Before playing his first game as a UCLA Bruin, freshman point guard Jrue Holiday admitted he was a little jumpy.
Sitting in his dorm room hours before tip-off, Holiday said he was anxious.
“I was very excited,” Holiday said. “Like I said before, I was jumping off the walls. Just jumpy and really excited.”
Yet after playing 23 minutes of the No. 4 Bruins’ 86-58 exhibition win over California Baptist ““ the most of any UCLA player ““ it is the men’s basketball team and the UCLA faithful that have reason to be excited.
Holiday displayed no signs of stage-fright, seemingly transitioning effortlessly from high school to college with 12 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, six steals and just one turnover.
“I thought he played a complete game,” coach Ben Howland said.
Holiday, the 2008 Gatorade Player of the Year, was active on the court, finding many ways to help the team.
There was a steal and an assist to senior point guard Darren Collison in transition for an early 7-3 lead.
There was a crowd-raising alley-oop finish thrown by senior forward Josh Shipp.
There were a multitude of quick drives to the basket, precision passes to open teammates and rebounds leading to transition baskets that reminded fans of Kevin Love’s full-court passes from last season.
All told, Holiday said he did not feel any extra pressure to perform on the court.
“I was very comfortable,” Holiday said. “I think my first shot was a little iffy … (but I was) just out there running around and having fun.”
After the game, Howland commented on the incredible athletic ability Holiday displayed around the basket, drawing contact yet still being able to finish.
Holiday is one of five freshmen who figure to play prominent roles this season for a Bruin team that lost three players from last year’s Final Four squad to the NBA.
In their first game as college players, Collison said all five of them ““ Holiday, guards Jerime Anderson and Malcolm Lee, forward Drew Gordon and center J’mison Morgan ““ played well.
“I’m truly impressed with them,” Collison said. “The way they played, how poised they played out there.”
One player in particular who caught Collison’s eye was Anderson. The freshman from Anaheim played 19 minutes, scoring five points on 2-of-4 shooting from the field, four assists, three steals and no turnovers.
“He didn’t play like an average freshman out there,” Collison said.
Morgan led the team in rebounds with nine. A lot had been made concerning Morgan’s conditioning during the offseason, but Howland said he gave the team a big lift when he came into the game with 11:58 left in the first half.
“I thought that in the first half he came in and really gave us a big lift,” Howland said. “He had a big block. I played him partly to get him some conditioning the last 10 minutes of the game without coming out so it would force him to push himself. But that’s going to be something he’ll continue to work at.”
With 6:28 left in the second half, all five freshmen were on the court at the same time, much to the delight of the crowd. While Holiday said he knew it was coming, he admitted it was still exciting to be out there playing with the other freshmen.
“I was excited just to showcase the freshmen’s abilities and what we came here to do,” Holiday said. “The freshmen, we came in together, and we feel like a family. It just felt good playing with them.”
Senior forward Josh Shipp led the Bruins with 20 points, shooting 7 of 8 from the field, including 3 of 4 from 3-point territory. Shipp, who worked out extensively in the offseason and slimmed to around 207 pounds, said he is in great shape.
“I’m just trying to be in the best shape I can possibly be out there,” Shipp said. “I think that’s going to be the main thing for me. As long as I can stay healthy, we’ll be all right.”
Another notable performance was provided by junior forward Nikola Dragovic. Dragovic, who has been suffering from a cyst in his left foot and ankle, was questionable for the game yet seemed unfazed by the injury, playing 15 minutes off the bench and scoring 13 points. He was 4-of-6 from 3-point range.
Despite the large margin of the victory, Howland stressed that there were still things the Bruins need to fix, namely offensive execution in sets, hedging screens and switching on the defensive end.
Yet Howland noted that there has been a limited amount of time for the players to pick everything up.
“There’s a lot to pick up in a short amount of time,” Howland said. “It’s a process and yet, (the freshmen) all went out and I thought played really hard, and all five of those kids did really well tonight.”
Collison echoed the sentiments of his coach.
“I think we need a lot more work,” Collison said. “But this is early in November and we’re playing. I think we’re going to be all right. I think these guys, and especially the freshmen, seem to pick up on things real easy and real fast, so we should be all right.”
While it was just an exhibition game ““ it does not count toward the Bruins’ record ““ Shipp said it felt good to finally be back out on the court.
“We’re always excited to play this first game,” Shipp said. “No matter how much you play the game over the years, you’re always excited for that first one.”