The UCLA basketball program has finally reached a .500 record with 11 wins. Mick Cronin enabled his offense to start doing better which led to their third-straight win of the season. There were a lot of other factors that got them their groove but their ability to crash the boards has been special. After their win over Oregon, the Bruins head honcho gave a special praise to Lazar Stefanovic who apparently plays like Dennis Rodman, via Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times.
When Mick Cronin was being asked about Lazar Stefanovic, all he could do was drop the huge comparison.
“Dennis Rodman. His preparation is the best of any player I’ve ever coached from his diet to his sleep regimen. Ask him or his teammates about it. He literally tells guys when he walks in, ‘Lights out’ at certain times, so his discipline’s unreal,” he said.
When they went up against Oregon, Stefanovic accounted for 10 out of UCLA basketball's 36 total rebounds. He made sure to close out possessions but also battle for offensive boards to get the Bruins extra possessions down the stretch. In 32 minutes of playing time, he also notched 15 points. This got him a huge double-double for their 11th win of the season.
Stefanovic along with Dylan Andrews and Sebastian Mack combined for 52 out of 71 total points for the Bruins. They have finally gotten what works for them. Hopefully, their win streak gets extended after they face Stanford such that they could get a better chance of punching a ticket into March Madness.
UCLA basketball's Lazar Stefanovic and Dennis Rodman
Stefanovic has been UCLA basketball's Iron Man this season. He has played all 22 of their games and constantly delivered. Under Cronin's system, the 6-foot-7 guard is able to score 11 points on a 35.6% clip from all three levels of scoring. This leaves a lot to be desired in his offense but his defense is quite special. He currently grabs 5.9 rebounds per contest while also stealing the ball at least twice in every game.
These statistics are good but Rodman put up absurd numbers in college. With Southeastern Oklahoma State, The Wormm scored 25.7 points while grabbing 15.4 rebounds on a nightly basis. The caveat here is that Stefanovic is playing in a more talented squad in a more talented era as well. He was not given as much playing time and green light in the UCLA basketball program as Rodman did. Stefanovic might be as equally talented and have the same work ethic.
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