plenty

UCLA had just put on a dazzling offensive display when a help-wanted sign went up in the postgame news conference.

The search for assistance came from a coach who knows his team can score but will need a lot better effort on the other side of the ball to get to where it wants to go this season.

“My biggest challenge with this team,” Mick Cronin said after the Bruins needed an epic scoring surge in the second half to post a relief of a 108-87 victory over Cal Poly, “is finding a guy or two or three that their mind is on defense.”

Nobody filled that role Friday night during a first half that led to scattered boos serenading the Bruins on their way to the locker room inside Pauley Pavilion.

UCLA was trailing by two points after putting in a low effort and playing just a sprinkling of defense against a mid-major team with a losing record from the Big West Conference.

The Cal Poly logo on the front of the opponents’ jerseys did not elicit the same sort of spirited effort the Bruins had given against more brand-name foes, continuing a troubling trend going back to the season opener.

“I definitely think that’s fair to say,” UCLA guard Skyy Clark said after notching a season-high 30 points while making six of 10 three-pointers and becoming the first Bruin in school history to make at least six three-pointers in back-to-back games. “That’s just something we gotta harp on as a team.”

The Bruins could exhale after going with a smaller lineup that produced 65 points in the second half, the most in a half by UCLA since it splurged for 66 in the second half against George Mason on Dec. 22, 1994.

But plenty of worries linger, most of them on the defensive end for a team that has given up an average of 78.2 points over its last six games.

This was another case of UCLA simply outgunning an opponent, the Bruins shooting 57.4% to Cal Poly’s 51% during a game in which defense was played only in spurts. How do the Bruins explain giving up 45 points in the first half?

“We’ve got too many guys who are conscientious objectors defensively,” Cronin said. “And if I can’t get those guys to quit protesting — they don’t say anything, but until they really believe that’s the way to win … ”

UCLA (9-3) prevailed only after Cronin went with a three-guard lineup, replacing center Xavier Booker with Jamar Brown to start the second half in an effort to combat the Mustangs’ drive-and-kick offense that stationed practically everyone behind the three-point line. With a more mobile lineup, the Bruins proceeded to go on a 15-0 run to transform a two-point deficit into a 60-47 lead, removing any doubt about the game’s outcome.

Clark continued his recent scoring spree and received plenty of help from forward Tyler Bilodeau (24 points and eight rebounds) and point guard Donovan Dent (16 points, 11 assists and five steals) as the Bruins notched a second consecutive victory.

UCLA guard Donovan Dent, center, dribbles past Cal Poly guards Guzman Vasilic, left, and Kieran Elliott to score during the second half Friday night.

(Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press)

Cayden Ward scored 21 points for Cal Poly (5-8), which had been given a 2% chance of winning, according to the metrics of basketball analyst Ken Pomeroy.

By the game’s midpoint, the possibility of a massive upset had crept uncomfortably upward for UCLA.

Giving up open shots as part of a lackluster defensive effort wasn’t nearly the worst of it for the Bruins.

Trent Perry twice fouled a three-point shooter, once prompting Cronin to yell, “Get over here!” after Perry sent Cayden Ward to the free-throw line for three shots. A new low came late in the first half when Brown fouled Hamad Mousa on a three-pointer that went in, Mousa making the free throw to complete a four-point play.

“Buddy, it’s the worst play in basketball, and I’ve gone literally years with that happening zero times,” Cronin said. “Nobody coaches that more than me. You are not allowed to foul a jump shooter if you play for me, never. Never. If you’re that close, that means the shot is contested. You could deduce that, right? So I don’t care if he makes it, he’s taking a contested shot. Jumping toward the guy, you’re going to land in his space.”

Brown was immediately replaced by Perry, whose defensive inattentiveness quickly reemerged when Ward beat him off the dribble for a one-handed dunk. Things improved considerably the rest of the way. Cronin said he continued to be pleased with Clark’s defense and was satisfied with the second-half effort of forward Eric Dailey Jr., who limited Mousa to only two of his 14 points after halftime.

Cronin suggested that he wanted this team to prioritize defense the way the Bruins did after halftime of their victory over Michigan State in the opening round of the 2021 NCAA tournament, which sparked a flurry of lockdown efforts leading to five consecutive wins.

“From that point on, it took a halfcourt shot to stop us from trying to win the title,” Cronin said, alluding to Jalen Suggs’ buzzer-beater in a national semifinal. “But if that wouldn’t have changed, we weren’t going anywhere, so you just keep trying to stay relentless with it.”

How does Cronin get his team to make that change?

“You play the guys who will do what you tell them to do,” Cronin said. “If you play guys who are conning you with their effort defensively, not only are you going to lose, then the other guys will start doing it because they think you’re a fraud because you’re playing them anyway.”

Applications are being accepted. The next opportunity to fill a heightened role comes Tuesday against UC Riverside.

Even though Visalia holds the title of being the oldest city in the San Joaquin Valley, it’s more likely a place you’ve passed through on your way to visit General Sherman or the infamous carved Tunnel Log. Many Angelenos don’t even know how to properly pronounce its name.

But Visalia (say it: vai-SAY-lee-uh) — a place long known as “the gateway to the Sequoias” for its proximity to Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks — is becoming a destination in its own right.

The 151-year-old Central Valley city has been working hard to shed its bucolic stereotypes and reinvent itself as a cosmopolitan oasis with hip boutiques, craft breweries and a revamped downtown. Changes started happening about five years ago when the Darling Hotel opened in the bones of the former 1930s Tulare County Courthouse annex. The Art Deco boutique hotel offers chic accommodations, catering to design-savvy travelers. Nowadays, downtown’s East Main Street, which plays host to tchotke-laden antique stores and patio dining, is a vibrant, walkable hub. At First Friday Downtown Art Walks, people can groove to a steady playlist of popular tunes thanks to a speaker system the city installed along the sidewalks. And although its Chinatown has been dismantled for years, many Chinese restaurants and a sizable Asian population remain, along with some of the community’s original Asian-inspired architecture along Main Street.

With farmlands nearby, farmers markets are held not once, but twice a week in Visalia’s downtown area, while local farms offer pick-your-own visits and plenty of restaurants make use of the local and seasonal produce at their disposal (seek out the honey glazed shrimp made with locally grown walnuts at Canton Restaurant as well as the berry pies and fruit preserves at the Vintage Press Restaurante).

Counterculture types will find respite at music and vintage store Velouria Records, cult film fans can catch free and low-cost screenings at the historic Visalia Fox Theater and paranormal-enthusiasts can chase spirits on ghost tours or late-night jaunts to the notoriously haunted Visalia Public Cemetery. There is even an extensive underground tunnel system — once used to operate gambling joints and opium dens — that still exists below downtown. Some people still find their way into them — those who aren’t deterred by massive spiders or trespassing charges, that is.

The city comes together for annual events, such as the twice-yearly downtown Wine Walk, the culinary extravaganza Taste of Visalia or the wintertime tradition Candy Cane Lane Parade, which celebrates its 79th anniversary this month. Also notable: Visalia became the first city in the United States to be designated a Certified Autism Destination in 2022, training at least 80% of its guest and public-facing staff in autism and sensory disorders.

As the city continues shucking its former reputation as a drive-by dot on the map, SoCal residents seeking a weekend escape only a few hours away would do well to take note. There is plenty of natural beauty to be found in the area, and one doesn’t have to drive into the higher elevations of the Southern Sierra Nevada Mountains to get some adventure time in. Rent a boat or a kayak at nearby Lake Kaweah, strap on a helmet and do some whitewater rafting in Three Rivers or wander through preserved wetlands that have been untouched for centuries.

It might not be the first place on your California vacation bucket list, but Visalia is worthy of a visit — and with its rapidly changing cityscape, will likely have more to offer with each passing year.

ORLANDO, Fla. — At the start of this offseason, the Dodgers signaled a willingness to be patient and methodical in building their roster for 2026.

At the start of this week’s MLB Winter Meetings, at least, the team arrives in Orlando having thus far remained true to form.

Compared to their whirlwind offseasons the past two winters, the Dodgers have been conspicuously quiet in the wake of their second consecutive World Series championship. Their only free-agent deal has been the re-signing of veteran infielder Miguel Rojas. Their only trade was a swap of minor-league pitchers with the Seattle Mariners. The biggest news, to this point, was their decision to non-tender reliever Evan Phillips (and they could very well wind up bringing him back).

Behind the scenes, there have been efforts for more, of course. The team came up short in pursuit of free-agent relievers Raisel Iglesias and Devin Williams. They have canvassed the trade market and laid potential groundwork for possible future moves.

But for now, exactly what their winter will hold remains a largely unanswered question.

And, in all likelihood, it could ultimately be dictated by whom they’re willing to part with as they go about re-shaping their roster.

All offseason, the trade market has looked like the Dodgers’ most logical path to upgrading their roster — the place they could most easily shore up their needs in the bullpen and outfield, while still avoiding having to add another long-term contract to their expensive and aging core.

There are targets galore to go after, too, from Brendan Donovan or Lars Nootbaar of the St. Louis Cardinals, to Jarren Duran or Wilyer Abreu of the Boston Red Sox, to potentially even bigger names like Cleveland’s Steven Kwan or Minnesota’s Byron Buxton (though the latter is reportedly unlikely to be dealt this offseason).

Oh, and as long as there remains even a slim chance of two-time Cy Young-winning pitching Tarik Skubal getting traded by the Detroit Tigers, you can bet the Dodgers will be monitoring that situation, too.

For president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and Co., the task will be trying to line up a trade package to pull off on any of those moves.

The Dodgers have plenty of chips to bring to the bargaining table, with ample young pitching depth and a minor-league farm system considered perhaps best in the sport. But balancing it all while finding value is still a challenge. Which is why, as trade rumors fly, don’t be surprised to see a potentially wide range of familiar names bandied about in such speculation.

The team’s most obvious trade bait, of course, remains their collection of young talent. They have a crop of highly-touted outfielder prospects they could potentially deal from, including Josue De Paula, Zyhir Hope, Eduardo Quintero and several others. They have a former top prospect in Dalton Rushing, who struggled through his rookie year but still possesses promising raw tools.

Most of all, they have plenty of young pitchers who could also help fetch a nice return, from ascendant minor-league prospect Jackson Ferris, to returning 2024 breakout rookies River Ryan and Gavin Stone, to potentially even more established big-league names like Justin Wrobleski (a natural starting pitcher who was stuck in more of a swingman role in the bullpen last year) and Emmet Sheehan (who is about at the same stage of his career that former top Dodgers prospect Ryan Pepiot was when he was dealt two winters ago).

The Dodgers, however, are still prioritizing the future. They want to go for a historic three-peat next season. But they also know, at some point in the coming years, they will need to cycle in a new generation of talent to maintain their championship window.

Thus, any young player traded now will come with a potential future cost.

Which could help explain why, in recent weeks, young players have not been the only ones caught up in trade rumors around the team.

Last month, ESPN cited one anonymous MLB executive who described Tyler Glasnow as a potential “sleeper name” on this year’s trade market. Last week, The Athletic reported that Teoscar Hernández’s name has come up in trade discussions, too.

Granted, the odds of either getting dealt appear low. And for now, they figure to remain key cogs in next year’s pursuit of another World Series title.

At the same time, however, they are also veterans approaching their mid-30s, with significant salaries due over the next several seasons. And if the Dodgers were to find deals to move them — either as a way to shore up other spots of the roster, or to offload money for a potential free-agent signing — it’s far from unfeasible that the club could pull the trigger.

After all, for a front office that is conscious of its roster’s advancing age, and trying to juggle both short- and long-term goals, such considerations reflect the wide net the Dodgers are believed to be casting this offseason; the kind of deliberate, exploratory mode they’ve been in while evaluating potential paths through this winter.

Perhaps this week, the team’s most serious pursuits will become clearer, as they meet with rival clubs during the league’s annual Winter Meetings at the Signia by Hilton here in Orlando.

But to this point, they are seemingly keeping their options open, content to engage in a slower winter pace as they continue to let both the free-agent and trade market develop around them.