowing that it's not one person guarding him. We have all five knowing that when he has the ball we've all got to be locked in.

Q. Adem, what were you seeing from Dylan? And did it become a priority for you to facilitate towards him just with the way he was playing offensively, especially in that second half?

ADEM BONA: No, I think we were just playing as a team, finding the open man, get them to kick it one more, if I'm not open in the post I pass it. If he's not open he passes it. It's just moving the ball and finding the open man and trying to get an open shot.

Q. Dylan, you talked about confidence kicking in to help you with the play the last couple of months. What else has gone into it? You probably put in extra work. What else has gone into the way you've played for two months now?

DYLAN ANDREWS: Just confidence is a big thing, I would say. And just my teammates. They talk to me every day in the locker room and stuff like that. And just knowing that they trust me and whatever decision I make, they're okay with that. That plays a big part as well.

And just knowing right now it's win or go home for us. I'm going to give my all the whole entire time.

Q. Dylan, when Mick talks about the process, the journey of not being Tyger and being yourself, what does that look like for you, when he describes that?

DYLAN ANDREWS: The journey of just not being Tyger, it's different being the point guard at UCLA. You're going to go through adversity. But Coach trusts me, my teammates trust me, and I trust them.

Q. This is the last of the Pac-12 era. Probably hasn't sunk in yet because you guys are still playing, but what about being part of the last Pac-12 Tournament?

ADEM BONA: I think it's really amazing because we play for a school that has a lot of history in the Pac-12. Representing the school for the last time and the last time we're ever going to play in the Pac-12 is really big. And we really want to leave our mark in the Pac-12 for the last time, so we're doing everything to carry on the school name.

Q. What have you seen out of Dylan that's kind of got into his rise these last couple of months?

MICK CRONIN: Just not giving up. All I ask him to do is continue to play as hard as you can and work as hard as you can. He referenced it a little bit, and I'm sure he didn't go all into the pressure of the situation he was put in this year. And let's be honest, I would have loved to have got more around him to make it easier on him -- some older guys. Nothing against anybody else. But that's the way it shook out as you know.

So I put him in a tough spot. But it's obviously, adversity creates opportunity, too. But some people wilt under it, as you know. There's a lot of guys that get drafted, number one. And they hand them the starting job as a quarterback and they don't last two years. You're talking a guy that grew up in Cincinnati. I saw some of that in the '80s and '90s.

So just because you get the opportunity -- it can crush you as well. So he's done a great job of just showing up every day because there's been some lows, for all of us, as you know. But he's shown a lot of character.

Q. (Indiscernible) shots (indiscernible)?

MICK CRONIN: I'll tell you this, you've just got to keep trying to go back to the things I say. I told you we were going to shoot a low percentage, in a nice way, before the season started. Young teams shoot a low percentage. Players shoot a higher percentage every year as they get older.

Now I want you to go back and look at Kobe Bryant's career. Giannis is shooting 60 percent this year. It's unbelievable.

It's just a reality. It takes a while to get yourself comfortable and get your feet wet. And nothing is 100 percent, but that's pretty strong what I just gave you. Young players shoot a low percentage, and as they gain experience.

But you're talking about technical tweaks? I try to work with him on taking his time. But you rush when you're young and jittery. That's the biggest thing he and I have worked on.

Q. The 4 spot tonight, you went back to the two centers at one point, but seemed like Brandon Williams had a more assertive second half?

MICK CRONIN: Much more assertive. We were struggling. Berke was out of it today. Tomorrow is another day. Aday was playing well. We had the lead; let's give it a shot.

Bilodeau was out, so didn't have to deal with him making 3s. I don't want to mess his name up, but No. 12 doesn't shoot it as well as Bilodeau. We don't practice hardly at all at this point.

But I mean it wasn't that long -- three minutes maybe, four minutes. But I think we might have stretched the lead out while they were in there.

You see Aday's journey. He scores, looks great in the second half.

College basketball is physical. I could sit there and say they were fouling him, but you could call a foul every play in the low post. He just fouled a guy, fouled a guy. He's got to get strong enough to deal with it. When he gets there, his skill level is awesome.

If you allow people to foul him he's going to struggle. I'm not saying I'm upset with the officiating; it's just the way college basketball; they're fouling every play in the low post. You're allowed to bang the guy to death. It's every game in every league. It's not just this league. It's just college basketball.

Q. Seems like Oregon State was trying to get switches to open up Jordan Pope. What did you make of Brandon and Will's and the whole team's ability --

MICK CRONIN: We did a decent job. He shook loose on a play, I'll have to see film. First half second Dylan hit him with the Wile E. Coyote, which way did he go? He was wide open. Somebody tried to switch, but it was too late.

But Wayne runs a million things for him. But if you need a set play, he's your guy. He got a lot of sets, a lot of plays. I love him. Wayne is a great guy. We've become friends. I'm going to miss playing against him.

Q. A few days ago you talked about the amount that you guys put on Adem offensively this year. And when Dylan's progressing like this, having games like this, what does it do to ease the load on Adem?

MICK CRONIN: Look, every game we play is our last if we don't win. Now, starting next week that will be for the whole country. So our best players are going to have to play well.

Lazar got going a little in the second half. We need to get more from him. I thought Will was gun shy. Sebastian obviously foul trouble, never got into the game. We're going to need all these guys to step up in different ways.

What I would tell you is don't underestimate this, guys. They added this stat to the stat sheet -- I don't know when; I'm getting old -- but Adem got fouled 10 times. That puts a lot of pressure on the defense. So that goes into why Dylan's so open.

I know he had a tough night with his turnovers but I throughout we threw him the ball in spots where we shouldn't have thrown him the ball. And he had that drive to start the game, and I think he thought he was going to be able to do that night.

I told him they're not going to -- any coach will say, go steal the ball when a 6'10" guy dribbles. But he got fouled 10 times. That's a strong statistic. When you can put that many fouls on your opponent, get your team that more closer to the bonus and get guys in foul trouble -- so even in a night where he gets 17 and six and he's still not at his best night.

I just really feel some day, with development, that the kid's going to be an unbelievable player when his skill and mind catches up to his effort and attitude and athleticism. He just needs time with it, which nobody wants to give anybody this day and age.