The pre-game jitters that rose up within Trevor Ariza’s
stomach when he first stepped foot on the Pauley Pavilion floor
Wednesday night had disappeared by the opening buzzer.
In their place was a burgeoning confidence that only grew as the
game progressed.
Ariza, the first UCLA freshman since Jason Kapono to begin the
year in the starting lineup, led the squad in scoring and
rebounding in its exhibition victory over EA Sports. The
18-year-old freshman from Los Angeles Westchester High School
tallied 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting and grabbed 12 rebounds
““ all without showing a hint of the nerves that might be
expected from a true freshman making his collegiate debut.
“Once the lights came on, everything just came easily to
me,” Ariza said.
For long stretches of the second half, Ariza was UCLA’s
most consistent offensive threat, but it was his defense that keyed
the Bruins’ decisive 14-2 second-half run. With the score
tied at 47 early in the second half, Ariza stole the ball from EA
Sports’ Rick Anderson in the frontcourt, and trailed the
Bruin fastbreak, scoring a layup off of a put-back attempt. Minutes
later, he poked the ball away from opposing point guard Quentin
Hall, and threw down a monstrous dunk to give UCLA a 57-49
lead.
Ariza also buried a three-pointer in the midst of the run, as
the Bruins wrested control of the game away for good.
“Trevor had a great game,” UCLA coach Ben Howland
said. “For his first game, he was outstanding.”
Concerns about the 198-pound Ariza’s inability to defend a
physically imposing frontline proved to be unfounded against the
more perimeter-oriented EA Sports frontcourt. Matched up primarily
against the 6-8 sharpshooter Anderson, Ariza was able to use his
long arms and quickness to hold Anderson to just six points in 22
minutes.
When he did have to venture into the paint, Ariza more than held
his own. He induced a key travelling call against former Bruin
great Ed O’Bannon. Later, he essentially clinched the
victory, pulling down Cedric Bozeman’s errant free -throw
attempt with under one minute to play.
“From the first time I saw him, I knew he was going to be
a tremendous player,” said Anderson, a starter on last
season’s Pac-10 champion Arizona squad. “He can block
shots. He can play the three or the four. I wouldn’t be
surprised if he’s the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year.”
Ariza deflected any praise after the game, instead giving credit
to his teammates.
“(EA Sports) was keying on other players,” he said.
“Everything was just opening up for me.
“I was just having fun out there.”