LOS ANGELES — When Jeff Kaufman caught his former player this past offseason, it wasn’t a sweet conversation, the Coronado High coach said. Sebastian Mack had been moping, arriving late to his therapy sessions for a lingering injury. With UCLA coming off its first losing season since 2016, Kaufman wanted to make sure Mack’s head was in the right spot. “I didn’t want to hear any of that nonsense,” Kaufman told the Southern California News Group. “‘Last year you guys didn’t win. … Go compete and be on that floor.’” The rehab process tested Mack’s spirit, but it was reinvigorated when UCLA began to add talent, specifically loading up at his position. The Bruins grabbed guards Skyy Clark and Dominick Harris out of the transfer portal and recruited Trent Perry and Eric Freeny. As noise built that Mack might be the odd man out, UCLA head coach Mick Cronin approached him with the intention of quieting said rumors. “People thought he should transfer,” Cronin said Wednesday, ‘I said, ‘That’s the last thing you should do. You should stay here, let me coach the hell out of you.’” “I was like, ‘Imma just rock with it,’” Mack added. He knew, however, this year wouldn’t be like the last. Not often do freshmen come into a place like UCLA and have the freedom to create as much offense for themselves as Mack did. His role this season, though, hasn’t exactly been diminished, rather, it’s more defined. And as much of this new-look Bruins roster tries to find its footing, Mack seems assured. He’s the first player to come off the bench, sometimes immediately, sometimes after an extended stretch. It hasn’t seemed to matter much. He stays ready. On Wednesday, he asserted himself with decisive drives, grinding his way to the free-throw line. He shot 15 for 16 from the line and had a team-high 21 points in the Bruins’ 84-70 victory over Idaho State. Mack benefitted, Cronin said, from teammates Eric Dailey Jr. and Tyler Bilodeau opening space on the floor with their perimeter shooting. Dailey hit a pair of 3-pointes in the first half and Bilodeau was 4 for 4 from behind the arc. He made consecutive 3-point shots down the stretch in the second half. Bilodeau had 20 points and Dailey added 16 and seven rebounds. The Bruins (4-1) were 20 for 74 from deep this season before Wednesday’s outburst. They forced just 12 turnovers out of the Bengals (2-4), but made up for it by shooting 9 for 14 (64.3%) from long range. Through the Bruins’ shooting woes, Cronin hasn’t shown much concern, instead citing the law of averages and expecting it would soon reset itself. He teaches his teams to practice winning without making shots, he says, because if you can do that, then when you make them, you win easy. UCLA did just that Wednesday, winning its third straight. And if the Bruins can get that type of offensive production from their frontcourt then victories will continue to pile up. “Those guys are valuable,” Cronin said about Bilodeau and Dailey. Cronin doesn’t view Bilodeau and Dailey as traditional “fours,” instead referring to them as “big guards.” As they tested their range on Wednesday, they showcased why. Cronin also said he wants to play those two alongside William Kyle III, but he hasn’t had the chance to deploy that lineup. According to Cronin, that’s not because of the team’s shooting struggles, but if that pair can stretch the court consistently that eventual lineup will be optimized. It will also continue to put Mack in a position to succeed. Mack might as well fit that “big guard” archetype, too, as the 6-foot-3 slasher plays well above his height. He’s a microwave scorer who pops off the bench with the energy of the Duracell bunny, inspiring teammates with his play on both sides of the ball. His offense helped the Bruins build a 28-point lead with 10:24 remaining before they reverted to selfish habits and let the Bengals slice the margin in half. 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Dylan Andrews returned from his left groin injury to log 12 minutes but looked a step slow and Cronin said, bluntly, he “wasn’t pleased at all” with his performance, specifically on defense. Dominick Harris (three minutes) and Aday Mara (two minutes) were each subbed out soon after checking in because of mindless turnovers. The Bruins might continue to cut their rotation as only two nonconference home games remain before UCLA’s first Big Ten matchup with Washington on Dec. 3. The next one comes Friday when the Bruins host Cal State Fullerton at 7 p.m.