The ball came flying off the rim, and it appeared as if UCLA was going to lose the battle for the rebound.
Then, in an inspiring instant, Nikola Kusturica spotted an opening.
As a Cal Baptist player momentarily lost his handle along the baseline, the Bruins freshman forward sprinted over and dove onto the court before snatching the ball with his impossibly long arms.
“I like to be a hustle guy, always,” Kusturica would say later.
Still seated on the court, Kusturica flung a bounce pass on the wing to Jaylen Petty for a 3-pointer. When that shot was off the mark, there was Kusturica again, soaring to grab the offensive rebound while drawing a foul on a putback.
Recognizing a display of sustained effort that it rarely saw last season, the small crowd inside Pauley Pavilion showered Kusturica with applause.
It was a snapshot of the energy and determined rebounding the No. 22 Bruins unleashed Wednesday night during their 100-53 exhibition victory over the Lancers.
Much of it came from their 17-year-old Serbian star.
Providing a smorgasbord of highlights, Kusturica finished with 10 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 steals, 2 blocks and 0 turnovers in 24 minutes. In the category that his coach tracks most closely, he also logged 12 deflections, which include steals, blocks, tipped passes and loose balls gathered.
“He’s going to have games with 35 [points],” UCLA coach Mick Cronin said, “and he’s going to have games like tonight where he’s clearly a dominant player without making a lot of shots.”
Kusturica’s age is a bonus for the Bruins considering he’ll need to spend two seasons in college before becoming eligible for the 2028 NBA draft.
“You understand most people who are 17 are juniors in high school,” Cronin said with a chuckle. “I’m very thankful he put his faith in us to help further his development.”
Cronin described another sequence that illustrated Kusturica’s impact.
“They’re running a double screen where he’s guarding a 6-foot guy and we’re up 30 and he’s chasing that guy off the double like Kobe Bryant was chasing a guy from Spain off doubles in the Olympic games 20 years ago,” Cronin said. “It’s why he’s a special player.”
Late in the first half, Kusturica blocked a shot off the backboard, sparking a fastbreak that ended in a Petty lob to Eric Dailey Jr. for a dunk.
“How many guards are blocking shots off the glass, like, pounding them off the glass?” Cronin asked.
After another offseason of relentless work on his game, Dailey made 7-of-9 3-pointers while finishing with a game-high 25 points. Center Xavier Booker flirted with a double-double after getting eight points and nine rebounds, and freshman forward Joe Philon III – whom Cronin called “the steal of the recruiting class” – added 13 points and 7 rebounds off the bench.
While offense was rarely a problem for the Bruins last season, their rebounding and defense were constant sore spots.
What they showed Wednesday portended something different entirely.
The Bruins outrebounded Cal Baptist, 57-29, and held the Lancers to 29.5% shooting while piling up 13 steals and 5 blocks, pleasing their coach across the board. Cronin’s only gripe was his team’s shot selection, which he said needed to improve before its season opener against Arizona on Nov. 2.
“Our effort was tremendous, team attitude has been great,” Cronin said. “I look forward to coaching these guys every day because they’re very, very mature. They understand that coaching and teaching helps them be better players.”
Of course, having a unique talent like Kusturica helps.
