Jason Harris lived in one state for the first 22 years of his life. But his father, Al Harris, lived in seven before he even graduated high school. Read more...
Photo: Graduate transfer linebacker Jason Harris spent his entire life living in Illinois before transferring to UCLA in June. Harris was previously a three-year starter at Illinois State, where he racked up 105 tackles and 5.5 sacks across 32 career games. (Tanmay Shankar/Assistant Photo editor)
When Germany found the back of the net seven times to beat Brazil in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Marcony Pimentel sat there crying. The junior midfielder for UCLA men’s soccer (6-9-3, 2-6-2 Pac-12) said he hadn’t cried for the Brazilian national team since he was a child. Read more...
Photo: Before arriving in Westwood for his first season with UCLA men’s soccer, junior midfielder Marcony Pimentel played soccer in two of the world’s largest soccer nations. Playing mostly on the streets in Brazil and then a formal academy setting in Germany, Pimentel learned about different aspects of the game from each nation, advancing his identity as a soccer player. (Kanishka Mehra/Assistant Photo editor, Nghi Nguyen/Daily Bruin).
Ten minutes before Monday’s practice, Mick Cronin was on his phone. The first-year UCLA men’s basketball coach wasn’t drawing up plays or calling five-star recruits – he was checking showtimes for “The Irishman” at the Regency Village Theatre in Westwood. Read more...
Photo: UCLA men’s basketball hired coach Mick Cronin in April, and he has only been able to go to the movies once since. Cronin has used his love for cinema to bond with his assistant coaches and confuse his players in practice. (Liz Ketcham/Photo editor)
Seven-year-old Hidetoshi Yoshihara stepped foot on the practice course to prepare for his first golf tournament. His 3-year-old sister, Yuki Yoshihara, accompanied him to the course and watched intently. Read more...
Photo: Senior Hidetoshi Yoshihara and freshman Yuki Yoshihara grew up playing golf in Japan, under the instruction of their father – a professional instructor. The siblings went to the same high school and, as of this fall, both compete for UCLA men’s and women’s golf, respectively.(Tanmay Shankar/Assistant Photo editor)
Bob Dean still remembers tailgating as a UCLA student in the 1980s. He and his friends would unload their easy-up tent, an ice chest and a couple of folding chairs at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Saturdays in the fall. Read more...
Photo: (Illustrations by Claire Sun, Kyle Icban, Cody Wilson, Jennie Wang; Design by Aileen Nguyen)
A handful of Bruins have a cultural connection to one another. “Talking to each other, sharing Polynesian experiences and culture, (Tongan sophomore defensive lineman Atonio Mafi) and the rest of the team has really shared that,” said freshman offensive lineman Duke Clemens. Read more...
Photo: Tongan sophomore defensive lineman Atonio Mafi is part of UCLA football’s group of Polynesian athletes. Mafi went to Tonga for his sophomore year of high school and speaks the island’s official language of Tongan. (Photo illustration by Tanmay Shankar/Assistant Photo editor)
It’s been over a decade since Rikus De Villiers made the journey to Pepperdine for his first season of collegiate tennis. But the now-UCLA men’s tennis assistant coach’s eventual trip from Malibu to Westwood wasn’t the longest leg of his journey. Read more...
Photo: UCLA men’s tennis assistant coach Rikus De Villiers grew up playing junior tennis in his native country of South Africa before making the journey to the U.S. to play collegiate tennis. As he climbed the junior ranks of his home nation, De Villiers was often expected to financially support his budding career on his own – one of many obstacles he faced as he strived to break into the professional level of the sport. (Liz Ketcham/Photo editor)
