Ryan Hollins, one of just a handful of two-sport athletes at
UCLA, is still weighing whether or not to compete in track and
field again this year.
Now the starting center for the men’s basketball team,
Hollins knows competing in the high jump and long jump again this
season would put him several months behind his basketball teammates
in the weight room. UCLA coach Ben Howland has continually stressed
that his players must get physically stronger, meaning Hollins
might have to add bulk to his slender 215-pound frame in order to
keep his starting job next season.
“The (weight room) is definitely an issue with
track,” Hollins said. “I know it conflicts.”
Hollins recently moved into the basketball starting lineup,
replacing fellow 7-foot sophomore Michael Fey. Assistant coach
Donny Daniels emphasized the need for Hollins to spend the
off-season in the weight room to be able to compete with other
massive centers in the Pac-10.
This leaves Hollins with an important decision to make after
basketball season is over.
Hollins, who placed sixth in the Pac-10 championship in the high
jump last year, says his main concern right now is helping the
basketball team make a late-season run at a tournament bid.
“Right now I’m really not worried about track,
I’m just focusing on the rest of the season,” he said.
“I’ll decide after the season, take some time off and
see where I am.”
But Howland’s emphasis on physical play and strong players
does not necessarily mean Hollins needs to quit track and field for
the weight room. Howland was quick to praise Hollins’s
performance this season, even during the team’s six-game
losing streak which ended Saturday night.
“He’s come a long way,” Howland said.
“Before he didn’t even want to lay a body on anybody to
get contact. He’s still learning.”
The fact that Hollins wasn’t a huge recruit coming out of
high school is in fact a positive for Howland, who considers the
players lower on national radar as the ones hungrier for success at
the collegiate level. But Howland clearly favors big bruising
bodies inside, and giving up his two-sport status might be a wise
decision for Hollins.