With a sudden burst, Donovan Dent accelerated toward the basket for a layup while absorbing contact that sent him tumbling to the baseline.
With an outstretched hand, Dent blocked a shot to trigger a fast break that he ended with his own long jumper.
With a flick of the wrist, Dent made almost every three-pointer he took.
Everything UCLA’s point guard did Tuesday during a roughly 80-minute summer workout open to reporters showed his ability to elevate his new team.
“It just changes things,” coach Mick Cronin said of having the veteran transfer from New Mexico, “and it makes life easier on his teammates.”
It could also quicken the pace of Bruins basketball.
Dent said part of Cronin’s recruiting pitch after he entered the transfer portal was playing faster, helping the team convert turnovers into transition points.
“He felt like I could fit right into that system and he just needed someone he could trust with the ball in their hand,” Dent said, “and I feel like that was what I could bring to the table. So we talked about that, we talked about playing a lot of pick and rolls, and he’s been doing that a lot in practice. So I’m excited to see what we’re gonna get going during the season.”
One of the primary beneficiaries of playing alongside Dent on Tuesday was small forward Eric Dailey Jr., who routinely found himself receiving passes that he turned into points. Almost everyone on the roster has had the joy of being set up for easy baskets depending on how the team is divided on a given day.
“I don’t have to work a lot on offense,” Dailey said of playing with Dent. “I can just cut, I can spot up, in transition I can run and be his finisher.”
Dent said his strong showing was preceded by a frustrating session Monday that drew Cronin’s wrath, something that was again on display a day later when the coach told forward Tyler Bilodeau that he would be playing in Uruguay if he didn’t learn to set a satisfactory screen.
“I got hollered at pretty bad,” Dent said, “because I would make some silly plays, sloppy turnovers. So I wanted to respond the right way and I think I did that today. So seeing it firsthand, being a part of it, I think it does nothing but better the players.”
Reducing mistakes will be an emphasis for the 6-foot-2 senior who averaged 20.4 points, 6.4 assists and 3.1 turnovers last season on the way to becoming the Mountain West Conference player of the year and an honorable mention All-American. Dent said his new teammates are still learning that they need to be ready to receive a pass at all times.
“I may not be looking at you,” Dent said, “but it might still come to you, so everyone’s starting to recognize that.”
Cronin said Dent’s shooting — the reason he was not recruited by any Pac-12 Conference schools coming out of Corona Centennial High — continued to improve after he made a career-high 40.9% of his three-pointers last season at New Mexico.
A faster offense is just one anticipated change with the season opener against Eastern Washington on Nov. 3 a little more than two months away. Bilodeau has moved from center to power forward and Dailey from power forward to small forward in moves that could help maximize their skills.
“I think I can get to the glass a little easier not fending off bigger guys, just space the floor more, can post up smaller four men,” the 6-9 Bilodeau said, “so I think it’s going to be good.”
Dent is one of five veteran transfers, joining redshirt senior center Steven Jamerson II, junior center Xavier Booker, redshirt senior guard Jamar Brown and redshirt senior forward Anthony Peoples Jr. Cronin identified Jamerson, a transfer from the University of San Diego who previously played for coach Steve Lavin, as “a huge steal for us” based on what he’s shown in summer workouts.
An early positive evaluation by assistant coach Darren Savino was supported by Cronin’s conversations with Saint Mary’s coach Randy Bennett, who regularly faced Jamerson in the West Coast Conference and called him the most underrated big man on the West Coast.
“He can screen, he can defend, he can rebound,” Cronin said. “And he’s got legitimate size — he’s every bit of 6-10.”
Jamerson showed good instincts around the basket Tuesday, something Booker is still learning as part of his transition from being more of a wing player during his two seasons at Michigan State. Playing alongside Dent will undoubtedly help in his bid to become more of a rim-running post player.
“We’re trying to figure out some stuff for lobs and all that,” Dent said, “but we’re getting it down a lot.”
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