PHILADELPHIA – Jack Seidler watched the Tom Cruise movie “Jerry Maguire” growing up but had special incentive to rewatch it recently.
It might as well be him.
The UCLA walk-on guard has already earned that nickname from coach Mick Cronin because of his ambitions to become the latest Bruin basketball player-turned-sports agent.
If Seidler follows through on his plans, he’ll join a distinguished list that includes Bob Myers, Toby Bailey and Todd Ramasar. Myers went on to become general manager of the Golden State Warriors and has served on UCLA coaching search committees that landed Cronin and new football coach Bob Chesney.
“Just the network that has come through UCLA in that department is really unreal,” Seidler told the California Post on Friday night after UCLA’s 75-71 victory over Central Florida in the NCAA Tournament, “so I definitely plan to use that to the best of my ability.”
The agent route is one that makes sense for a senior who wants to stay in the game once his playing days end. A fan favorite over his four seasons, Seidler only appears at the end of blowout victories, usually after chants of “We want Jack!” from students inside Pauley Pavilion.
For his career, Seidler has appeared in 13 games, scoring one basket in each of the last two seasons. He might go down in crosstown rivalry lore for getting tangled up with USC’s Ezra Ausar near the end of the Bruins’ blowout victory over the Trojans earlier this month, the players earning offsetting Flagrant 1 fouls.
That sort of behavior is uncommon for someone who is the helpful type.
When UCLA teammate Skyy Clark dove on the court for a loose ball and took an inadvertent elbow to the mouth late in the game against UCF, chipping a tooth, Seidler left the bench to find the broken piece.
“20/20 vision,” Seidler joked afterward of being able to locate the tooth. “I ate my carrots.”
Seidler isn’t exactly sure of what comes next besides his devotion to a team that he hopes has a few weeks left in its season. Getting certified and joining a sports agency can wait a little longer.
“Just trying to finish out the season with a banner,” Seidler said, “and then we’ll go from there.”
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