Thursday, January 16, 1997
M. HOOPS:
UCLA’s senior point guard thrives after finding focus,
spiritualityBy Emmanuelle Ejercito
Daily Bruin Staff
omething was wrong with Cameron Dollar and it had nothing to do
with the hand injury that kept him on the bench for most of last
season.
In the latter part of the summer, the senior point guard felt
like he was losing control. His attitude had changed, he stopped
caring, he felt a void and his basketball game was suffering
because of it.
"I wasn’t playing for the right reasons," Dollar said. "I wasn’t
focused on the necessities and the things that I needed to be
focusing on for me as a player and being in that mind set."
But soon he realized that something was amiss inside and he
decided to recenter his life.
"I’m back on track and it has refocused me and it has made me
whole again," Dollar said. "I just think that when you are doing
something that you are not supposed to be doing, no matter how fun
it might be, you realize that there is going to be a point of
reckoning. You know that you’ve got to stop and that you’ve got to
get back on track, or over time it will just tear you up
inside."
Although he doesn’t consider himself religious, for Dollar,
refocusing meant regaining the spirituality that he had found in
the 11th grade.
"Having the right relationship with Christ and obeying him and
doing the things that I am supposed to do with him, that’s what
makes me tick," Dollar said. "I feel like the reason that I’m
playing so well (is that) I feel a lot better, and the reason why I
have this outlook on things is because I got refocused with my
relationship with Christ."
Dollar, who averages 6.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists
for the Bruins, has himself been the savior of the UCLA men’s
basketball team on several occasions. This season, his three-point
shots lifted UCLA to a win over Washington and his career-high
seven steals prevented California from snatching the game away in
the final minute. And last season, his half-court toss, again
against Washington, clinched the Pacific 10 crown and earned him a
nomination for ESPN’s Espy Award. However, it is not his on-court
heroics that have earned Dollar respect from the coaches.
"Cameron Dollar’s value to this program, to this team, will
never be reflected in the stat sheets," UCLA head coach Steve Lavin
said. "His actions and his leadership through his actions are more
important than anything that he will do on the floor.
"But it is one thing to just give lip service and just talk
about it. (But) he walks that talk and that’s what so special about
him. He’s like, to me, the older brother of this team who is very
wise; he’s old for his age, he’s an old soul."
Although Dollar does not explicitly endeavor to be an example
setter and leader for the team, team members still look to him for
inspiration.
"He has a really good attitude and he’s always upbeat and
positive," junior guard Harold Sylvester said. "He’s an emotional
as well as an on-the-court leader. Everybody feeds off of him, (off
his) intensity when he is playing and when he’s on the bench."
The renewing of his spirituality has also helped the senior
captain deal with the tumultuous times that have hit the Bruins
this season. Dollar’s singular focus allowed him handle the
distraction of the release of former head coach Jim Harrick and to
continue to press on. It has also helped him put into perspective
his removal from the starting line-up after the Illinois loss.
Instead of pouting, Dollar accepted his new role of coming off the
bench without much complaint.
"Either way I’m going to be productive as a player. The only
thing I have to worry about is playing," Dollar said. "It shows a
good sign of a player to just be able to do both because whether I
am coming off the bench or I am starting, that doesn’t make me a
better or worse player. I’m just going to play and be productive
either way."
* * *
Dollar will have to produce from the tip-off as he has been
given the nod to start against Arizona State tonight as the Bruins
kick off an important weekend, with No. 6 Arizona looming on
Saturday. Dollar, who started in the second half of the Stanford
game and in the Cal game, will again start over center Jelani
McCoy.
"I don’t see, match-up wise, where going with a smaller line-up
will be a big problem for us," Lavin said.
The Bruins (8-4 overall, 3-1 Pac-10) have won the last 15
meetings against the Sun Devils (9-6, 1-2), including an 87-70 win
in Pauley Pavilion last year.
"We need to find a way to beat (UCLA)," ASU head coach Bill
Frieder said. "The team we are playing is the team that took care
of us pretty easily a year ago. We have to come up with something
different to get it done."
The young Sun Devils will be lead by leading scorers Jeremy Veal
and Mike Batiste, as well as by freshman Eddie House and leading
shot-blocker Rodger Farrington, who is the best in the conference
with 4.9 blocks per game.
JUSTIN WARREN/Daily Bruin
Cameron Dollar struggled through the 1995-96 season but has
regained perspective.