Tuesday, January 14, 1997
OPINION:
UCLA squad shows they can still win if complete effort is
made
Mark Shapiro
On the surface, it looked embarrassing. The UCLA men’s
basketball team got its collective (read: large) ego handed to it,
neatly packaged in a 48-point loss to a team that had been their
whipping boy for some time.
Thursday’s loss to Stanford really could have been a harbinger
of doom for this campaign because every possible weakness the
Bruins had was exploited and every shot taken by the pundits was
justified.
First, lack of discipline. As they do over and over again, the
squad shot themselves in the foot with turnovers, committing 17 on
the night.
Second, lack of depth. With center Jelani McCoy on the bench,
Stanford big man Tim Young went for 10 points and 10 rebounds, many
of the uncontested variety, in the first half.
Third, lack of character. Many onlookers felt that once the
Bruins fell behind 17-1 at the outset, that they merely threw in
the towel. Credence is given to this assertion by the fact that
while the Bruins were down by 31 points at the half, the deficit
increased to the final gap of 48.
Fourth, lack of an outside threat. Without anybody to stretch
the defense at the perimeter, the Cardinal was able to pack in
around their 7-footer, effectively sealing off the middle.
OK, so the situation was an especially grim one, but it must be
kept in perspective. On a night that the Bruins came out flat,
their shortcomings were exacerbated by the fact that the Cardinal
squad was absolutely, unquestionably, totally and completely in the
zone.
Seriously, 15 three pointers? For a team like Kentucky, which
jacks up shot after shot, that might be believable. For Stanford,
it took a 47 percent shooting percentage from beyond the arc to
pull it off.
That really is an inhuman effort, considering the last time UCLA
had an effort like that was two years ago against Cal, when they
shot 50 percent.
To illustrate this proverbial "out of their gourd" play further,
just look to the scoring distribution for Stanford. On the evening,
their bench, including the waterboy and manager, went for 49
points, almost half the team’s output.
Against a team playing at this level, it would have taken a
legendary effort to win. For UCLA, those efforts are two years
removed and far away on the horizon.
With their game against Cal coming up, this really could have
signaled the end, but instead, the team showed why they will be a
force again, come March.
The answer is simple; defense. Suffocating, shoe-squeaking,
in-your-ear, smell the gum defense. Not the defense that allowed
Kansas and Stanford to run roughshod, but the style that then
assistant coach Steve Lavin employed on the way to the
championship.
That rigorous style which takes best advantage of the incredible
athleticism that the team possesses.
The Cal game manifested itself as the perfect representation of
this, as Cal was held to 30 percent shooting from the floor, and a
grand total of 18 field goals in the Bruin victory. Perhaps most
impressive, Golden Bear sharpshooter Ed Gray hit only nine field
goals on 28 attempts.
The overarching story in this game, including the defensive
effort, is simply the character showed by the team in coming back
from a debilitating loss to post a watershed victory.
The effort is apparent across the board. Instead of sulking,
McCoy took his benching like a man and came up with a solid effort
off the bench. Swingman Kris Johnson, who really has been like a
swinging door on defense at times, finally made amends by putting
21 points on the board. Most importantly, Charles O’Bannon and
Cameron Dollar carried themselves like true leaders, distributing
the ball and keying the defensive effort.
As a whole, the Bruins finally showed some poise and character.
They played like a team with a desire greater than impressing NBA
scouts and it showed.
The Stanford and Cal games were like night and day, and now,
with powerhouse Arizona coming to town this Saturday, the sun had
better keep shining.
Mark Shapiro is a third-year student who is the beat writer for
men’s tennis. Responses can be e-mailed to
mshapiro@media.ucla.edu.