Ryan Hollins continually faced questions about his passive
demeanor in his first three seasons at UCLA, despite his
intimidating stature. Over that time, he made a habit out of
defending himself and insisting that he still believed he would at
some point play in the NBA. Hollins’ words now seem
prophetic, if not triumphant. Hollins was the second-round draft
choice of the Charlotte Bobcats with the No. 50 overall pick on
June 28, turning his dream into a reality and capping off one of
the quickest and most improbable career turnarounds in the country.
Hollins, a 7-foot big man labeled as “long” by NBA
standards, was a relative disappointment his first three years in
Westwood and wasn’t a consistent starter until halfway
through his last season, when injuries and offensive ineptitude
gave him a second chance. Seemingly out of nowhere, Hollins became
a force in the paint. He dominated the Pac-10 Tournament, leading
the Bruins to their first conference tournament title since 1987.
He continued his strong play in the NCAA Tournament, and was named
the Oakland Regional Most Outstanding Player after UCLA beat
Gonzaga and Memphis to advance to the Final Four. “Everything
has just happened so fast, I didn’t even know what to
think,” Hollins said in a telephone interview. “But I
never doubted myself, and I always thought I could make it to the
next level. “The people who doubted me were just another
obstacle, but that’s the way sports works. Hopefully I will
keep it going.” Hollins will join former Gonzaga star Adam
Morrison, who was selected by Charlotte with the No. 3 overall pick
in this year’s draft. Ironically, it was the Sweet 16 matchup
between UCLA and Gonzaga that propelled Hollins into the national
consciousness and emotionally ended the college career of Morrison,
who decided to forgo his senior year of eligibility to become a
professional. “I have nothing but respect for
(Morrison),” Hollins said. “He is a great player and it
will be an honor to enter the league at the same time and on the
same team as him.”
UCLA MAKES IT 10: Jordan Farmar and Hollins now mark the 10th
consecutive year that at least one UCLA basketball player has been
selected in the NBA Draft, dating back to 1997. It is the longest
active streak in the nation. In addition to the two Bruins taken,
there were four other Pac-10 players drafted this year: Brandon Roy
(No. 6 to Minnesota) and Bobby Jones (No. 37 to Minnesota) of
Washington, Leon Powe (No. 49 to Denver) of California and
Arizona’s Hassan Adams (No. 54 to New Jersey).
ROY ON THE MOVE: Former Washington guard Brandon Roy, who was
the Pac-10 Player of the Year in 2005-2006, was drafted by the
Minnesota Timberwolves with the No. 6 overall pick, but was soon
traded to the Portland Trailblazers. Portland made a total of six
trades on draft day, and when the dust settled Roy was headed to a
team only two hours away from his Seattle home. “It
definitely was a dream of mine to play in Seattle or play close to
Portland. It makes me comfortable to be able to go out there and
compete at my highest level,” Roy said. “I’ve
played a lot of games in Oregon, so hopefully they don’t boo
me too bad and hopefully they will be fans of mine now.”