NEW YORK “”mdash; Thirteen years ago, there stood a 6-foot-9-inch rangy kid from Artesia who held a national press conference at UCLA.
Bruin fans may remember the day, as it was the start of one of the most memorable seasons in UCLA basketball history.
That was the day that Ed O’Bannon, the face of UCLA’s basketball team from 1992-95, announced that he was returning for his senior season at UCLA.
Thirteen years later, another promising junior, Arron Afflalo, will have the decision this month whether or not to return for his senior season at UCLA.
“I’m not giving any answers, but this school has done a lot for me, and I want to leave on a positive note if possible,” Afflalo said. “I’m not satisfied one bit. I’m not into competing for a Final Four visit. I’m here to win it all and twice we came up short.”
Afflalo has declared all along that his intention to come to UCLA was to bring the Bruins a championship.
Despite making consecutive Final Four appearances, Afflalo, who has started every game except one since his freshman season, still has not accomplished the goal that O’Bannon was able to bring to Westwood in 1995.
And since there are few other college players that single-handedly define their program like Afflalo, it will be a very difficult decision for Afflalo to make.
“I feel like I am more of leader on this team,” Afflalo said. “The guys depend on me. I love being together with these guys.”
Because Afflalo declared for the NBA Draft following last season, the 6-foot-5-inch junior will not be able to return to the Bruins if he decides to enter his name in the draft this year.
Afflalo, who is majoring in sociology, has stated that he will be able to graduate this summer, and that will likely play a factor in his decision.
However, just as he did last year, Afflalo will have to withdraw from school for the quarter if he enters the draft.
“There are a lot of factors I have to consider,” Afflalo said. “At this point, I am all about my team. I came to UCLA with the intention to win a championship.”
Draftexpress.com published an article this week stating that Afflalo was likely to leave. There are multiple other sources who believe Afflalo will declare for the draft.
If he does decide to return, however, Afflalo will have the benefit of playing with the Bruins’ first true inside presence, incoming freshman Kevin Love, since the days of Bill Walton and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
And since there are no seniors on this season’s roster, the Bruins’ nucleus from this season is also expected to remain in Westwood.
“We have great kids in our program that are very hard workers,” coach Ben Howland said. “Our sophomore class only knows Final Fours. Our junior class has gone back-to-back.
“So we have a lot to look forward to going into next season.”
This year’s national champion, Florida, showed what can be done if the nucleus of the team remains from a previous season.
Since the Gators have defeated the Bruins in the Final Four in consecutive seasons, it’s something that Afflalo must consider, as he has seen the Gators’ success firsthand.
In Atlanta last Monday night, the Gators talked about how lucky they were to all return together and accomplish the goal they had set at the beginning of the season.
“We all made big sacrifices. If all the guys didn’t make a sacrifice, we wouldn’t be in this position,” guard Taurean Green said.
“Together, we’re unbeatable. We all came back to be part of this. To be national champions,” said Green.
Despite never leading the Bruins to a national title, Afflalo has separated himself from his peers during his time at UCLA. He will always be remembered as the player that was instrumental in rebuilding the UCLA basketball tradition.
“He will be one of the great players at UCLA,” Luc Richard Mbah a Moute said. “To bring UCLA from where it was before he got here makes him special.
“He brought a toughness and attitude of winning to the UCLA program. There are very few players like him.”