Thursday, January 14, 1999
Basketball notebook
Never leave home without Baron
The Bruins have a 9-1 record when sophomore guard Baron Davis is
in the lineup; without him, UCLA sports a 2-2 record. The 1998
Pac-10 conference freshman of the year is coming off his finest
performance of the season. Davis scored 22 points in 35 minutes in
a 65-63 victory over the Oregon Ducks in Eugene.
Lavin shows flexibility in starting lineup
UCLA head coach Steve Lavin has used 12 different starting
lineups this season. The highly touted freshman class has given
Lavin the opportunity to play a 10-player deep bench and substitute
freely depending upon the contrasting opponents.
"Everyone on the team understands that one practice can decide
whether they make the starting lineups for the next game," said
Lavin. "It’s not exclusive like a country club."
Bruins treated to top players over holidays
Junior forward Sean Farnham got the nod against Arizona at
Pauley Pavilion to open the Pac-10 season. In his first collegiate
start, he played seven minutes, scoring the second basket of the
game for two points and ignited the Bruins and the crowd to the
upset victory.
Baron Davis was named Pac-10 Conference Player of the Week (for
the week ending Jan. 5) after leading UCLA to four wins over the
Christmas holidays, including a sweep of the Arizona schools to
open the Pac-10 schedule.
"Baron came up big for us in the LMU, Arizona and Oregon games,"
said Lavin. "He is becoming the type of player we imagined when
recruiting him in his ability to take over game."
Injury report
Sophomore forward Billy Knight has elected to redshirt the
1998-99 basketball campaign. A groin injury that followed the flu
he caught early in the season has forced him to rehab in
preparation for next season.
JaRon Rush continues to experience pain in his lower back,
evident on the Oregon road trip. He was 4 of 23 from the floor
overall, including 0-10 from beyond the arc. But his 24 rebounds,
12 each game, places him 13th in the Pac-10 in rebounding.
"He made key plays to keep us in the Oregon State game and to
win the Oregon game," said Lavin. "He did not shoot well due to the
pain in his back but his rebounding and defense were
important."
Polls, statistics on
team standings
The Bruins have remained in the top 20 in both the Associated
Press and ESPN/USA Today polls after starting in the preseason as
No. 12 and 13, respectively. This week, they are ranked No. 10 by
the AP and No. 12 by ESPN.
The Bruins are No. 2 in the Pac-10 conference in scoring offense
at 80.5 points per game and ninth (second) in opponent scoring
offense at 71.2 points per game. Their 47.6 field goal percentage
was tops in the conference entering the Oregon road trip. UCLA is
also atop the Pac-10 charts in steals (10 1/2 per game) and
offensive rebounds (17 per game).
Prior to the loss to Oregon State in Corvallis, the Bruins were
9-0 when outshooting their opponents. UCLA took 81 shots last
Thursday while the Beavers took only 40. The Bruins lost 65-63 to
drop their first game in conference play.
Compiled by AJ Cadman, Daily Bruin senior staff.
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