From the press seats inside Pauley Pavilion, the UCLA men’s basketball team looks skinny.
Maybe it’s the comparative size of the cavernous arena which surrounds the players as they hustle through their only open practice of the year.
Maybe it’s those loose tank top practice jerseys that look straight out of a high school junior varsity scrimmage.
But the skinny on these Bruins, as far as I can tell, is that they are just that: skinny.
The core of this team is both long and lean. Anchored by the wing play of 6-foot-8-inch sophomore forward Tyler Honeycutt, who squeaks in at 183 pounds, and 6-foot-4 junior guard Malcolm Lee, who lists at 195, UCLA will try to slide past opposing defenses with a faster tempo than it has employed in years past.
Some of these Bruins have purposely slimmed down, as is the case with starting sophomore post Reeves Nelson.
Known to fans as the bulky, bruising, tatted forward who was second on last year’s team in rebounds, this year’s Reeves is carrying the weight of about twice as many tattoos, but is more lithe than lumpy overall. Apparently, he is sporting less than 6 percent body fat, which is about as much as you just digested from that Carl’s Jr. combo meal.
“Coach (Ben Howland) said he wants me to be ready to play 35 minutes a game this year,” Nelson said. “I know I’m going to have to be in great condition to be able to do that every game.”
Then, there’s Team Lank. Both 6-foot-9 and still quite gangly, sophomore forward Brendan Lane and redshirt freshman center Anthony Stover will be required to back up the post positions and bang around with the Pac-10’s big guys.
Lane actually gained weight this offseason, saying he’s added 20 pounds to get up to a slightly more robust 225, which will be necessary for him to contribute meaningful minutes.
Through the Bruins’ first 10 practices of the year, Howland has been emphasizing the transition game as a way for them to utilize their new slender identity.
“We’re not going to be a great rebounding team, but once we get (the ball) we’ve got to get out of there in a hurry,” Howland said.
The team is supposedly going back to the man-to-man defense that you all know and love here in Westwood. Honeycutt assured fans of why its returning.
“We’re all long and athletic, so we can defend real well,” he said.
But skinny is not only an anatomical distinction for this team. Even the roster is thin, with just 10 scholarship players suiting up, which has Howland stressing the importance of staying healthy and out of foul trouble.
That last bit is important for Josh Smith’s ears. The 305-pound freshman center isn’t exactly twiggy yet, but his much publicized efforts to get in shape will keep him on the floor, something Howland is banking on.
The eighth-year Bruin coach has not had total control over who is still left on his roster for this season. First, the NBA Draft took some pro bodies and then last year’s rash of departing transfers stole a healthy handful.
But in college basketball, there are more than a few ways to be successful. Even if your players are more comparable to broomsticks than boulders, a good coach’s style should always be one size fits all.