LOS ANGELES – They were on the other side of the equator, on the opposite end of the globe, an 18-hour time difference away.
UCLA’s basketball players were living a day ahead of everyone back home and still, despite the sort of distance that can be disorienting, the focus of the fans was sharp enough to suggest the team had never left Pauley Pavilion.
After all three games the Bruins played in August during a trip to Australia, a couple dozen people lingered to get an autograph from or a picture with Lonzo Ball.
Imagine what the reception will be like after the kid actually does something at UCLA, like make his college debut.