UCLA guard Eric Dailey Jr. soared for alley-oop dunks and buried mid-range jumpers, putting on a performance that was impossible to ignore.
Following the Bruins’ 67–55 win over Maryland on Saturday, Gus Johnson rewarded Dailey by naming him to his weekly “GOT IT” team, an honor reserved for the player who most catches the FOX Sports play-by-play announcer’s eye.
“Young man from Florida had 15 points, to go along with nine rebounds,” Johnson said of Dailey. “Seems like he really got into a rhythm, especially in the second half.”
Dailey has scored in double digits in four of UCLA’s last five games, averaging 10.9 points per contest. The 6-foot-8 junior put up 15 points in the Bruins’ win over Maryland, helping the team snap a two-game losing streak.
“I just wanted to play with a lot of energy, get my team going,” Dailey said. “Just talking to help my team with rotations, and just be vocal, and be energetic. I just really wanted to bring a lot of energy to this game.”
Dailey leads UCLA in rebounding, averaging 5.9 boards per game, which is crucial in the physical Big Ten conference. UCLA head coach Mick Cronin has been encouraging Dailey to remain confident and aggressive.
“You can be aggressive in rebounding. You can be aggressive in blocking out. You can be aggressive in attacking the basket and getting fouled,” Dailey Jr. said.
With his energy, physicality and timely scoring down the stretch, Dailey gave UCLA exactly what it needed to seal the win — and exactly what caught Gus Johnson’s eye.
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