I can remember the date, time and place like it was yesterday.
Besides witnessing the greatness of UCLA beating USC in football (a note to all the bandwagon ‘SC fans I know and who decided to turn off their phones at the end of the game: I called us beating the Trojans solely on the basis of defense), this was the greatest moment of my freshman year. That moment was the time I saw the man, the myth and the legend: Arron Afflalo.
No, I did not see him on the court, breaking Nick Young’s ankles. No, I did not see him driving his car from a distance of 100 feet. Ladies and gentlemen, I saw the great No. 4 from 5 feet away.
The day was Monday, Jan. 15. It was after another boring English class in which we attempted to find the meaning of Kurtz and why he loved the natives, and I felt the strongest desire to get a tasty and “healthy” Jamba Juice.
I walked to Ackerman Union, got my original Banana Berry with no free boost (because we all know the grainy and disgusting taste of those free powders), and walked downstairs to the UCLA Store.
And there he was, with an effervescent halo around him, much like the one you might see around John Wooden.
As some of you might know, Jan. 15 was the Monday after Afflalo hit the game-winning jumper at the Galen Center to send all of the bandwagon ‘SC fans home crying to their rich mommies and daddies. So, in effect, I was in a presence analogous to that of Jesus.
Afflalo was buying a notebook for class (a shock to me to see athletes buying school supplies), and I had the urge to go up to him and simply bow down and praise him. But I had to fight that urge, as I would have embarrassed him and, more importantly, would have spilled my delicious smoothie.
Instead, I took this opportunity to just stare in awe and stand in his presence. Then I remembered I had to make a deadline for the newspaper and needed to make the trek to Dykstra (because it is so long).
Yet, that was the only time I saw Afflalo on campus. I guess we were only destined to meet off the court that one time. But trust me, that was enough for me. I even called my dad after that, and if you need confirmation, you can look at my previous calls list on my phone.
While I only saw Afflalo once off the court during my first year at UCLA, I saw many other athletes on campus. I have seen Lorenzo Mata, Ben Olson, Alfred Aboya and a countless number of linemen (most I have no idea who they were exactly, but I knew they were linemen for obvious reasons).
But each time I see these athletes, I do not have the same reaction or experience that I did with Afflalo. Maybe that is because I have a man-crush on him and model my style of play after him (I will see all you freshmen on the court in February for intramural basketball).
Or maybe it is because the times when you see the star athlete of the school happens about as often as USC wins a basketball title (zero if you would like to know).
I guess what I am trying to tell the freshmen is that you are coming to a school where athletics are crucial and where there are high caliber athletes. You will see many athletes on campus, walking with their really cool sports backpacks (I have noticed Josh Shipp does not wear his, and I want to see if he is interested in selling it to me) and living as students.
But you will only have one moment in which you see the face of God … or Afflalo for that matter.
E-mail Howard at
ahoward@media.ucla.edu if you noticed how many times he referenced God and Jesus with regard to UCLA athletics.