Freshman guard Jrue Holiday had heard it from almost everyone.
Coach Ben Howland and the UCLA assistant coaches were telling him.
His teammates were telling him.
Even his family was letting him know it.
Their message was simple: Drive and create for yourself once in awhile.
On Thursday at Pauley Pavilion in the No. 17 UCLA Bruins’ (16-4, 6-2 Pac-10) 81-66 win over the California Golden Bears (16-5, 5-3), Holiday did it, and did it well.
Holiday finished the night with 13 points on 4-of-5 shooting, displaying the natural ability to drive and attack the basket that made him one of the top recruits in the country.
Yet throughout the first part of the regular season, those graceful drives were ending up as passes to other teammates rather than points for himself.
Holiday said that tendency was just his nature.
“I was driving the ball to the basket but I think I was more looking to dish it out (before),” Holiday said. “I’m not sure if I was really getting stopped or anything but I’d always see somebody open, and just me as a player, if I see somebody open I want to get them the ball.”
In the win on Thursday, Holiday showcased just how much he can add to the Bruins’ offensive attack if he looks for his own shot. One of the results of Holiday’s penetration was his ability to get to the free-throw line, something that has been a struggle for Holiday in the Pac-10 thus far.
Coming into the game, Holiday had attempted just 11 free throws in seven Pac-10 games, making five. On Thursday, Holiday was a perfect five-of-five from the line.
“Just getting to the free-throw line was really on my mind (Thursday),” Holiday said.
According to senior point guard Darren Collison, the Bruins need to see Holiday’s aggression on offense a lot more.
“We need that out of him,” Collison said. “Jrue can be unselfish to a fault. That’s great players. Not a good player; that’s a great player right there. Sometimes we got to tell Jrue to look for your own shot. Don’t necessarily look for everybody else. We need him to score and I thought that he’s done a good job of doing that.”
Despite Holiday’s increased attention to driving to the basket, he also showed the great passing ability he has, tallying four assists.
“I thought he made some big-time passes (Thursday night) that led to some easy baskets,” Howland said. “He just sees the floor, he has such great vision. He’s really got a great feel for the game.”
Howland also noted Holiday’s ability to feed senior center Alfred Aboya in the post.
Against the Bears, the Bruins had a much more balanced offensive attack than in recent losses to Arizona State and Washington, scoring close to the basket instead of settling for outside shots.
“We have to have nice, sound points around the board,” Holiday said. “Getting to the free-throw line really helps.”
On a night when he decided to create for himself instead of for others for a change, Holiday said a lot of it was confidence.
“I guess I just felt more comfortable and more confident and not afraid of making turnovers or making a bad pass or maybe taking like a crazy shot,” Holiday said. “That really boosted my confidence, that coach has confidence in me to drive in there and get in the lane.”
PAC-10 ROUNDUP: No. 23 Washington fell to the Arizona Wildcats 106-97 in Tucson, Ariz. Thursday, forcing a tie for first place with UCLA…No. 14 Arizona State lost 65-55 to Washington State at home…Stanford fell to USC 70-69. The Bruins face the Cardinal on Saturday at Pauley Pavilion. Game time is 12:30 p.m.