Seniors Jason Kapono and Ray Young saved the best for last.
Throughout his four years, Kapono has proven he could be a
staple of consistency, starting just about every game and almost
always scoring in double figures.
Young has proven he could be a flashy ““ if often
inconsistent ““ shooting guard who could play great defense in
crunch time.
But going into Saturday night’s regular-season finale,
neither had shown the leadership needed to make UCLA a contender;
the applause during pregame Senior Day ceremonies wasn’t the
raucous display that former Bruins Earl Watson and Matt Barnes
received.
But in their final home game, Kapono and Young took their games
to a new level. With the Bruins one half away from embarrassing
elimination, the senior tandem combined for 33 second-half points
to lead UCLA from down 10 at halftime to an 11-point victory over
Washington.
“We played confident and free,” Kapono said.
“Going into the last 20 minutes, we put it all out on the
floor.”
What changed the game for UCLA was a 20-2 run it made in the
middle of the second half. The streak spanned six minutes and
brought the team from losing 47-39 to giving them a 59-49 lead they
never relinquished.
During the run, Kapono nailed two three-pointers and Young added
five points.
“Knowing it was my last game at Pauley, I wanted to go out
in better fashion,” said Kapono, who scored only three points
in the first half but added 17 after the break.
Young also finished with 20 points, the fifth time he’s
scored at least 18 since taking over at point guard three weeks
ago. In that span, he saw a resurgence of his Bruin career that
many had already written off as a bust.
Coming out of St. Joseph Notre Dame High School in Oakland,
Young was a highly touted McDonald’s All-American who ““
along with Dan Gadzuric and JaRon Rush ““ was part of the No.
1 recruiting class in the nation in 1998.
But, until these past three weeks, he has never lived up to the
hype surrounding his game coming out of high school.
“I’ve just stopped worrying,” Young said.
“I’ve stopped putting so much pressure on
myself.”
So does Young wish he had another year of eligibility to
continue his great play at point guard?
“I’ve done my time. You can’t go back to the
past or worry about the future. You can’t stay here
forever,” he said.