I’d imagine this is kind of like watching your kids grow
up.
At first they’re pretty helpless, but you can’t
really hold it against them because they’re a part of
something new. They don’t understand things yet, they
haven’t learned, so you reserve judgment.
Then they go through those bad times, the times when you
can’t help but feel frustrated and question whether
they’re going to be okay.
And then, all of a sudden, something clicks, and they suddenly
get it. As a loving parent, you couldn’t be more proud.
Finally, they win their 18th game of the regular season, and you
just want to dance. But the time to dance won’t come for
another week, so you decide to reflect once again upon your
children’s development.
Such has been the dynamic between the Bruins and their fans for
the last two seasons, coach Ben Howland’s first two years in
Westwood. We have no real right to feel like parents, but we do. We
base a good deal of our happiness on how well the team is doing,
and right now, we feel pretty darn good.
But it wasn’t always that way, and though good parents
rightly choose to focus on the positives, they can’t help but
remember the sour times.
Like last year, when UCLA lost 14 of 16 games to end the regular
season. That streak was like the teenage years, that time when your
kid was running with the wrong crowd, making bad decisions, and
losing game after game after game.
In the team’s home finale last year, 8,486 people showed
up to see UCLA get pummeled, 75-60, by Notre Dame. It wasn’t
fun or exciting or even tolerable, and I’m sure it made many
people seriously question their decision to have kids.
There were the natural bumps of childhood this season, as well,
but now it seems pretty clear that these crazy kids are ready for
the real world. Things have changed immensely from last season to
this one, demonstrating a growth in ability and maturity that would
surely warm any parent’s heart.
“I think it’s everybody that’s really
changed,” senior Brian Morrison said. “Dijon (Thompson)
is a totally different player, Mike (Fey) has stepped it up.
Everything has changed. We’re just maturing and growing, and
that’s a part of life.”
Boos in last season’s loss to Notre Dame became a standing
ovation in the final minute of Saturday’s convincing victory
over Oregon. The loudest cheer undoubtedly came for Thompson, who
really embodies the growth UCLA basketball has made from last
season to this one.
It was apparent that Thompson always had the talent, but he
didn’t necessarily have the drive or the heart. Now he is
this team’s unquestioned leader, doing things, like
rebounding, that he never really bothered to do before. On
Saturday, even though he was having a relatively poor shooting
night, the senior finished with 12 rebounds and 10 points.
“I can’t say enough about Dijon Thompson,”
said Howland after Saturday’s game, tapping the table in
front of him for emphasis. “He has led this team to where we
are right now. I’m really, really proud of the great year
he’s had.”
Without Thompson, this team would have wallowed in mediocrity,
rather than growing into a source of immense pride.
“I knew that if I worked hard over the summer, I would be
a major contributor for this team and help take this team as far as
it could go,” Thompson said.
Between his junior and senior years, Thompson grew up. The UCLA
basketball program grew up with him. And Thompson has noticed the
transformation around Pauley Pavilion and campus.
“It’s changed a lot,” he said. “It
definitely feels good when you have that support behind you and
that energy. It makes the game fun.”
Even though freshmen Jordan Farmar, Arron Afflalo and Josh Shipp
have been critical to this team’s success, the parent-child
analogy for the last two seasons still holds. These freshmen have
experienced their own growth, but more importantly, they have been
a part of the team’s overall growth.
After Saturday’s win, Howland, more of a parent to this
team than any one of us, was discussing why the Bruins are playing
their best basketball at the end of the season.
“That’s usually what all good teams do, and I think
we’re a good team,” he said. “That’s what
you do, you continue to improve.”
When you grow up, a sense of pride swells in the hearts of those
who care. That’s a part of life.
Regan is a basketball columnist for the 2004-05 season.
E-mail Regan at dregan@media.ucla.edu