How Trent Perry has found his confidence as a starter for UCLA

LOS ANGELES - In both basketball and life, being aggressive can serve you well and when opportunities present themselves, it serves you even more to take them.

That’s what UCLA sophomore guard Trent Perry has found out in the new role that’s been thrust upon him. With star senior guard Skyy Clark out with a hamstring injury, Perry has become regular starter for the Bruins, and he hasn’t disappointed. 

In the six games that Perry started he’s averaged 16.1 points, three assists and 3.7 rebounds per game while shooting 44% from the field. He most recently impressed with an 18 point performance against Northwestern while shooting 6-12 from the field. 

“I’m just trying to find a balance between being a facilitator and being a scorer. I’m able to do both on the floor… there’s some games where I’ve really got to shoot the ball. This game I was just trying to get my assists up a little bit and make plays and work on my decision making,” Perry said after UCLA's win over UC Riverside. 

Building Confidence

Finding his confidence has been the biggest game changer for Perry. Being put into an elevated role is a trial-by-fire that requires him to have that confidence. 

Still just in his sophomore season, there is clearly an abundance of faith from both Perry's teammates and his coaching staff to push him to that place.

Junior forward Eric Dailey Jr. has stood out as a mentor figure to Perry. With just one school year between them, Dailey Jr. knew first-hand what Perry was going through as a freshman and has been close by to guide him and he grows and takes on this starting position. 

“Last year was a little bit of a growing pain for me and I think Eric [Dailey Jr.], he’s like my big brother, he’s been pushing me, keeping my mindset correct and we talk a lot," Perry said after UCLA's win over Maryland. "He’ll always be telling me ‘freshman year is the hardest year of your college career’ so this year, I already went through it, I might as well get back to my original self. Stay confident and make shots."

Perry's confidence is something that's been fostered by UCLA head coach Mick Cronin as well, though in Cronin's own way.

He's seen what Perry is capable of through the recruiting process that brought Perry to UCLA in the first place and he's ore than willing to push Perry to show off what he can do and to take shots when they're presented to him, and sometimes when they're not. 

“I yell at guys when they don’t shoot the ball” Cronin said (via Sports Illustrated). “Let it fly man, it might go in. You’ve got to let it fly, you can’t be timid. The guys that you know have talent, you’ve got to empower them. They’re going to maybe take a few that they shouldn’t. There’s an art to coaching a scorer... You’ve got to try to make sure that they know you want them to be aggressive.”

A History of Winning Effort

Perry distinguishes himself, not only through his emerging scoring talent and growing confidence, but by his effort on the court. Nearly every game that Perry appears in he finds himself on the floor, scrambling for a ball. More often than not he wins those battles. 

Cronin attributes that winning drive to Perry's high school experience at Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles, where Perry won two state championships and was named both the Gatorade Player of the Year and California Mr. Basketball in 2024. Playing under Harvard-Westlake head coach Dave Rebibo, Perry was able to to absorb a mentality that awards winning and celebrates the kind of effort that Perry now shows as a Bruin. 

"The guy won a state championship and he went to a high school where they have a high standard," Cronin said of Perry's Harvard-Westlake upbringing. "If you can recruit guys that come from places where it's not about them and it's about winning, it helps. See, he [Perry] doesn't know any other way of playing the game. Even if say he wanted to, it wasn't gonna happen in his high school career."

Perry's Future Role

There's no clear timeline for Clark to return to the court, as Cronin confirmed after UCLA's win over Northwestern on Jan. 26. That means that Perry could be relied on for a while longer. He's proven everything that hints in his freshman year showed he could be and he's only building from here. 

The more that he accomplishes, the more confident he'll become. Still, it doesn't help to get a little extra encouragement from outside sources along the way.

“My parents and coaches, both of them, they’ve been preaching just staying confident. Things are going to come your way. Keep playing defense. Keep being enthusiastic and the offense will come,” Perry said (via UCLA Athletics).