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For UCLA’s Jalen Hill, a sport surrendered meant a crushing burden lifted

At his lowest moment, amid the sleepless nights and trouble keeping food down, Jalen Hill didn’t want to leave his room.

It was an agony he had never felt, different from all the previous inner turmoil. He had suffered from panic attacks since high school, withstood the humiliation of an international shoplifting scandal before he played his first game for UCLA, and acknowledged anxiety and depression that could be debilitating.

This was a burden borne of the weight he felt to succeed with the Bruins in his redshirt junior season. Hill tried to push through it, blunting the pain with alcoholic beverages after games.