Ucla Unlocked: Maurice Jones-drew Hopes His Son Helps Put Bruins On Top

Maurice Jones-Drew will everlastingly beryllium etched into nan memories of nan Bruin faithful.

Whether it was his 322 rushing gait and five-touchdown capacity against Washington successful 2004.

Or his electrifying punt returns — boasting a career-average of 23.2 yards per return which ranks 2nd successful NCAA history.

Or his unanimous All-American action arsenic an all-purpose backmost and returner successful 2005.

The tailback captured nan hearts and eyes of everyone who watched.

And while nan existent procreation of Bruins ne'er saw nan three-time Pro Bowler play successful nan bluish and gold, they will spot nan aforesaid surname stitched connected nan backmost of a UCLA jersey successful 2027 pinch three-star enlistee Deuce Jones-Drew, who committed to his father’s alma mater connected May 3.

Despite Maurice’s affinity for nan spot he erstwhile called home, he hoped that his boy would not travel his footsteps to Southern California.

“I wanted to push him distant from UCLA arsenic overmuch arsenic imaginable because I wanted him to spell location because he wanted to spell there,” Maurice said. “I wasn’t really progressive successful nan recruitment arsenic overmuch because I wanted him to bask and spell done this process for illustration I did. I wanted him to spell to a schoolhouse that he wanted to spell to because it’s his shot career. It’s his life. It’s going to beryllium his journey, and I wanted him to consciousness comfortable wherever he went.”

So nan 2017 UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame inductee stuck to his word.

Deuce talked to each nan coaches. The 5-foot-8 De La Salle moving backmost visited different schools without his begetter to destruct immoderate bias aliases influence. He moreover drove down by himself from nan Bay area to Los Angeles for UCLA’s Junior Day.

And initially, it looked for illustration Deuce was going to enactment distant from his father’s alma mater aft the firing of caput coach DeShaun Foster and nan imaginable exit of moving backs coach AJ Steward.

But caller caput coach Bob Chesney retained Steward and nan moving backs coach encouraged Deuce to be Junior Day.

And soon aft Deuce visited UCLA, he knew wherever he wanted to play — truthful overmuch truthful that his parents had to extremity him from committing excessively early.

“Coach Chesney came successful and he really changed my mind connected what UCLA was, and coach Steward really was connected maine astir getting to field and experiencing what nan caller coaching unit was like,” Deuce Jones-Drew said. “I went location for nan Junior Day successful January and I fell successful love. I emotion what they judge successful and really they compete each time to beryllium nan champion type of themselves.”

Despite nan impulse to perpetrate connected nan spot, nan three-star imaginable heeded his parents proposal and took his last visits to nan different schools connected his list, which included California, Arizona and Utah.

And aft juxtaposing his experiences connected each his different visits to his acquisition successful Westwood, he had a clear decision.

“My parents ever taught maine to beryllium myself, and I knew that UCLA was nan champion schoolhouse for me, education-wise, and having my dada beryllium location and beryllium specified a awesome subordinate location arsenic well,” Deuce said. “I wanted to perpetrate erstwhile I went down location successful January, but I listened and waited, and I consciousness for illustration that was nan champion determination for me. To spell sojourn different schools and spot wherever UCLA stood connected my board, and they stood leaps and bounds supra Cal and Arizona.”

Throughout nan recruitment process, Maurice worried that it would beryllium easy for group to presume that his boy only sewage offered by UCLA because of his bequest location aliases that he pushed him to perpetrate to nan Bruins.

But contempt each of nan encouragement he gave his boy to not hastily prime UCLA, erstwhile Deuce made his committedness official, location was nary 1 much ecstatic.

“When he picked UCLA, I was excited. I don’t cognize what nan connection would be. It’s astir apt much than that,” Maurice Jones-Drew said. “But I was happy that he felt comfortable going location because these adjacent 3 4 years are wherever you’re going to make nan astir leaps and bounds going from a young man to a man, and to beryllium capable to prime a schoolhouse and consciousness nan aforesaid measurement that I felt erstwhile I picked UCLA, it was everything I thought it would be.”

Maurice besides noted that his boy has nan aforesaid opportunity he had erstwhile he committed to erstwhile UCLA caput coach Karl Dorrell successful 2002 — to move astir a struggling programme and create a long-lasting legacy.

But that would only beryllium imaginable pinch nan correct group astatine nan top.

And for Maurice, it felt correct pinch Chesney.

“We preach definite things successful our household, and Coach Chesney preaches and practices those things,” Maurice said. “Hearing Coach Chesney talk, proceeding each nan coaches talk, their spot staff, their training unit — everybody’s connected nan aforesaid page. It’s changeless communication. They person a scheme of really they operate, really they raise young men connected and disconnected nan field. It’s a awesome opportunity to spell to a spot that needs to beryllium put backmost wherever it needs to be.”

Above all, Maurice is looking guardant to being a fan.

“I cognize he’s a terrific player, he’s a awesome student and I’m excited to spot what he tin do,” Maurice said of his son. “I don’t cognize if I still person immoderate records, but if I do, I’m judge they’ll beryllium surgery by nan clip he’s retired of there. I can’t hold to watch him and cheer for him and emotion him up and hug him and do each nan worldly that dads get to do erstwhile they watch their boys.”

Time for nan Bruins to spell camping

UCLA preseason campy kicks disconnected connected Thursday connected nan UCLA campus. Chesney and his unit will lead nan Bruins done workouts astatine Great Park Sports Complex successful Irvine from Aug. 10-14. Many coaches opt to walk astatine slightest a fewer days distant from field during preseason workouts to beforehand much squad bonding. UCLA will footwear disconnected Chesney’s debut play astatine Cal connected Sept. 5.

Betts wins prestigious Honda Cup

UCLA halfway Lauren Betts shoots complete Duke’s Toby Fournier during an Elite Eight crippled successful Sacramento connected March 29.

(Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times)

Former UCLA All-American Lauren Betts earned 1 much grant to headdress her successful tally arsenic a Bruin.

Betts was named 2026 Honda Cup victor astatine nan Collegiate Women Sports awards past week, becoming nan seventh Bruin and 20th hoops subordinate to triumph nan apical grant successful assemblage women’s sports. Honda awards are presented to apical performers successful 12 NCAA sports and they compete for nan apical wide prize — nan Honda Cup.

Betts helped UCLA triumph its first women’s hoops NCAA nationalist championship, earning nan tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award. She led UCLA successful scoring (17.1) and rebounding (8.8) while averaging 27.7 minutes per game.

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Do you person a remark aliases thing you’d for illustration to spot successful a early UCLA newsletter? Email newsletters editor Houston Mitchell astatine houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter successful your inbox, click here.