UCLA basketball could hit the big-time against New Mexico with larger lineup

Having revealed his small-ball starting lineup, UCLA basketball coach Mick Cronin soon will have a decision to make when he wants to go big.

Does he go with the biggest guy on the team in Aday Mara, a 7-foot-3 sophomore whose intense offseason training should prevent all the huffing he did as a freshman?

Or does he opt for William Kyle III, a 6-foot-9 junior transfer who is trying to take a giant step up in competition after spending the last two seasons at South Dakota State?

That choice could come as soon as Friday evening when the Bruins face an opponent that started three players 6-foot-9 or taller.

“I would anticipate us needing to play bigger against high-major teams like New Mexico,” Cronin said Thursday, referencing the game between the No. 22 Bruins (1-0) and Lobos (1-0) in the Las Vegas Hoopfest at Lee’s Family Forum in Henderson, Nev.

Read more: No stars, just talent? UCLA basketball hopes an ensemble cast can put it back on top

Each big man has his selling points and drawbacks.

Kyle provides the more athletic option and was the first player off the bench during the Bruins’ season-opening victory over Rider. He’s a natural leaper who provided a taste of his defensive aptitude with three blocks to go with five rebounds in 11 minutes against the Broncs.

But Cronin suggested that Kyle needed to develop a nasty streak after the game, noting that he was too nice and should think less and be more assertive. The message appeared to be delivered given that Cronin said Kyle on Wednesday put together his best practice in a long time and was dominant with his rebounding.

Mara is a better passer and more refined scorer than Kyle. A constant lob threat, Mara could flourish in the pick and roll and has developed a variety of moves around the basket including jump hooks and drop steps. He matched Kyle with three blocks in the opener along with five points and two rebounds in nine minutes.

But even with his new and improved conditioning, Mara is far less agile than Kyle and susceptible to being beaten off the dribble by more athletic counterparts.

Both bigs could play a larger role Friday.

Unlike Rider, the Lobos feature a massive starting lineup, including 6-foot-10 center Nelly Junior Joseph alongside 6-foot-9 forwards Mustapha Amzil and Filip Borovicanin. Joseph was a force with 28 points and 16 rebounds during New Mexico’s 91-84 victory over Nicholls in which Amzil added his own double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds.

UCLA’s smaller options at the five spot include Tyler Bilodeau, a 6-foot-9 forward whose quickness and skill make him a matchup nightmare for traditional big men, and Eric Dailey Jr., a 6-foot-8 forward who has more of a wing player’s makeup but spent a considerable amount of time at the five last season at Oklahoma State. Bilodeau and Dailey got the starting nod in the opener, Cronin said, because they were currently better players than Kyle and Mara.

But Cronin said who starts isn’t nearly as important as how his team finishes.

“I view us right now as we have at least eight starters,” Cronin said, “so I can pick and choose who I’m going to start, but during the game they’re all going to play.”

Still adjusting

One newcomer fighting for minutes is redshirt senior Dominick Harris, a transfer from Loyola Marymount who was expected to add long-range shooting but barely played against Rider.

Not entering the game until there were 11 minutes, 59 seconds left and his team was holding a 22-point lead, Harris missed his only shot but finished with four rebounds and some active defense in 6 ½ minutes.

Cronin said Harris’ arrival relatively late in the summer after graduating from Loyola Marymount and the time required to learn the coach’s demanding defense were factors contributing to his lack of playing time.

“We’re extremely accountable defensively and that has been the biggest adjustment for him,” Cronin said. “But he’s trying.”

Etc.

Cronin said he considered himself part of New Mexico counterpart Richard Pitino’s family, having known Pitino since Cronin joined the staff of his father, Rick, at Louisville in 2001. Cronin helped Richard Pitino get his first coaching job at St. Andrew’s High outside Providence, R.I., while Pitino was attending college. Cronin might have done him a bigger favor covering for him with his father. “I told his dad he had a horrible headache,” Cronin said. “His dad’s calling doctors and I’m like [to Richard], ‘Dude, just be honest and tell your dad you’re hung over. … Your dad thinks you’ve got some weird disease, you’re hung over.’ He’s like, ‘I can’t tell him, I can’t tell him.’ ” … Cronin, on the idea to honor UCLA legends Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton with statues next to John Wooden’s outside Pauley Pavilion: “Behind the scenes, there’s a lot of push from their teammates and I’m right with them on all that. What you find in state schools, it’s unbelievably hard to get a wall painted, let alone a statue built.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.