LaVar Ball is back!
After going into relative hibernation over the past few days - maybe even a week - the outlandish father of Lonzo Ball told Clay Fowler of the Los Angeles Daily News that UCLA lost to Kentucky in the NCAA tournament because the Bruins had too many white players.
"Realistically, you can't win no championship with three white guys because the foot speed is too slow," he said. "I told Lonzo, 'One of these games you might need to go for 30 or 40 points.' It turned out that was the one game."
Presumably, the three white players LaVar was referring to are TJ Leaf, the Bruins' leading scorer and a projected first-round pick, Thomas Welsh, and Bryce Alford - the son of head coach Steve Alford. All three were key contributors on a UCLA squad that finished the season 31-5, and they combined for 39 points in the Sweet 16 loss to Kentucky.
There was another significant factor in why the Bruins fell short of the championship glory LaVar continually promised, however: Lonzo's hamstring.
"People thought he was giving up, but he popped his hamstring," LaVar said. "He said, 'I was trying to run, but my hamstring was pulled.' But he's never going to make excuses."
Lonzo never mentioned anything about an injury following the 86-75 defeat, but he did appear noticeably passive throughout the contest. He struggled mightily that night, finishing with 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting, while Kentucky counterpart De'Aaron Fox poured in a career-high 39 points to lead the Wildcats.
"You've got to kill him to get him off the court," LaVar said of his eldest son. "If you get in a bar fight and your eyeball gets knocked out, you can't go outside and say my eye's hurt. You got to go in there and fight with your eye hanging out. You never leave your brothers hanging on the court."
Lonzo declared for the NBA draft immediately after his NCAA tournament experience ended. He's expected to be a top-five selection come June.
