Everyone knows it’s Indy — The Indiana Pacers select UCLA’s Aaron Holiday in the 1st Round of the NBA Draft with the 23rd overall pick, giving them FOUR BRUINS on their roster; The Denver Nuggets grab UCLA’s Thomas Welsh in the 2nd Round
When the best player in your franchise’s history came from UCLA, you have a tendency to try to recapture that thunder. Perhaps that’s what’s going on in Indiana. The Pacers, whose fans still consider Bruin Reggie Miller to be a local legend, used their 1st Round pick in the 2018 NBA Draft to scoop up UCLA’s Aaron Holiday. Holiday, who was the 23rd overall pick, will back up fellow Bruin Darren Collison as the Indy Point Guard this coming season. He also joins former Bruin teammates T.J. Leaf and Ike Anigbogu, both of whom were selected by Indiana in last year’s draft. I don’t know if any NBA team has ever had 4 Bruins at once, but I doubt it.
I have been a Laker fan since they had Bruin Gail Goodrich (and Bruin Keith Erickson), except for when ex-trojan Nick Young infested the roster. But they jettisoned that hot dog last year when they added Bruin Lonzo Ball, allowing me to return to the Purple & Gold brigade. I will continue to pull for the Lakers, unless they give up Lonzo in their upcoming efforts to snag LeBron James, Paul George, and Kawhi Leonard. I would “understand,” as that trio would make them instant contenders, but it would still be unwise to let Lonzo go, as he could still be a once-in-a-generation game-changer, like he was in Westwood.
If Lonzo is traded away, I guess I would temporarily become a Pacer fan, rooting for their UCLA quartet. Hopefully, they will all be healthy, get a lot of playing time, and return the Pacers to the Playoffs. Meanwhile, in the Western Conference, I can root for the Denver Nuggets, who used the 58th overall pick to secure Bruin Center Thomas Welsh in the 2nd Round. Sure, there are a lot of other Bruins in the League, like All-Stars Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook, Jrue Holiday, plus Trevor Ariza, Luc Mbah a Moute, Norman Powell, Shabazz Muhammad, Zach Lavine, Arron Afflalo, and maybe even Travis Wear, but it’s especially fun to pull for the brand new guys, who just may explode onto the Pro scene, further cementing UCLA’s reputation for supplying The League with superior talent.
Across town, u$c had ZERO players selected in the 1st Round, and 2 picked in the 2nd. Surprisingly (to me), ex-trojan Point Guard Jordan McLaughlin did NOT get chosen, and neither did his trojan teammate Elijah Stewart. I’m sure the talented McLaughlin will make a Summer Team, and ultimately end up in the NBA. I just hope it’s not backing up Lonzo on the Lakers.
Here are 30 photos of the UCLA Dance Team Auditions, as I finally start to edit and share the 900 photos from that section of the event.
