For five years, the UCLA career of senior guard Ray Young has
been nothing but a bumpy roller coaster ride.
Last season he redshirted in an attempt to rebuild lost
confidence. Two years ago he was booed multiple times by the fans
for missing easy shots. He never lived up to his McDonald’s
All-American status even though he played in 63 games over his
first two seasons.
In last night’s 76-75 overtime victory over No. 18 Cal,
Young’s bumpy road smoothed out for 36 minutes. In that span,
he emerged as the leader UCLA has sought all season.
“Ray played very aggressive, and he didn’t give
up,” UCLA head coach Steve Lavin said. “He demonstrated
a good attitude, and we wanted to reward him for his
effort.”
Starting point guard Cedric Bozeman sat out with a shoulder
injury, and Young got a rare start over backup point guard Ryan
Walcott, creating a new look for UCLA.
It was the first time he played the point in his career, and he
did well. He scored 18 points, recorded four assists, and made two
three-pointers, a previous weakness.
“I told coach I didn’t mind playing point
guard,” Young said. “I did okay, but I still have a lot
of things to work on.”
In the overtime period, Young had an opportunity to win the game
with two free throws. A career 73 percent shooter, the Bruins were
in position to take the lead, but he missed both of them.
But Young, and the team, did not get discouraged under his
leadership.
Young directed the floor all night. He ran after loose balls and
calmed his teammates’ nerves.
With 13 minutes remaining in the second half, sophomores Andre
Patterson and Dijon Thompson fought for a rebound. The ball was
lost and Young made hand gestures, silently telling both to
communicate more.
Throughout the game, the team expected that attitude from
him.
“I thought Ray played as a senior,” Lavin said.
“As a senior he showed his leadership,” Walcott
added. “We believed in him and never gave up.”
Young wasn’t the crunch-time player, but he was a fighter
everyone listened to. After the game he was confident that he was
going to help his team win more games.
“Tomorrow I’ll get back in the gym and shoot some
free throws,” he said, “so when I’m in that
situation again, I’ll make them.”