When he passed up Arizona and five other high-major finalists to transfer from Kentucky to UCLA last April, Johnny Juzang became an early COVID-19 refugee of sorts. Juzang chose to ride out whatever happened next near his family’s San Fernando Valley home.
“It’s a crazy time in the world right now, and with this current pandemic, I think being close to home and close to family and friends is so important,” Juzang tweeted upon making his decision.
So far, it couldn’t have worked out much better for Juzang and the Bruins. Because while the pandemic is still with us, Juzang is with his people and on a team that, like Arizona, at least hasn’t had a single COVID-19-related interruption all season heading into the UA-UCLA game on Thursday at Pauley Pavilion.
“There’s definitely times where it’s like, ‘When is this thing gonna end?’ — everybody’s felt that,” Juzang said Tuesday when asked on UCLA’s Zoom conference how he’s handling the season like no other. “I like to stay active. Not everybody can go practice and play with their team but that’s something that’s really great for me.
“I’m able to do what I love .. and I can go see (family), spend time with them, and spend time with my girlfriend. It’s staying connected with people, honestly.”
At the same time, Juzang has helped the Bruins to a 14-5 record so far despite some significant non-virus-related personnel issues that include the loss of standout forward Chris Smith to an ACL injury on New Year’s Eve and the still-unresolved absence of big man Jalen Hill for personal reasons.
Juzang earned the Pac-12 Player of the Week award on Monday after scoring a combined 57 points between UCLA’s loss at Washington State and win at Washington, moving into even more of a comfort zone than he may have been in when he had 16 points on 5-for-10 shooting in the Bruins’ 81-76 win over Arizona last month at McKale Center.
UCLA coach Mick Cronin said Juzang still needs to draw more fouls and avoid rushing 3-pointers in some cases, but that he’s become a more confident shooter who hit 8 of 21 3s (38%) combined in Washington last weekend.
“Rick Pitino said this a long time ago, when I first got with him (at Louisville), that young players shoot a low percentage,” Cronin said. “I’m talking about a guy that can score. The more minutes you play, the more the game slows down and your shooting percentage is going to go up. That’s what you’ve witnessed with Johnny this year.”
At the same time, Juzang has bought into the defensive emphasis that Cronin is known for, saying he’s been working to improve both on and off the ball defensively.
The rare Cronin team that is more efficient offensively than defensively — which has also been the case with Sean Miller’s Wildcats this season — the Bruins have tightened up defensively in recent weeks.
Juzang is part of that, too.
“It’s just more being active … trying get to deflections and steals but also just trying to affect it,” Juzang said. “It may not be a crazy play but just being in the right positions to help your teammates can really affect how the other team plays their offense. I feel like I’ve learned a lot.”
Juzang’s rise has come at a time when UCLA may need it most. Having already fallen a game behind first-place USC in the Pac-12 race, the Bruins still have to make the Utah-Colorado trip, host USC and possibly make up a game with ascendant Oregon.
UCLA guard Tyger Campbell, left, shoots as Southern California forward Max Agbonkpolo defends during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
At the same time, they still don’t have Hill, their top reserve big man and second-leading active rebounder, with starting center Cody Riley is still not fully recovered from an ankle injury.
“I’m in contact with Jalen and he’s in contact with guys on our team,” Cronin said. “We’re just trying to make sure that he knows he has our love and support. That’s really where that’s at right now.”
After the Bruins made a remarkable turnaround last season to finish second in the Pac-12, all that has made for a bumpier ride this season, especially considering how much expectations rose in the offseason.
But there’s always that matter of perspective. At least the Bruins and Wildcats have not lost a single game because of their own COVID-19 testing or tracing protocols.
At least, as Juzang has found, they’re all able to do what they love.
“It’s a totally different scenario because of what we’re going through now,” Cronin said. “This year is so crazy. But you’re just happy to play every game.”
