You might as well refer to the Pacers as the Indiana Bruins. Especially so in future years when former Bruins players Aaron Holiday, T.J. Leaf, and Ike Anigobgu take on larger roles on the team.
For now, they’re two 21-year-olds and a 19-year-old with goals to be in the NBA for the next decade.
Coach David Grace is one of the key individuals behind the scenes that helped land those three at UCLA, playing under head coach Steve Alford. (He also took the lead in the recruitment of 2017 Indiana Mr. Basketball North Central High School product Kris Wilkes playing at UCLA.)
Grace was at UCLA for five seasons and then took a job at Cal in mid-April.
Grace grew up in Maryland and the spent 20 years in the military. Since, he’s been out west coaching basketball – with stops at Sacramento State, San Francisco, Oregon, State, and UCLA before Cal.
On this podcast, I talk with Grace about those Bruins, from recruiting them to UCLA and what they need to do to take their games to another level.
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Topics Discussed:
- T.J. Leaf, his ties to Indiana, and what he needs to become
- His communication with NBA teams and scouts visiting practice
- Recruiting Aaron Holiday and what he’s like off the court
- How Holiday was a team player, backing up Lonzo Ball after starting his freshman season
- Ike Anigbogu as a teenager and what he could develop into — if healthy