An inspired performance from several seldom-used backups has
convinced UCLA coach Ben Howland that he should not be so hesitant
to call upon his bench.
Howland, who typically has utilized no more than an eight-man
rotation this season, played all 10 healthy scholarship players in
Saturday’s victory over Washington. Steady play from point
guard Ryan Walcott, stifling defense from shooting guard Jon
Crispin, and timely scoring from center Michael Fey helped spark
UCLA to its first victory in nearly a month.
“Our bench gave us a great lift,” Howland said.
“In years past, I’ve played only seven or eight guys,
but we’re going to follow this formula the rest of the
way.”
Sheer desperation to get back in the win column has motivated
Howland to employ a number of different strategies recently in
hopes that one might jump start the season.
He brought back Brian Morrison for the USC game before his
hamstring injury had fully healed; he ditched his trademark
man-to-man defense in favor of a 2-3 zone against St. John’s;
he benched Dijon Thompson prior to Thursday’s loss to
Washington State only to have to insert him back into the lineup
when Morrison sprained his ankle.
Howland said his latest tactical shift dawned on him Friday as
he perused UCLA’s season stats and noticed all five Bruin
starters average more than 30 minutes per game. Logging all those
minutes, Howland believes, has taken its toll on the Bruins,
particularly over the course of their six-game losing streak.
“I got to thinking last night, if we’re going to
play our best, our starters have to play less minutes,”
Howland said. “It was my fault for playing those guys so many
minutes against Washington State (Thursday).”
Rubin and Fey played the most minutes off the bench, but it was
Walcott who made the biggest impact. Six of his season-high eight
points came during a 10-0 second-half run that ended with UCLA
holding a 57-47 lead.
But more impressive than Walcott’s scoring prowess was how
calmly he handled Washington’s man-to-man defense in relief
of starter Cedric Bozeman. Last month in Seattle, Walcott
floundered in the face of full court pressure, but Saturday he
stood tall. He did not turn the ball over in 12 minutes of play and
made a pair of nifty assists.
“The last Washington game was one of the worst games that
I can remember having,” Walcott said. “Hopefully this
will be a turning point for me and the team.”
Howland launched into praise of all of his backups after the
game, calling their performance one of the keys to the victory.
“They seized the opportunity,” Howland said.
“They definitely deserve the chance to play again.”