Former Bruin Earl Watson gave a pep talk to the UCLA men’s
basketball team on Tuesday when his Seattle SuperSonics were in
town to play the Lakers.
It’s just another strategy by Steve Lavin, who hopes to
spark a Bruin team that is off to their worst start in 41 years.
Not since 1961 has UCLA been 0-2, when John Wooden’s squad
lost back-to-back games at Brigham Young to open the season.
“Obviously, we didn’t expect to be 0-2,”
forward Jason Kapono said. “But we can’t panic or get
worried.”
The good news for Bruin fans is that in that 1961-62 season,
UCLA turned its fate around, finishing 18-11 and going all the way
to the Final Four.
The bad news is that this year’s Bruin squad doesn’t
have a Walt Hazzard to help turn the tide around.
Their best chance for a savior could be redshirt sophomore Ryan
Walcott, who returns from his two-game NCAA suspension on Sunday to
try to get the Bruins their first victory against Long Beach State
at Pauley Pavilion.
“Walcott brings depth, quickness and experience,”
Lavin said. “He will help us push the ball up the
court.”
The energetic point guard could also help out on defense, as the
Bruins will likely increase their use of the full-court press that
was mostly absent in their first two games.
“As we get more depth and quickness, we can extend the
defense more,” Lavin said.
Long Beach (1-3) is one of the easiest teams on UCLA’s
schedule, having already lost to Charlotte, Pepperdine and Southern
Utah.
The 49ers also don’t have enough of an inside presence to
dominate the low post, as San Diego’s Jason Keep did against
the Bruins in their season opener.
“But the easiest games are the toughest ones,” said
guard Jon Crispin. “Long Beach is a team with a lot of
talent, but you don’t hear a lot about them.”
After last week’s two losses, UCLA has dropped out of the
AP Top 25, and are already being written off by many fans and
members of the media.
So Lavin knows the Bruins need to put together a full game of
solid basketball on Sunday in order to help quell the barrage of
criticism by fans and the media.
“For 40 minutes, we have to be able to sustain effort and
execution,” Lavin said. “(Sunday’s) game is less
about Long Beach and more about us making progress and elevating
our game.”
For now, UCLA is trying to keep the morale in the locker room
high, despite its early troubles.
“There are still a lot of games to go,” Kapono said.
“Everyone is positive and upbeat, and looking forward to
playing on Sunday.”