Friday, March 7, 1997
MCCOY:
Sophomore center has become more calm, effective By Hye Kwon
Daily Bruin Staff
Last year as a freshman phenom, UCLA basketball player Jelani
McCoy set himself up perfectly for a sophomore jinx. It seemed that
no matter what he accomplished as a center for UCLA this year, his
freshman season could not be improved upon.
How in the world do you top a 67.6 percent field goal percentage
and 102 blocked shots (both UCLA records)? And what about becoming
the first Bruin ever to record a triple-double, tallying 15 points,
10 rebounds and 11 blocked shots against Maryland?
Try 78.1 percent shooting from the field  an amazing 125
makes out of 161 tries. McCoy, who has defined what it is to shoot
"a zero footer," would lead the nation in field goal percentage by
10 points if only he had five more made baskets. To qualify for the
record, a player needs to have five made baskets per game.
"He’s playing the best basketball of his career right now," UCLA
head coach Steve Lavin said. "He’s more mature and is playing at a
high level of intensity over a sustained amount of time."
According to his teammates, the 6-foot-10-inch center has made
great progress since the early going despite the fact that he’s now
scoring less.
"He’s real focused now," junior guard Toby Bailey said. "He has
the potential to take over a game and that’s what he’s starting to
do with his intensity. He’s blocking shots now, and running the
court."
As the Bruins finish up their season against Washington State on
Saturday at 1 p.m. and prepare themselves for the NCAA Tournament,
which begins next Thursday, McCoy’s presence will be crucial to the
team’s success.
However, if there’s one thing that hinders McCoy’s chances of
being on the court in crunch time, it’s his free throw percentage.
Currently, McCoy is shooting 40.7 percent from the charity stripe,
which would make hacking him a good strategy if an opposing team
finds itself down.
"I don’t even think about that," McCoy said. "It’s too late in
the season to start tripping on stuff like that. If I’m in the
game, I’m in the game. If I’m not, it’s coach’s decision.
"I can’t check myself in and out of the game. In those
situations, I just try to encourage my teammates from the bench and
not try to worry about that. I’m just trying to have more of a
business-like attitude."
Lavin contends that it’s this "business-like attitude" that has
allowed McCoy to develop from a trash-talking, highly emotional
freshman last year to a calmer, more effective player this
season.
"I’m just very pleased with his maturity as a person and his
ability to channel the emotions and adrenaline to help his game,"
Lavin said. "I love emotion, I love adrenaline, but it has to be
channeled in an effective way. So to concentrate on fundamentals,
to concentrate on running back on defense, to concentrate on
encouraging his teammates, and not just outward chest thumping and
screaming  that’s not efficient usage of energy and
emotions."
Although the 78.1 field goal percentage might lead you to think
otherwise, McCoy is not a one-track player who plants himself down
in the box. The center’s greatest attribute may be that he can run
the floor and pass the ball like a guard.
"He and Tim Duncan are the premier centers in the country, as
far as being that size, having the ability to run," Lavin said.
"He’s someone in the NBA who can step out and play three. Right now
he plays in the box because he’s big, but we’ve seen him step out
make some some great passes.
"The sky is the limit for his potential. He keeps blowing off
the ceiling on his ability. To me, there is no ceiling on where he
can go."
But McCoy is not ready to go anywhere yet. As far as next year
is concerned, he has already made his intentions known that he will
return to school. In the short run, he will concentrate his efforts
on erasing the bitter taste from his only tournament experience
last year.
"I know what this team can do," McCoy said. "We have one of the
most talented teams in America, and right now we’re just starting
to show that."
JUSTIN WARREN/Daily Bruin
Sophomore center Jelani McCoy, in action against Duke.