UCLA Premiere reflects on Season while Junior Varsity Gears up for Playoffs
- Cole Schwartz
- Mar 7, 2018
- 2 min read
UCLA League Premiere were eliminated from Riot’s Collegiate Championship, ending with a final score of 4-2. The Bruins did not achieve the required 5-1 record to move onto the playoffs, but they were able to rival many collegiate veteran teams in the upper Western Conference despite a jungler role swap in the middle of the season.
Team Captain Austin “BestLucianAfrica” Quon said the season was an overall success with the new roster and revamped collegiate format. Quon added, “Even with the mid-season role swap, we managed to show that (UCLA is) a contender for one of the top spots in the western region of North American colleges."
The players also said that playing in the championship was a great experience which allowed them to bond as a team.
Curtis “XcOuNtEr sTr1kE” Xuan added, “I love how we became friends outside of League and hung out on a regular basis,” as team members ate lunch and dinner together. They also frequently trolled each other in custom games, where Ryan “Rydragon” Ling became infamous for his Shaco support play .
Freshman Ryan Ling also said, “I loved playing on the team this year because everyone was so friendly and helpful.” Ling and other members of the squad said they want to play for UCLA Premiere again next season because of their positive experience.
Though Premiere’s season is finished, UCLA League of Legends Junior Varsity playoffs in the Collegiate Starleague tournament are about to begin. The team’s regular season was exceptional, and they will enter playoffs with a perfect record of 7-0 to face other universities who won their respective conferences.
Coach Albert Lee said the team has reviewed VODs to find mistakes and target areas to improve in order to prepare for upcoming matches. “We've been focusing on improving communication as a team and working out shotcalling properly in game and making clean game plans,” Lee added.
Top Laner Nathan “Rebel Riven” March said the team has also been scrimming against UCLA Premiere to supplement their practice sessions. He added that their success in the regular season was a result of the team’s positivity and desire to improve during practice.
March also said that he is excited to play against more challenging teams in the playoffs. He added, “I am looking forward to playing any champs that I can hard carry with, no doubt I will be following [KZ] Khan for inspiration."
The Bruins JV team will play their first match of playoffs on March 17th against the University of Houston D team. Stay tuned for updates on their journey.
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