Sports are in full swing all year long – from the prep level to the professional ranks. Each Monday, Daily Bruin Sports will highlight a few moments from former UCLA greats over the past week.
Men’s golf: Patrick Cantlay
A former Bruin came up short in a three-hole playoff.
Patrick Cantlay – who played two seasons with UCLA men’s golf – finished as the runner-up to Scottie Scheffler in the Phoenix Open on Feb. 13 after the latter sunk a 25-foot birdie putt on the third playoff hole.
Cantlay – who shot a bogey-free 67 in the final round – finished the tournament at 16-under 268. The world No. 3 missed an 11-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole with a chance to clinch the win.
The 2021 FedEx Cup winner starred at UCLA from 2010 to 2012, winning multiple honors, including the Fred Haskins Award – awarded to most outstanding male collegiate golfer – and the Jack Nicklaus Award in 2011.
Besides his four tournament wins while donning the blue and gold, Cantlay also holds the all-time UCLA record for career scoring average at 70.8. The 29-year-old also holds the season record for most rounds in the 60s, with 17 such performances in the 2010-2011 season.
Men’s basketball: Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls
Zach LaVine returned from a knee injury to play in the NBA All-Star Game.
The former first-round draft pick out of UCLA missed the last three games for the Chicago Bulls leading up to NBA All-Star Weekend but elected to participate in his second All-Star Game Sunday.
LaVine, who is averaging 24.6 points per game for the Eastern Conference second-place Bulls, scored 12 points in his return to the court. The 26-year-old also participated in his third 3-point contest but was eliminated in the first round.
However, LaVine chose not to participate in this year’s Slam Dunk contest – an event he won in back-to-back years in 2015 and 2016.
LaVine came to UCLA out of Washington and called Westwood home for one year. During the 2013-2014 season, he was voted to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team while averaging 9.4 points per game.
Men’s basketball: Norman Powell, Los Angeles Clippers
An NBA champion’s season might be in jeopardy.
Norman Powell – who won an NBA title with the Toronto Raptors in 2019 – was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers on Feb. 4.
The former Bruin made an impact from the get-go, logging 28 points and four assists in his Clipper debut. However, less than two weeks later, Powell fractured a bone in his left foot and will be out indefinitely.
Unlike LaVine, Powell played at UCLA for four seasons, culminating in First-team All-Pac-12 honors his senior season in 2014-2015. During that final season with the Bruins, Powell averaged 16.4 points per game and 4.7 rebounds per game to lead the blue and gold to a second straight Sweet 16 appearance.