After watching both preseason games of this season from the
bench, Lorenzo Mata knew that the Bruins would need him to provide
a spark when he returned.
So when he found out he would be starting on Wednesday night in
the regular-season home opener against Brigham Young, he
didn’t lose his cool.
It came as no surprise for the junior center, who had been
practicing with the first team in his only three practices of the
year after coming back from undergoing a knee surgery on Oct. 12,
just five weeks ago.
This isn’t the first time the Bruins have relied on a
speedy recovery from Mata, as he did the same just last year and
returned in time to help UCLA capture the Pac-10 tournament title
and make a run to the NCAA finals.
Though Mata played just 21 minutes on Wednesday while the other
four starters all recorded minutes in the 30s, he was able to make
key plays down the stretch and provide just the energy the Bruins
needed in what UCLA coach Ben Howland considered a hard-fought
game.
Howland had been contemplating whether to start the
6-foot-8-inch center for two days prior to the tip-off and decided
to go with his instinct.
“I was thinking about it for the last 48 hours,”
Howland said. “He’d practiced so well the last couple
of days and we wanted to get a bigger body against (Trent)
Plaisted.”
Mata did just what he was asked to do against Plaisted ““
he and sophomore Alfred Aboya were able to contain the
6-foot-11-inch, 240-pound Cougar redshirt freshman. Plaisted played
much of the game in foul trouble and finished with a mere seven
points in 25 minutes while being contained to 3-for-7 shooting by
the Bruins’ defense.
“I thought I played pretty well,” Mata said.
“I felt like I was practicing with the team the whole time. I
just have to come back and be energized for every minute I
play.”
Even while he wasn’t playing, Mata was seen waving his
towel after each big Bruin play on both offense and defense and was
often the first to greet his teammates as they gathered for
sideline huddles.
“I feel that this year they really need me inside, and
I’m going to do whatever it takes to help the team
out,” Mata said.
The center’s biggest concern coming into the game was how
stamina would affect in his playing time and his performance.
But Mata had stuck to a strict rehabilitation regimen, and
Howland gave his center a lot of breathers throughout the game.
“It felt great. I was just glad to get back out there and
play again,” he said. “I was just happy, you know. I
felt energized and I felt I wasn’t getting tired.”
As he continues his return to full health, Mata knows he will
have to produce more and become an even bigger presence on the
inside.
For now, Howland seems to have no worries about the progression
his new starting center will make.
“He’s a quick healer,” he said. “Wait
until he gets into full strength and he’s in a
groove.”