LOS ANGELES — He apologized that day for disappointing his teammates, his coaches, an entire country. Among the three UCLA basketball players who made the solemn march into an interview room to stare into a phalanx of television cameras and speak about shoplifting from stores in China, Cody Riley went first, vowing to show he was worthy of the school that had embraced him through his darkest moment.
Over the next 4 1/2 years, Riley lived up to those words, creating a new set of enduring images. He pushed through injuries and stayed after practice for extra work, never letting the strain of it all show as he restored both his image and the Bruins’ brand.
A year after helping UCLA reach its first Final Four in more than a decade, Riley has decided to move on, forgoing one remaining season of college eligibility to begin the rest of his life.
