Bruins' Freshman Guard Quickly Adjusting To College Speed

The UCLA Bruins are introducing one of their few true freshman guards in Trent Perry to the college level in a big way. He spoke to the media on Tuesday discussing his first few games with the program.

Nov 15, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Trent Perry (1) dribbles the ball against Lehigh Mountain Hawks guard Cam Gillus (0) in the second half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The UCLA Bruins (3-1) have continued to grow throughout the early going of the season and so has freshman guard Trent Perry. In his first year of collegiate ball, Perry has been thrust into an important role as he continues to get big minutes early in his career.

Perry is averaging 19.8 minutes and averaging 5.5 points with 3.5 rebounds in the first four games of his career. Perry was a four-star recruit out of Harvard Westlake High School in West Covina, California. He is enjoying the work he is putting in and integrating with all of his new teammates.

"I feel like it's been very great, just been going day-by-day, getting adjusted to the college feel, also just coach [Mick] Cronin's system," Perry said. "We have a lot of new guys and we're still trying to figure each other out, but each day we're just getting better."

Through his first few weeks as a collegiate player, Perry has shown his ability to do multiple different things on the court at one time. He is an extremely physical player that Cronin loves on his team due to his tenacious effort and do-or-die attitude. He is a grinder and that is what the Bruins need.

"I'm just trying to impact winning as much as I can," Perry said. "Just playing defense, doing the little things, rebounding especially, and getting on the break. Also making sure everybody's getting their touches and getting involved."

The Bruins' only loss came in their second game of the season, being upset by New Mexico at a neutral site. The loss marked Perry's career-high eight points with three rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Perry has an optimistic outlook on the loss and how it will help the team going forward.

"We've been coming together," Perry said. "I think it's kind of good in a way that we lost very early, just because we know that we're not as good as we really think we are and we have a lot of work to do. I'm just glad that we've been able to push through it and also come together more as a team."

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