After a sluggish first half in UCLA’s Pac-10 opener Friday
night against Oregon State, there was one Bruin who left no
question as to the abilities of this year’s squad.
Janou Rubin, a walk-on junior guard who has spent four seasons
in the shadows in Pauley Pavilion, had a break-out game on both
ends of the court and helped to fill the questionable backcourt
status of the Bruins while junior guard Brian Morrison nurses a
hamstring injury.
“I can’t say enough about Janou Rubin, I thought
Janou Rubin was just outstanding tonight,” UCLA coach Ben
Howland said. “He made a big three to fuel our comeback, but
his defensive effort (and) his understanding of where he’s
supposed to be ““ he played great tonight, and I
couldn’t be happier for him.”
Rubin, who walked onto the team during the 2000-2001 season,
redshirted the following year and only averaged 5.1 minutes in 10
games last season. Friday night he eclipsed his career scoring
record by four points to bring that mark to 13 points; he played in
all but two minutes of the second half.
But more crucial than the 13-point addition to the scoreboard
was Rubin’s energy and aggressiveness in fueling a comeback
from what was a lackadaisical first half for the Bruins. Down by
eight points going into the second period, Rubin hit the first
three-pointer of the half within a minute of entering the game to
cut OSU’s lead to three points. Combined with the scoring
frenzy supplied by freshman forward Trevor Ariza, Rubin sank
another three-pointer just six minutes later, this time to build
UCLA’s lead to 10.
But Rubin had just begun. Before the night was ended, he made a
shot from under the rim thanks to a pass from Ariza, added a lay-up
less than 30 seconds later, and sank his third three-pointer,
solidifying UCLA’s 67-57 lead with a little more than five
minutes to play. When all was said and done, UCLA’s No. 2 was
5-for-9 in field goals and notched three assists.
“My goal was to win the game,” Rubin said. “I
felt like we were playing a little sluggish; I knew our team needed
a little energy, so I just came in and tried to do whatever we
needed to win.
“It feels like a win.”
The fuel Rubin brought to the court certainly played a large
part in the Bruins’ victory. His defensive energy helped to
bring OSU’s first half three-point shooting percentage of 60
percent to a screeching halt in the second ““ the Beavers
finished beyond the arc at only 25 percent.
The most ironic piece of Rubin’s puzzle, though, is the way he
arrived on Pauley’s court. After being courted by OSU, Cal, and
Stanford, Rubin chose to attend UCLA, despite knowing he didn’t
have a guaranteed place on the basketball team.
"My father and I put our heads together and I came here," Rubin
said. "But I wanted to play."
And Friday night, play he did. His performance, Howland said,
left no question that Rubin would see more minutes in the
decidedly-more challenging game on Sunday against the Oregon
Ducks.
"With Brian (Morrison) out right now there’s no question that on
Sunday, the first backcourt reserve to come into the game at the
two or the three spot will be Janou," Howland said.
Four seasons of hard work, clearly, are paying off. Rubin’s
expectations, however, didn’t soar to Pauley’s rafters after
Friday’s game.
"Everything’s been an uphill battle for me anyway, so I’ll just
try to stay focused," he said. "It was just one game. It was a
start, but I’ll take it."