Having not won the NCAA Championship since 1994-95, the UCLA Bruins are desperate to be the ones lifting the championship again at the end of march madness. Having come close on numerous occasions since then they have never quite made it all the way. The goal of this legacy mode playthrough is to get them back in championship contention once again and taking Divison I basketball by storm. They have been near irrelevant in the title picture the last few seasons but things are now looking hopeful thanks to former 5 Star recruit Jimmie Webb transferring to his hometown UCLA where he grew up along with the majority of the team getting some very valuable years of NCAA experience under their belts. Below is a quick bio for each of the starting 5 for the beginning of the coming season. Will UCLA finally win their first NCAA National Championship in over 25 years, will they fall just short, or will they not come anywhere close at all. Only one way to find out.....
Starting at Point Guard will be junior, Nate Gentry. Nate is your average jack of all trades but master of none PG for the UCLA Bruins. Having sat at the end of the bench his freshman season with next to nothing in terms of playing time, he saw a considerable increase in his sophomore season as he became a valued part of the rotation. While he is by no means an All-American player, he has a very solid jump shot along with his surprising athleticism and playmaking abilities. His defending leaves a lot to be desired, however. We will see is Nate develops into a solid Division I PG over the upcoming season or whether other options will have to be tested for the future success of the team.
Starting at the Shooting Guard spot will be Senior Paulo Pessoa. After being recruited from Sao Paulo in Brazil, the incredibly promising 6 foot 9 lengthy guard has been a very large disappointment to the Bruins and its fanbase in his previous 3 seasons. Coming in an incredibly raw prospect much was expected of his development however he has fallen incredibly flat and shown no signs of being the potential NBA prospect many thought he would be. His length, height, and athleticism allow Paulo to be a solid defender however his offense is very inconsistent as it only involves unreliable jump shots and dunks. Due to no better options being available this season Paulo will be starting so we will see if he can finally redeem himself before he graduates.
At Small Forward and leading the team, we now have the former 5 Star recruit, Jimmie Webb. Having initially signed with the Duke Blue Devils and hoping for a one and done season, Jimmie soon found himself at the end of the bench not getting much playing time due to falling out of favor with the coach. His draft stock which was initially high drastically plummeted to the point where if Jimmie was to declare he would likely not even get in at the end of the second round. After that initial season, he decided to make the big choice of transferring back to his hometown team at UCLA. He grew up a Bruins fan having lived in the Los Angeles area with his family. With the Bruins struggling recently he knew that if he was to transfer anywhere to get playing time, it was going to be to play in front of his family and friends at UCLA. While Jimmie is considerably rusty having not played serious minutes since High-School and having sat out the previous season due to the NCAA rules, there is a high chance he will rise considerably and turn into one of the best players in the world of college basketball. Coach will be playing him max minutes along with Jimmie being the centrepiece of this Bruins team, all are hoping he will develop into the player that most scouts thought he would.
Holding down the Power Forward spot will be the incoming 4 Star recruit, Gilbert Gadson. Having grown up in a very poor neighborhood located in Inglewood, California, basketball has taken up the majority of Gilbert's young life as he saw it as an outlet to the daily struggles of living in poverty. Boasting an impressive body and skillset, Gilbert was highly recruited early on by UCLA scouts and is the most promising athlete they have had enter the program in a while. With great scoring abilities ranging from the paint to the 3 point line, the Bruins will be hoping Gilbert can develop the other areas of his game such as his rebounding and defense. While not looking like he will be a one and done, NBA draft potential is there down the line if he can develop into a dominant collegiate athlete for years to come.
Our starting Center for the season will be Junior Louie Cassell. Having earned a starting spot in his sophomore season due to his unique ability to stretch the floor at the 5 spot, he still has much on his game to work on. While he is 6 foot 10 and an impressive 260 lbs, His ability to score inside, along with defending is a huge liability. He provides space for Jimmie Webb to get to the basket due to his shooting skills, along with the body to grab a decent chunk of rebounds, he has a long way to go before being a center for a championship-contending team. The arrival of Jimmie Webb has however lit a spark in everyone on the roster so hopefully, we will see the entire team make some drastic improvements as the season goes on.
So now below I'll add below the first video of the series so I hope you enjoy
