The Riverside Press-Enterprise
Mcclendon is ready to contribute after injury
Will Mcclendon had to start a new pre-game ritual when he got to UCLA. One he had to endure every home game in Pauley Pavilion.
Mcclendon would gingerly trot out to the court in a full sweatsuit, sometimes with his hoodie on, and shoot around hours before tipoff. If a shot went in, the basketball might roll back to him. If he was off the mark, he’d have to carefully hobble for the rebound. The one-time 4-star high school recruit — ranked among one of the best guards in the country in the spring of 2021 — could barely get off the ground when he was shooting in pregame that same winter.
He could barely move. But he kept shooting with no lift from his legs. No fans. No atmosphere. No fun.
“I wanted to experience something even though I was hurt,” Mcclendon said. “So, shooting in Pauley (Pavilion) before games was important to me.”
Mcclendon, who enrolled from Bishop Gorman High in Las Vegas, tore his ACL on September 17, 2021, during a team workout. His freshman season was over before it even started. Less than two months later, the Bruins hosted top-ranked Villanova at Pauley in front of a sold-out crowd.
That’s when the FOMO set in, and Mcclendon’s long road to recovery began.
“It was hard not to be a part of great nights when Pauley was packed,” he said. “But it’s all part of my journey.”
It didn’t get easier way when the team traveled. UCLA made two trips to Las Vegas last season. Once to play Bellarmine and Gonzaga in November, and for the Pac-12 Tournament in March.
“Going to Las Vegas was really hard,” Mcclendon said. “I have a lot of family out there. Those were the toughest days.”
Even on the road, Mcclendon continued to get out to on the court early and carry out his pre-game routine. Though Mcclendon couldn’t lace up and compete, he began to envision himself playing in games.
“I think it helped me stay sane,” Mcclendon said with a chuckle.
You’d think most players would envision themselves hitting a game-winner with the clock winding down or thundering home a highlight-reel dunk on a fast break. Not Will Mcclendon.
“I really think about getting a steal, diving on the ground for a tie-up and the crowd going crazy,” he explained. “An energy play. It’s the kind of player I want to be, bringing the energy ... getting the crowd going.”
That team-first mentality could be what UCLA fans can expect from Mcclendon this year.
UCLA is expected to play a much more dynamic style of basketball with incoming freshmen like Amari Bailey, Adem Bona, Dylan Andrews and Abramo Canka.
The new names have received a lot of attention and Jaime Jaquez Jr., Jaylen Clark, Tyger Campbell and David Singleton return. The high-flying freshmen are like a new, shiny toy. Mcclendon has become an afterthought.
Mcclendon understands, but he certainly isn’t an afterthought to UCLA coach Mick Cronin.
“Will is a big shot maker,” Cronin said. “He’s also a combo guard. He can handle the ball. Good passer. He’s a plus guy. He doesn’t turn the ball over. He doesn’t play too fast. He’s a coach’s dream because he’s smart. He plays like an older guy.”
From injury to surgery, from rehab to getting back to the hardwood, Mcclendon found ways to focus on what he could experience, not what he couldn’t.
“I got to step back and observe college basketball in a different way, and I still got to experience March Madness,” Mcclendon said. “There was good and bad through this journey.”
Mcclendon has not yet been cleared for full-contact participation, which means he can’t play 5-on-5 or complete in game-like drills. But says he’s going full speed in everything else and feels good about being ready to play in the Bruins’ exhibition game against Concordia University Irvine on November 2 at home.
On that day, Mcclendon will have to come up with a new pre-game routine.