Rising junior guard Tyler Lamb jumps up for a shot.
Ben Howland won’t be pointing any fingers ““ at least for the time being. The UCLA men’s basketball coach and his team are traveling to China for the coming week, where the Bruins will play three exhibition games, travel the country and make guest appearances.
In China, using the index finger to point is considered offensive, and for Howland, who constantly directs traffic from the sidelines using his pointer finger, this will be one of many adjustments he’ll have to make for the coming week.
“Usually, I’m saying, “˜Peter, get that guy over there,'” Howland said while pointing to his left. “So I’ve got to be careful of what I’m doing when we’re coaching.”
Experiencing Chinese culture is going to be a primary goal for Howland and his Bruins this week, as they have been given an opportunity few other college basketball teams have.
“The big goal on this trip is to have fun,” Howland said. “I want our kids to have a great experience and really enjoy the opportunity to see the culture of China.”
Along with getting to travel to China for a week, UCLA has had the opportunity to start practicing earlier than other Division I basketball programs in preparation for the exhibition games in China.
“It’s a big advantage,” said rising junior guard Tyler Lamb. “We got a certain number of practices and we’re going to have three games under our belt already (while) other teams have just done workouts in the summer.”
The early practices were supposed to be a perfect time to start integrating the four new freshmen – guards Jordan Adams, Kyle Anderson and Shabazz Muhammad along with forward Tony Parker – to the team.
Unfortunately for the Bruins, Anderson, Muhammad and Parker have dealt with injuries since practice started. Anderson missed the first few weeks of practice as he recovered from surgery on his thumb, while Muhammad hurt his ankle and Parker strained his hamstring.
Of the three, Anderson is the only one who will compete in China, although he’s still recovering from the injury.
“Kyle’s thumb is still being taped rather heavily,” Howland said. “It’s a little uncomfortable for him to have the tape on and hopefully when we get to the regular season he won’t have to wear that, but I think it’s smart to be conservative with it. We don’t want him to sustain another injury to that thumb.”
Despite not being able to play, Parker will still travel with the team, while Muhammad will have has to stay in Westwood because of an ongoing NCAA investigation dealing with his eligibility.
“It is what it is,” said rising redshirt junior forward David Wear. “We’re hopeful that he’ll be back soon, but we’re putting our heads down as we continue to work and do what we’ve got to do to prepare to have a good season.”
Even with the questions surrounding Muhammad’s eligibility and the team’s health, UCLA is looking forward to the opportunity at hand.
“I’m excited about (the trip),” Wear said. “I think it’s a good blend of playing basketball while at the same time being able to sightsee and see everything that is a part of their culture.”