Thursday, March 6, 1997
M. HOOPS:
Toby Bailey contributes more than just scoring to UCLABy
Emmanuelle Ejercito
Daily Bruin Staff
Call it the curse of Arkansas. When the No. 9 UCLA men’s
basketball team travels to Seattle to play Washington tonight, odds
are that junior guard Toby Bailey will be on the receiving end of
taunts from the hostile Husky (16-9 overall, 9-7 Pac-10) crowd.
When the team is on the road, of all the players on the Bruin
roster, Bailey is the one who gets heckled the most. Last year at
Duke, rambunctious fans chanted "overrated" whenever Bailey touched
the ball.
There are other well-known Bruins such as Charles O’Bannon, J.R.
Henderson and Jelani McCoy. So why Bailey?
To find the answer, one need only look at one game: the 1995
NCAA championship game.
In the biggest college basketball game of the year, with the
help of live television, people are bound to notice a great
individual performance. And that’s what Bailey had.
As a true freshman, Bailey played 39 minutes and tied his career
high with 26 points (he scored the same amount in the previous West
Regional final against Connecticut). The 6-foot- 5-inch guard also
had nine rebounds, three assists and two steals. His efforts earned
him a spot on the Final Four all-tournament team.
It was his big numbers in the high-profile games that raised
people’s expectations.
"When I go to play at different schools, one of the things that
the crowd will say (is) something to the effect like ‘you’re not as
good as your freshman year’ or ‘that was one game  one fluke
game,’" Bailey said. "They say stuff like that, so it’s always in
the back of my head. It was tough, but then I just came to the
realization: I don’t know how they expect me to average 27 points a
game  that would be unheard of."
Throughout his sophomore season, Bailey believed that scoring
was the only way he could help the Bruins win. However, this season
has seen the maturation of Bailey. In fact, he has become the
epitome of a new Bruin attitude.
"Toby is kind of indicative of our entire team’s persona right
now," UCLA head coach Steve Lavin said. "His attitude of ‘whatever
it takes to help his team be successful’ is what everybody has on
this team right now, kind of like a collective ego.
"Toby, if he’s not helping us win with three-point shots, he’s
doing it by creating off the dribble … (or) he’s doing it with
his defense. He’s finding ways."
Perhaps the Duke fans should have been chanting "underrated"
instead.
"A lot of people don’t give credit to Toby as far as what he
brings to this team," senior forward O’Bannon said. "Toby is a very
good basketball player.
"What he brings to this team is his competitiveness. He’s our
second-best defensive stopper and what a lot of people don’t
realize is that he is leading our team in assists. He shares the
ball, he makes extremely good plays and good passes. A lot of
people just see his athleticism, his dunks and his three-point
shooting. But he brings more than that to our team."
Bailey has stepped up in whatever capacity the team requires.
Against USC two weeks ago, Bailey contributed 24 points Â
draining four threes in the process  to lift the Bruins
(19-7, 13-3) from an early first-half deficit. Bailey dished out 10
assists in Corvallis, helping the Bruins pull away from Oregon
State in the waning moments.
However, he doesn’t just contribute offensively. Bailey is one
of the best defenders on the team, and he proved it against Duke on
Feb. 23. The junior had the tough assignment of defending against
Trajan Langdon, Duke’s best scorer. But Bailey was up to the task,
holding Langdon scoreless in the first half.
"I’m happy with the fact that I’m playing without worrying about
my stats and I’m just out there trying to win," Bailey said.
"That’s the main thing that is on my mind."
Bailey’s metamorphosis was not just a mental one. While he had a
few spectacular games in terms of numbers his freshman year, Bailey
has refined his skills to make him into a consistent all-around
player.
One of the areas in which Bailey’s game has seen the most
improvement is the comfort he feels in playing the point guard
position.
Last year, with Cameron Dollar suffering from hand injuries,
Bailey was forced to start at point guard. Bailey did have a
season-high 10 assists against Stephen F. Austin when he recorded
UCLA’s second-ever triple-double, but he also had a season-high 12
turnovers against Washington last year.
This season, Bailey has decreased his turnovers and ranks eighth
in the Pac-10 with 4.6 assists per game.
"A lot of people thought that (playing the point) was going to
short-circuit him," Lavin said. "I believe that it was a real
blessing in disguise that he got to play point last year as well as
continuing to play point this year because it’s given him
confidence.
"It’s given him different looks as a point guard because you
have to think like a coach; you have to be aware of the other four
players on the floor, keeping them happy and sharing the sugar.
That makes him to me a more complete player."
Luckily for the Bruins, Bailey will be finding ways to help UCLA
win for one more season.
"I like Coach Lavin," Bailey said, explaining his reasons for
staying. "I’ve always wanted to finish my career at UCLA and get a
degree. I don’t really see any rush going into the NBA."
SUSIE MING HWA CHU/Daily Bruin
Junior Toby Bailey has matured from a streak shooter into a more
complete player.