They say the third time’s the charm for everything, and
basketball is no exception.
Ben Howland’s reputation as a coach who can rebuild a
program helped him attain his current position at UCLA, and his
history shows that the third year is when Howland turns things
around. But after 36 losses over the past two seasons, UCLA is a
win-starved program looking to get things going one year early.
“Every time we step on the court we’re playing to
win every game, no matter who we play against. That’s what I
expect,” freshman guard Jordan Farmar said. “Whether
it’s a reality or not, we’ll have to wait and
see.”
Picked by the media to finish fifth in the Pac-10 this season,
UCLA remains guardedly optimistic that the team will improve upon
last year’s dreadful season.
“Well, let’s hope so,” Howland said. “I
expect to have a better season than a year ago.”
Certainly, the Bruins are nearly assured to be an improved squad
over previous years, and that improvement begins in the
backcourt.
The addition of Farmar as well as fellow freshman starter Arron
Afflalo has added an influx of new talent and has created depth at
the guard position. Freshman Josh Shipp figures to see plenty of
minutes at shooting guard and small forward. Senior Brian Morrison,
who was injured for most of last season, is a deadeye perimeter
shooter coming off the bench, and his presence on the court should
spread opposing defenses thin.
The loss of point guard Cedric Bozeman, however, leaves the
Bruins one injury away from turning what could be a promising
season into a miserable one. Should Farmar go down for any stretch
of time, UCLA will have to rely on Afflalo and Morrison to fulfill
the role of point guard, and Howland knows his team can’t
afford to have that happen.
“There’s a lot of variables that go into having a
good year, and the number one thing that concerns me right now is
injuries,” he said. “It would be very difficult for us
to sustain a season-ending injury like the one we had with
(Bozeman).”
Though extremely talented, a backcourt that features two
starting freshmen goes against conventional wisdom. But the Bruins
are not entirely without veteran leadership. The frontcourt
features two juniors, 7-footers Ryan Hollins and Michael Fey,
filling the power forward and center positions respectively, and
senior Dijon Thompson.
But both Hollins and Fey have struggled at times during the
preseason. Hollins missed out on training during most of the
offseason as he recovered from knee surgery, and Fey has not
asserted himself as an offensive threat down on the blocks. Though
not expected to dominate games, Fey’s presence in the middle,
or lack thereof, will be a decisive factor determining UCLA’s
success.
“Mike Fey is the one real possibility to be a real
low-post scorer for us,” Howland said. “We need him to
be aggressive and to look to shoot when he gets the ball, and we
need to feed him the ball to get him those
opportunities.”
After spending most of last season at shooting guard, Thompson
will slide back to small forward, where the 6-foot-7 senior feels
most comfortable. The leading scorer of the team last year,
Thompson is likely to remain a focal point of the offense. Though
Farmar, as the point guard, may be the team leader on the court,
Howland expects his lone senior starter to be a major factor, and
believes the success of this Bruin team will also be a reflection
Thompson’s season.
“I’m expecting Dijon to have a really good year, and
how I’ll judge that is by how many games this team
wins,” Howland said. “What good players do is force
their will on their team to make their team win.”
The bench is deep and should provide plenty of energy and
scoring punch. Morrison will be the first off the bench, while
freshman Lorenzo Mata and sophomore Matt McKinney will join Shipp
in getting plenty of minutes in the frontcourt. Senior Janou Rubin,
who was named Pac-10 player of the week during the season last
year, will likely divide up remaining playing time with senior
Josiah Johnson. With his newfound depth, Howland expects his Bruins
to be a faster-paced team looking to score in the open court.
But how well they are able to do that rests on their ability to
defend and secure rebounds, something which UCLA struggled mightily
with last year. A trademark of his style while he was the head
coach at Pittsburgh, Howland has continued to preach defense and
rebounding as the most important elements in winning teams.
“Those are the things you want to do every year,” he
said.
Bozeman’s season-ending torn ACL aside, UCLA appears to
have plenty of positive things on its side. New talent will merge
with players who are a year older, wiser and better. In his second
year at Pitt, Howland guided his team to a winning season and an
appearance in the NIT Tournament. Meanwhile, a kind schedule early
on could help the Bruins gain momentum, Boston College is the lone
UCLA opponent out of its first six that made it to the NCAA
Tournament last year. The Bruins will not leave Pauley Pavilion
until they travel to East Lansing, Mich., to face Michigan State on
Dec. 21. After being starved of wins the past two seasons, UCLA
finds itself in good position to rack up a few victories before the
beginning of conference play.
Though the third season is usually the charm for Howland’s
teams, he just might be one year ahead of schedule.