He was the last one in line to shake the hands of the Arizona
Wildcat players. As he passed each, one by one, he couldn’t
stop smiling.
Then there was the encounter. Then a handshake. Then a brief
embrace. Then Hall of Fame coach Lute Olson pulled UCLA guard Arron
Afflalo close to his face and whispered into Afflalo’s
ear.
“He looked at me. He said I’m a good player,”
said Afflalo, who had erupted out of his monthlong slump for a
career-high 27 points in Saturday’s victory over Arizona.
“By the way he said it, I knew it was heartfelt.”
The praise didn’t stop there.
While Afflalo fielded questions from reporters in one press
conference, Arizona’s Olson preached to reporters in another
about how his team needs to play 40 minutes of complete basketball.
But when asked about Afflalo’s complete game and how
he’s developed in just his second season, Olson paused and
then smiled.
“The funny thing is I thought he was their best player
last year,” Olson said. “Maybe he didn’t get the
headlines that some other people did, but when you look at his
total influence on the team, in terms of his defense, rebounding,
his toughness as well as his scoring, I’ve been a big fan of
his for both years. I think he’s very special
player.”
“He has a heart of a champion.”
After a nine-game stretch during which his offensive game was in
the slums, Afflalo finally is back. Well, that’s what UCLA
coach Ben Howland said.
“If anyone is still questioning he’s in a slump,
that’s over,” Howland said. “He’s
back.”
Yet when asked whether this game would turn the tide for him,
Afflalo was hesitant to say so.
“I wouldn’t call it (all the way) back,” said
Afflalo, who went 5-for-12 from the field.
Another possible reason for Afflalo’s success against the
Wildcats is the fact that he chose one route.
Instead of vacillating over whether to be aggressive or let the
game come to him, Afflalo attacked. He took it to the rim. He
pulled up confidently for the jumper. He let it fly from long
distance. He took it to the rim and got to the free-throw line,
making 13 of 16 free throws. There was no hesitation.
Howland alluded to another reason for Afflalo’s breakout
game.
“I want him to understand that taking those two days off
in a row and resting that body , and understanding that
there’s a diminishing return (is important),” he said.
“When you prepare for a marathon, you don’t run a
marathon every day five days prior to it. You don’t even run
one.
“It’s about taking care of your body, and
understanding and playing smart.”
While Afflalo did have a stellar offensive performance, he was
able to get his team involved by dishing out four assists in 35
minutes of play. That’s a trend that Howland is ecstatic
about.
“We’re still waiting, I’m going to stop the
game with a timeout the next time (Arron) jumpstops and he makes a
play for someone else on the jumpstop,” Howland said.
“We will stop the game. I will immediately call timeout. I
promise that. I’m going to call timeout and hug
him.”
It’s been a trying stretch for Afflalo, one that he wants
to forget soon.
And if Saturday’s game was any indication, then Afflalo is
returning to his old self.
“I just feel like I’m getting back to the things I
know how to do,” he said.