Darren Collison has a lot to live up to this year as
UCLA’s starting point guard. The speedy, six-foot sophomore
will be taking over the position after former teammate Jordan
Farmar left the Bruins to play in the NBA for the Los Angeles
Lakers. However, Collison greets the job with open arms, knowing
that he is capable of controlling the tempo of the Bruins’
offense and successfully breaking down the opposition on defense.
“He’s more than ready,” junior guard Arron
Afflalo said. “He’s the perfect candidate to fill that
void for us.” Perhaps the biggest area of concern for the
coaching staff after Collison’s freshman season was his shot
and his ability to control the ball. Realizing his responsibility,
the Rancho Cucamonga native took matters into his own hands during
the offseason. “I gained a little weight and did everything
the coaches asked me to do this offseason,” Collison said.
“I’m improving my handles, working on getting my
dribble low, and I tried to improve on my jump shot.”
Although Collison’s predecessor left for the Lakers, where he
is averaging 9.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in the preseason thus far,
Farmar has not cut off contact with the sophomore, giving him sound
advice. “(Jordan) told me, “˜It’s your team now,
you have to be more vocal, be more of a leader,'”
Collison said. Coach Ben Howland has also noticed a significant
change in Collison’s composure and his determination to
improve facets of his game that were in question after last season.
Howland, entering his third year in the position, thus has high
expectations for the Bruins’ new starting point guard going
into the season. “He’s poised to have a very good
year,” Howland said. “There’s no question:
He’s one of our top players.”
BACKUP IN THE AIR: With the loss of Farmar, the
Bruins are also in need of a backup point guard. As of now, it
appears that Howland will turn to either Afflalo, who played backup
for Farmar during their freshman season two years ago, or one of
two freshmen point guards ““ Mustafa Abdul-Hamid and Russell
Westbrook. “We’re going to look at Russell
Westbrook,” Howland said. “I think Russell can do the
job defensively. It’s whether or not he can handle the load
taking care of the ball. “Mustafa will also be playing a lot
of point during practices.”
MATA UPDATE: Junior center Lorenzo Mata
successfully underwent arthroscopic surgery last Thursday and is
currently in the recovery process of the procedure. Mata’s
medial meniscus, which was operated on June 16, was found intact,
but cartilage fragments found in his knee were removed during the
most recent operation. Though he was previously scheduled to be out
for three to six weeks, the new time frame for recovery is four to
five weeks. “We are happy with the outcome of the surgery and
look forward to his complete and full recovery,” Howland
said. “He is a very important part of our team and we will
take a conservative approach in bringing him back. Once we get him
back, we want him back for good.”