UCLA coach DeSean Foster sat out the Sept. 14 loss to Indiana.
(Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press)
Foster said his team’s performance issues were due to players getting too excited and trying to do too much, especially early in the game. UCLA was outscored 34-7 in the first half. Coaches tried to rest players.
“Let the game come to you,” Foster said of his advice. “Don’t play out of place, you know what I mean? That’s really what we’re trying to get guys to calm down, because when we calm down, we can execute.”
Havili Kaufusi said that part of the problem is always bigger than it should be.
“These guys know how important every game is and they don’t want to mess it up for their teammates, they don’t want to mess it up for the coaching staff, because we know how much we’ve invested. We’ve got to do a better job as players of encouraging each other. We used to dream about these things when we were kids, like going out and having fun and just doing it, man, just playing for each other, I think that’s the most important thing.”
