UCLA men’s basketball players Dylan Andrews and Kobe Johnson will represent the Bruins alongside head coach Mick Cronin at Big Ten Media Day, per the Big Ten. Big Ten Media Day for men’s basketball is scheduled to take place on Oct. 3, just over a month before the 2024-25 basketball season begins.
Andrews and Johnson are both representing the Bruins at Big Ten Media Day for the first time. Last year, Lazar Stefanovic and Adem Bona represented UCLA at the final Pac-12 Media Day for the Bruins. Bona has since gone on to get drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers. Stefanovic remains on the team, but will not accompany Cronin to the event.
Andrews is entering his third season with the Bruins and will represent UCLA at Big Ten Media Day after becoming a starter during his sophomore season. Last season, Andrews emerged as one of the team’s most consistent players and averaged 12.9 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. He had over 20 points in four of the Bruins’ last six games of the season and finished as the team’s leading scorer.
Johnson is in his first season with the Bruins after transferring to UCLA from USC. Johnson previously attended Pac-12 Media Day for the Trojans in 2023, so this is not his first time attending one of these events.
While Johnson is in his first season with the team, he is one of the few seniors on the team and a player that Cronin respects highly. Cronin previously has said that he sees defensive player of the year potential in Johnson, and clearly views him as a major factor for the team.
This will be UCLA’s first season playing basketball in the Big Ten, and an overall fresh start for the team after they finished 16-17 a season ago and failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. With new players like Johnson coming in, the Bruins are looking to rebound from last season and contend for a championship once again.
The Bruins begin the season on Nov. 4 when they host Rider. They will start Big Ten play when they take on Washington in December.
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