Arron Afflalo isn’t your stereotypical leader. He’s
not going to be the guy barking orders on the court, telling
everybody what to do. He’s not going to get his teammates
keyed up with stirring, inspirational speeches. But as each game
goes by for the UCLA basketball team, it becomes increasingly clear
that the Bruins are Afflalo’s team. “A lot of people
think leaders have to be overly outspoken, have all the attention,
everybody always has to look to them,” Afflalo said.
“Throughout my life, I’ve always been a leader, but
I’ve always been the type to lead by example and to always
bring my teammates with me.” That approach has been as
effective as any other across the nation this season.
Afflalo’s steady workout regimen, daily preparation and study
of the game, and consistent drive on both ends of the court is the
blueprint for the rest of the team to follow. “He’s a
competitor,” sophomore point guard Darren Collison said.
“He’s the veteran, he’s the captain, he deserves
to say that (this is his team).” Off the court, Afflalo is a
completely different person from the one on the court. In the
infrequent moments when Afflalo is not doing something
basketball-related, he is more laid-back and relaxed and keeps to
himself. “I’m not Mr.
Come-and-hang-out-with-me-every-two-minutes,” Afflalo said.
On the court it’s a different story though. All of the
enthusiasm, excitement and focus is reserved for game time.
“All that work, everything you do is for that little 40
minutes, for that one play,” Afflalo said. “I’m
just so focused and I want to cherish each moment.”
An Analytical Mind When you mix in Afflalo’s undying love
for the game of basketball with his drive and his intellect, you
can understand why he has been so successful, and why he and coach
Ben Howland, another preparation junkie, have been able to work
together so well. When Afflalo watches a basketball game, he
isn’t watching for the spectacular dunks or the athletic
moves to the basket. And there doesn’t have to be any rooting
interest involved. It’s all about analyzing what is happening
and learning through visualization about the different ways the
game is played. “I’m just a fan of the game,”
Afflalo said. “I watch oldies games, new games, high school
games, women’s games, just to pick up every little thing I
can. I even watch the top players in other sports just to see how
their minds work so I can translate that to my sport.” And
that is what makes Afflalo a successful leader on the court.
Virtually everything he does revolves around basketball. It’s
been his one obsession and driving force ever since he was a little
kid. He has learned to make workouts, interviews and drills fun
because he knows they will all contribute to his future success in
the game. As a result, the junior always seems to be a step ahead
of everyone else. “Even the way he handles interviews ““
he kind of anticipates what everybody is going to ask him,”
Afflalo’s father, Benjamin Afflalo, said. “It’s
the same in the games.”
The Shot Just two weeks ago, Afflalo confronted a stunning
reality. His Bruins were not immune to the taste of defeat. It was
a tough loss for the whole team, but for Afflalo, it was especially
painful. “Going undefeated happens every few decades,”
Afflalo said. “Every year there’s a champion and
although that’s very special and historic, there’s
something even more historic about going undefeated. To see that
slip really hurt.” But it wasn’t just the burden of the
loss that was weighing on Afflalo. It was the fact that as the
leader of the team, he didn’t have a chance to impact the
game when it mattered the most. “After that game, I just felt
like I didn’t present myself like I needed to in order to put
my team in the best position to win that game,” Afflalo said.
“I feel, because of my experience, that if we’re going
to lose, I want to have something to do with it.” Howland
blamed himself for not giving the junior guard a chance to take the
last shot in the Oregon game and thought Afflalo was being too hard
on himself. “Big-time players make big-time shots,”
Howland said. “(Oregon) was my fault, not his fault.”
Fast forward a week as the Bruins took on their crosstown rivals
for the first time ever in the Galen Center. It was a game that was
jarringly similar to the Oregon game for Afflalo and the rest of
the team. But with the Bruins down one point with a chance to win
the game, this time the nation saw Afflalo’s words spring to
action. Afflalo made sure he got the ball this time and sank a very
difficult jump shot with just 4.7 seconds remaining. The shot
proved to be the game-winner for the Bruins. It was instant
redemption. “He had to take that shot,” junior center
Lorenzo Mata said. “He’s our best shooter and our best
player.”
NBA Bound? It’s no secret Afflalo was considering making
the leap to the NBA last summer. He worked out for many teams and
gained advice on where he needed to improve and projections on
where he would go. In the end, he decided it wasn’t the right
time to leave. “Everything was pretty much positive,”
Afflalo said. “There was nobody saying you wouldn’t be
in the first round, but there was nobody saying you are guaranteed
to be in the first round. It just wasn’t worth the
risk.” Critics of Afflalo’s game often point to the
fact that while he is a solid all-around player, he struggles to
create his own shot and doesn’t possess the one dominant
skill that a lot of the star players in the league have to take
over a game. “The shooting is the question mark in my
mind,” said one NBA scout, who scouted Afflalo at some games
last season and at the Maui Invitational this season. “He
does all the other things. He’s a competitor, he can handle
the ball well and defend. If he can shoot it well enough, he can
play in the league a long time.” The scout also said he
didn’t think Afflalo would have been a first-round pick last
year and was unsure whether he would be one at the end of this
season. “With his size, you have to be a really, really good
player (to go in the first round),” the scout said. While
Afflalo realizes that he doesn’t have the athleticism of a
Kobe Bryant or a Dwayne Wade, he believes that his work ethic and
defense, combined with the rest of his skills, will eventually
bring him success at the next level. “Just my determination,
my pride in myself and my performance, I want to be at my best
every night,” Afflalo said. “I love basketball to
death, I could play it all day every day, and I love doing the
things that help make me a better basketball player. That’s
going to stick with me.” “Critics talk because they
have to say something,” Benjamin Afflalo said. “Because
he’s so humble and he’s such a team player, he
doesn’t shine like some. He’s got some intangible
things going on ““ that head factor.” Afflalo is on
track to graduate by the summer ““ possibly the spring if he
had to. If he decided to leave for the NBA, he would likely be
taking a sociology degree with him. Whether Afflalo will return
next year remains to be seen. He’ll have similar factors to
consider next year as he did this year with the possible exception
of having to worry about completing his degree. “I want to go
into that league at my best, knowing I’m best suited for
it,” Afflalo said. But right now Afflalo’s focus
remains solely on his team and the ultimate goal that he came so
close to tasting last season. “To win a championship is
everything,” Afflalo said. “I love making history. When
people come back to Pauley Pavilion years from now, I want old
people to talk about one of the guys that spearheaded that
championship. That would be really special to me.”