OAKLAND “”mdash; It’s hard to believe that this Ryan
Hollins is the same person who played just four minutes in a
victory over Michigan in December.
Or that it’s the same person who scored zero points in 22
minutes in a loss to USC in February.
It’s so hard to believe because that Hollins was tentative
and unsure, while this one is confident, self-assured, and now, the
Oakland Regional’s Most Outstanding Player on a team headed to
Indianapolis and the Final Four.
The Bruin senior had 14 points and nine rebounds Saturday in
UCLA’s 50-45 victory over Memphis, a game that had to be the
high point of a career riddled with doubts, questions and
declarations of wasted potential.
And looking back on his four years in the program, Hollins has
learned one lesson that stands above the rest.
“Never give up,” he said. “If my teammates
don’t believe in me, if the media doesn’t believe in
me, if the coaches don’t believe in me, I’m going to
make them believe. Hopefully tonight shows that.”
There have been a number of times when Hollins has had few
believers. Blessed with a 7-foot frame and tremendous jumping
ability, he has often been viewed as a general disappointment.
Fellow senior Michael Fey started over Hollins last season, and
a groin injury sustained in warm-ups against Cal State Sacramento
on Dec. 23 kept Hollins out of the lineup for six straight games
this year.
He re-entered the starting lineup on Jan. 26, only to have the
spot snatched away for a game after his awful performance in the
Bruins’ loss to USC.
“He took a lot,” said senior forward Cedric Bozeman,
who has witnessed firsthand Hollins’ four-year development as
a player. “People get on big guys tremendously, being 7-foot.
People say if you’re 7-foot you should be able to do this and
that, and Ryan’s heard it all. It shows what kind of
character he has.”
In this year’s postseason, Hollins has been nothing short
of spectacular.
In seven postseason games, Hollins has scored 84 points on
30-for-38 shooting. That, for those of you calculating at home, is
a staggering 78.9 percent.
And for the Bruins, it’s his inside presence that makes
the team a legitimate national-title contender.
“He’s come a long way,” freshman point guard
Darren Collison said. “It’s unbelievable. At the
beginning of the year everybody was talking about (how) UCLA
doesn’t have an inside presence; and now he’s fulfilled
that presence. If he keeps playing like this, I don’t think
any team can stop us.
“He’s real hungry right now, and we’ve just
got to keep feeding him.”
Hollins established himself from the outset Thursday, scoring
nine of the Bruins’ first 14 points. He shredded Memphis
center Joey Dorsey, who was out of the game by the 16:24 mark in
the first half with two fouls.
Hollins was also key on the defensive end, rising up to
intercept an Antonio Anderson pass with just under a minute
remaining and his team clinging to a five-point lead to essentially
seal the victory for the underdog Bruins.
“Ryan Hollins played terrific today,” Howland said.
“He’s playing the best basketball of his career right
now.”
The only thing Hollins didn’t do well Saturday was shoot
free throws, as his abominable 2-for-11 from the line nearly cost
UCLA the game.
He made the second of his first two free-throw attempts, then
missed seven straight before finally connecting on his only other
make of the game with 8:44 left.
“I just knew we had to win that game or I would never
forgive myself,” Hollins said, adding that he will work a lot
on free throws this week whether or not Howland tells him to.
One can be certain that he will also reflect on how far he has
come.
Recruited by former UCLA coach Steve Lavin, Hollins has had to
endure the wrath of Howland ever since the former Pittsburgh coach
began his tenure in Westwood three years ago.
Oftentimes that has meant verbal tirades in practice and limited
playing time in games.
Bozeman said he had a talk with Hollins in the airport following
his terribly disappointing performance against Michigan way back in
December.
“I told him to stick in there,” Bozeman said.
“You’ve got some big games ahead of you.”
“Coach is not dumb,” Hollins said. “He’s
going to play the guys that he feels are the most successful to
win. Obviously I wasn’t (playing) that key of a role.
“In taking that, it wasn’t me angry at coach. It
was, “˜What can I prove to him to get on the
floor?'”
And Hollins has never relented.
He’s continued to work hard to prove himself, and though
there have been low points, it’s all worked out in the
end.
Going into next week’s Final Four, Hollins is more
confident in himself, and his teammates, in turn, are also more
confident in him.
“I can’t score without them,” Hollins said.
“I wouldn’t be where I am right now if it
weren”t for my teammates.”
“Man, there were times when coach didn’t know what
to do with him,” Bozeman said. "But he stuck to it, and now
he’s at this point where he’s getting it done."
You better believe it.