After weeks of conjecture and doubt about his return, Darren Collison played his first game of the season against George Washington on Wednesday.
The junior point guard, who had been out with a grade-one MCL sprain, did not start but came off the bench for a productive 26 minutes, tallying 14 points and 5 assists to go with no turnovers.
“It’s incredible how well he played for not having done anything for 24 days and not having played the game in 26 days,” coach Ben Howland said. “I didn’t plan (to play him 26 minutes). (But) he’s such a great athlete … to come out today and play 26 minutes. Not even the numbers, but the defense.”
Collison may have been outshone by his understudy, Russell Westbrook (19 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds), but on his first night back, wearing a knee brace that impeded his movement a little, Collison was just happy to get back out on the court.
“I felt pretty good,” Collison said. “It was a confidence factor for me. It was about me pushing off my left leg. I didn’t think I was going to play that many minutes but as I started getting into the flow of the game things started going really well.”
Toward the middle stages of the second half, when UCLA began to pull away, center Kevin Love hit Collison on an outlet pass that demonstrated just how devastating that combination can be: Love’s pinpoint passing and Collison’s speed in the open court.
Collison provides that added dimension of speed and also provides another guard presence in a lineup that has been nearly bereft of ball handling skill in his absence, with Westbrook the only true ball-handling guard healthy for most of the season.
As for Collison, he was not quite at 100 percent after the game, but figured it was normal.
“(My knee’s) a little banged up but I expected that,” Collison said. “Normally I’d feel pain after this but it’s a little pain.”
Collison will have to wear the brace again when the Bruins take on Texas on Sunday at Pauley Pavilion, but after a game under his belt with it on, he is prepared.
“I’m trying (to get used to it),” Collison said. “It is a big brace so it feels like a big lock on my leg. For the most part, I just have to continue to play with it.”
Howland did not say whether or not Collison will start Sunday, but for now, the Bruins are just glad to have another guard back.
INJURIES: Guard Michael Roll did not play, and it is not known yet whether he will play Sunday. Forward Alfred Aboya played his first game with protective headgear on after suffering an injury to the orbital of his right eye Friday.