The most exciting shot taken in Pauley Pavilion on Thursday
night didn’t come from Jordan Farmar. Or Arron Afflalo. Or
anyone wearing a jersey, for that matter.
No, it came during halftime from fourth-year political science
student Jesse Melgares, whose 15 minutes of fame will likely turn
into another year of college.
By making a layup, a free throw, a 3-pointer and a half-court
shot in 30 seconds, Melgares won the grand prize of tuition and
books for an academic year in the Cingular Wireless SuperShot
contest.
“I was about to throw up before,” Melgares said.
“I was so nervous.”
After holding it down despite two precautionary trips to the
bathroom, Melgares stepped up and made history, as his half-court
shot marked the first made in two years.
He coolly sank the layup, missed his first free-throw attempt
before making the second, and then banked in both the 3-pointer and
the half-courter.
“I saw there was seven seconds left when I had a
half-court shot; I just lobbed it in the air and it banked
in,” Melgares said.
“I was just like, “˜Oh, my God.’ I went
nuts.”
Standing at half court after doing the nearly unthinkable, he
took his digital camera from his pocket and took in a moment he
won’t soon forget.
The Bruins, meanwhile, sat perplexed in the team room. Trailing
32-26 at halftime, they figured there couldn’t be much for
the fans to cheer about.
“When we were in the room at halftime, we heard everybody
cheering. We didn’t know what it was,” said freshman
point guard Darren Collison, who wasn’t familiar with the
contest. “We were like, “˜We’re down.’ I
guess that’s what it was.”
The energy created at halftime never left the building, as UCLA
went on to outscore Oregon State 52-28 in the second half. Perhaps
the hot-shooting Bruins took a cue from Melgares.
Or maybe not.
“I’m not that great of a basketball player,”
he said. “I just started playing this quarter
actually.”
And now he has to think about his future.
As a fourth-year, Melgares said he now has to talk to his mom
about staying at UCLA for another year. On Cingular’s
dime.
CREDIT WHERE IT’S DUE: UCLA coach Ben
Howland made a point after Thursday’s victory to mention that
it was Collison’s best game of his young Bruin career.
It’s an assessment that’s difficult to argue
with.
Collison had nine points, three assists and two rebounds in 15
minutes. When he was in the game, UCLA outscored the Beavers by 16
points.
“I’m learning more and more about this level, that
you’ve got to be under control,” Collison said.
“The more under control you are, the more good plays
you’re going to have for yourself and others.”
Following last Sunday’s loss to USC, Collison and fellow
point guard Farmar spent over three hours with Howland looking at
tape of some of the best point guards in the NBA.
The things they had in common, Collison said, are that they all
utilize the jump-stop to perfection, and they all have
assist-to-turnover ratios close to 3-to-1.
Farmar and Collison have ratios closer to 1-to-1.
“That really motivated me to do well,” Collison
said.
Howland said that the second of Collison’s two turnovers
was definitely a bad call, and he said he thought the first was
probably wrong as well.
“He used the tools that he has a player, not only to his
advantage, but to everyone else’s advantage,” Afflalo
said of Collison. “That’s what you want out of your
point guard and that’s what you ask. He did it to perfection
tonight.”