UCLA Bruins coach Bob Chesney channels his own Curt Cignetti tease with Big Ten title plea
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UCLA Bruins coach Bob Chesney channels his own Curt Cignetti tease with Big Ten title plea originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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UCLA Bruins coach Bob Chesney knows that he has a lot of work to do to fix the football program. It has been at least 29 years (or longer) since the Bruins were relevant and Chesney recognizes it.
Although the Bruins have not showcased the progress the fans have hoped for, Chesney appeared at Saturday's 98-97 double-overtime men's basketball loss to the Indiana Hoosiers.
He then made sure to address the audience, channeling his own version of Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti from when he declared that the Ohio State Buckeyes, Michigan Wolverinesand the Purdue Boilermakers "sucks." Chesney didn't go that far by calling out the USC Trojans, Washington Huskies or Oregon Ducks as examples.
However, like Cignetti, he declared the Bruins would be part of this new, fresh era of Big Ten football success as the old-guard bluebloods eventually watch from a distance (easier said than done).
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"Thank you all,” Chesney told the Pauley Pavilion crowd. “It’s an honor to be here. I’m going to introduce you to some of our staff, the best staff in the world. Quick applause for these guys.”
Upon introducing his new regime, Chesney got right down to business. Immediate success is the top priority.
“I’ve been here for about a month now, and I’ve looked around, and there’s nothing average that I’ve seen about UCLA,” Chesney said. “There is nothing average. And I did not come here to be average. You did not come here. I want you to support this thing, understand what we’re building and understand that we’re about to win a Big Ten Championship."
Those are huge expectations, but considering it only took Cignetti two years to win a national title, anything is possible.
“This is the team of the future,” Chesney said. “That future starts now. Go Bruins.”
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In six months, Chesney will have a chance to build that foundation he has already spoken about.
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