All has not been quiet on the UCLA front line.
The four big men in the rotation ““ all of them first- or second-year players ““ have had their fair share of battles this year. The Morris twins of Kansas proved to be double trouble. USC’s duo of Nikola Vucevic and Alex Stepheson quadruple-handedly led the Trojans to a victory over the Bruins. Heck, the UCLA foursome of Joshua Smith, Anthony Stover, Reeves Nelson and Brendan Lane has yet another pair of twins that it has to deal with on a daily basis: David and Travis Wear, who by all accounts have raised the intensity of practice.
But then there’s Derrick Williams.
The Arizona sophomore from La Mirada has blossomed into one of the nation’s elite players. Williams puts in nearly 20 points per game and averages more than eight rebounds as well. No other player on Arizona averages more than 8.5 points, or 4.4 rebounds.
“I can’t say enough about how talented and how good he is,” UCLA coach Ben Howland said of Williams. “He’s got NBA talent. (Arizona coach Sean Miller) compares him to David West.”
Heading into a critical mid-season conference showdown, the Bruins will have to figure out a way to slow down Williams, who presents quite the matchup nightmare. At 6 feet 8 inches and 241 pounds, Williams starts at center but is athletic and skilled enough to score from almost anywhere on the court.
All four of UCLA’s big men ““ assuming Smith and Nelson are healthy enough to play ““ will take turns trying to check the formidable Wildcat.
“Either way, our goal is to shut him down,” Stover said. “He’s just a beast. I know we’re probably going to double-team him a little bit; I don’t know what coach Howland has planned. He’s a great player. Nothing but respect for Derrick.”
Williams’ star didn’t exactly start shining overnight. He averaged 15.7 points and 7.1 rebounds per game as a freshman. Still, his offensive efficiency and versatility has improved dramatically as he has undertaken the fabled “sophomore leap” ““ the vast jump in performance that often occurs between a player’s first and second seasons.
Williams’ free-throw percentage is up from 68 percent to nearly 76 percent, and he is shooting a superb 70 percent from beyond the three-point line, up from 25 percent a season ago.
Howland points to a bit of a change in the Wildcats’ offensive philosophy, which now has Williams getting the ball on the perimeter and looking to drive instead of getting the ball in the post with his back to the basket. For all of his increases in numbers, he is playing less than one minute more per game.
“He’s big, strong, athletic,” UCLA sophomore forward Tyler Honeycutt said. “Good at finishing with contact. He’s a good player.”
Injury report
Smith, who was held out of the Bruins’ win over Stanford Saturday because of a head injury, practiced Tuesday. He didn’t practice in a full capacity but did participate in some contact drills.
Nelson, who injured his ankle in the Stanford win, also practiced but did not participate in contact drills.
Both are listed as day-to-day and will be game-time decisions for UCLA’s game against Arizona on Thursday.