Just a few hours before unveiling its new-look roster, UCLA
learned that senior Cedric Bozeman will miss the entire season with
a knee injury.
Bozeman, a three-year starter at point guard, tore the anterior
cruciate ligament in his right knee during practice Thursday. He is
scheduled for surgery later this week, leaving freshman Jordan
Farmar as the lone healthy point guard on the UCLA basketball
roster this season.
“To get hurt the day before our first game, it’s
tough,” said Bozeman on Friday after the Bruins’ 97-48
exhibition victory over Simon Fraser, an NAIA school from
Canada.
“I worked really hard during the offseason, and I had been
working hard in practice to help this team. But I have to look at
the bright side. I’m still alive so I have to bounce back,
work hard, and rehabilitate it.”
Though baggy jeans concealed the swelling in his knee, Bozeman
could not hide his disappointment as he sat on the end of the bench
Friday.
The one-time top prospect, whose career at UCLA has been marred
by nagging injuries and losing seasons, had viewed this year as an
opportunity for redemption. Instead Bozeman said he will redshirt,
spend the next six to eight months rehabilitating the knee injury,
and return for a fifth season next fall.
“It’s a hard pill to swallow,” UCLA coach Ben
Howland said. “There’s no question he’s one of
our top four basketball players. He worked so hard in the
offseason. He’s going to be sorely missed.”
The 6-foot-6 Bozeman, who was going to split time at point guard
and wing this season, sustained the injury during a routine drill
on Thursday. While driving to the basket he stepped on freshman
DeAndre Robinson’s foot and twisted his left ankle. The
senior fell to the floor, apparently torquing his right knee in the
process.
X-rays on Bozeman’s ankle were negative, but an MRI exam
on his right knee revealed the torn ACL.
The devastating news left the Bruins in a somber mood, even
after easily overpowering Simon Fraser.
“We’re all in here like he’s dead, but
he’s not,” said senior Dijon Thompson, who honored
Bozeman by wearing his No. 21 on a wristband Friday.
“He’s going to be able to come back, and he’ll be
a better player.”
But in the meantime UCLA will have to rely on Farmar, who had
been competing with Bozeman for the starting point guard position.
The 6-foot-2 freshman, a McDonald’s All-American at Taft High
School last year, responded to the pressure in his Bruin debut,
scoring a team-high 19 points and adding seven assists in 28
minutes.
Behind Farmar, UCLA does not have a true point guard because
last year’s backup, Ryan Walcott, decided to transfer to
Division II Grand Canyon University before the start of fall
quarter.
Howland said senior Brian Morrison will absorb most of
Bozeman’s minutes as back-up point guard, with freshman Arron
Afflalo, who started at shooting guard Friday, next in line.
Morrison seemed comfortable in the role against Simon Fraser,
scoring 11 points, dishing out nine assists, and grabbing eight
rebounds.
“Brian feels terrible that his opportunity to play the
point came because Cedric got hurt, but it’s something that
he is excited about,” Howland said.
Besides Farmar and Afflalo, Howland started Thompson and
seven-footers Ryan Hollins and Michael Fey. But at least for one
day the battle for starting positions was put aside as UCLA tried
to cope with the loss of Bozeman, its best perimeter defender and
the Pac-10 leader in assists last season.
“You feel for Ced because there’s not a nicer kid
than him,” Howland said. “But the silver lining is
we’re going to be a better team next year because we’re
going to have Ced Bozeman back in the program. I’m confident
he’ll come back and be playing even better than he was
now.”