Unnerving as it is to lean on his starting lineup so much, UCLA
coach Ben Howland knows he has no choice. Though Howland would like
to be able to rest senior Dijon Thompson and freshman Jordan Farmar
for 10 minutes per game, he doesn’t have the manpower on his
depleted bench to do it. “Jordan does so much that it’s
hard for me to take him out of the game,” Howland said.
“Same thing with Dijon. Those two guys are our point guard
and senior leader. You want to keep your best players in the game
as much as possible.” No longer able to rely on its backcourt
depth after injuries to guards Cedric Bozeman and Janou Rubin, UCLA
(10-4, 4-2 Pac-10) has stuck with a strict eight-man rotation. The
result of that strategy is that Farmar’s and Thompson’s
playing times continue to escalate. Farmar, who is fourth in the
Pac-10 in minutes played, averages nearly 35 minutes per game,
while Thompson, who is sixth, averages 33. Howland said that
fatigue was a factor in the second half against Arizona on Saturday
when the Bruins shot 26.7 percent from the field. “Because
we’re playing them so many minutes each of the last two
Mondays, we haven’t practiced our top six guys in terms of
running up and down,” Howland said. “We’ve
watched film and shot foul shots. (The rest) actually helps
sometimes.” Both Farmar and Thompson said that they’re
capable of playing however many minutes are needed.
“I’ll play 40 minutes,” Thompson said.
“It’s my last go-round. I just want to be out on the
floor.” “I noticed that the games I play less minutes,
I tend to be more effective,” Farmar said. “But
I’m going to be out there when I’m needed.”
MORE MATA: Freshman Lorenzo Mata was only on
the court for a handful of minutes this past weekend in Arizona,
but Howland said he should have played the 6-foot-8 center more.
“He needs that experience, but it was hard,” Howland
said. “You’re throwing him in against (Arizona
State’s Ike) Diogu and (Arizona’s Channing) Frye
““ two NBA players. As soon as they see a freshman, it’s
like a shark smelling blood. They were going right after
him.”
OPEN EARLY: Pauley Pavilion will open its doors
at 6 p.m. for Thursday’s game against Stanford to accommodate
fans who may run into traffic because of protests at the Federal
Building that are scheduled to begin at 8 p.m.