Friday, January 22, 1999
Gold Rush
RUSH: This highly-touted, highly-talented freshman is beginning
to shine both on and off the court as he
settles into life in Westwood
By AJ Cadman
Daily Bruin Staff
They call him Noodles.
But, this is not one of those nicknames given by the team to any
ordinary freshman, but to UCLA starting wing forward JaRon
Rush.
"It seems like he falls down a lot when he drives to the basket
during practice," said forward Jerome Moiso.
"His moves are so fluid that he looks like a thin, wet noodle,"
joked Bruin forward Sean Farnham.
"When he does an athletic move, his body twists like a noodle,"
Moiso added with a smile.
If this is what accurately describes the 6-foot-7 freshman from
Kansas City, Mo., then UCLA head coach Steve Lavin will be content
with this cup of noodles.
"He has a temperament and disposition on the floor that’s very
impressive," said Lavin. "He’s so levelheaded out there. Michael
Jordan has that presence, that aura. It’s surprising JaRon has that
because it usually has to be learned at the next level (the NBA).
He’s a high-impact player."
The No. 1 high school forward in the nation in 1998, as selected
by PrepStar magazine, finds himself a long way from home, but
secure in the hallowed confines of legendary Pauley Pavilion.
Like sophomore guard Earl Watson, Rush is also from the Kansas
City area. And like any freshman who goes away to college, Rush
experienced homesickness. It caused him to miss two practices and
the Loyola Marymount contest. He was suspended in UCLA’s victory
over the Arizona Wildcats, which he understood.
"(Watson) helped me out with that," said Rush about the
experience. "My family is very important to me, and that’s probably
why I stayed home. I wanted to be there for them just like they
have for the last 19 years of my life."
"It’s the same thing that I went through last year, so I
understand what it feels like," said Watson, Rush’s roommate.
"There’s not much you can do, but I just keep telling him to hang
in there."
"(Watson) is like an older brother to me even though I am older
than him," said Rush of their close relationship. "He was one of
the main reasons I came here."
His prep accolades are astounding. A 1998 McDonald’s high school
All-American, Rush also garnered first-team All-American honors in
Parade, PrepStar and Student Sports magazines. A finalist for the
1998 Naismath prep player of the year, he was a member of the USA
Basketball junior select national team with fellow freshman guard
Ray Young.
His statistics are astronomical. Under coach Rick Allison at
Pembroke Hill High School, the numbers only tell half the story. As
a senior last year, Rush averaged 32.0 points, 13.2 rebounds and
4.6 assists per game en route to a second consecutive Missouri
class 2A state championship.
And not only did he pad his statistics against the weak teams,
Rush shone in his team’s biggest games. He scored 26 points,
including six of 11 from three-point range, to go with nine
rebounds and six blocked shots in the 1998 state title game. In the
McDonald’s all-star game, he scored a team high 19 points in 20
minutes for the West squad in 128-112 loss to the East.
"The crowds in the college game get pretty big and can sometimes
make you really nervous," said Rush of his transition to college
basketball. "You are trying to prove to everybody that you are that
type of player that you were in high school. There can be a lot of
built-up pressure and I just try to play solid."
Rush’s least productive season was his freshman year, in which
he managed "only" 27.2 points and 11.9 rebounds. His junior year he
led Pembroke to a 32-0 record and the first of two state
championships.
He helped Pembroke compile a 112-9 (.925) overall record in his
four-year prep career. He scored 3,387 points during his high
school years, second in Missouri prep history. It is no wonder that
his success in college and his ability to make others play better
around him, afforded Rush the choice of UCLA for higher
education.
"UCLA has a great tradition in winning games. They are basically
in the Tournament every year," said Rush on his decision of UCLA
over Kansas. "I want to have that experience for the four years
that I am here. I want to be on a team that has a chance to win the
national title.
"There is life after basketball," said Rush. "I want to get a
good education here at UCLA. I want to set myself up for a good
life after that."
"I want to own a Cajun restaurant," Rush said, referring to his
future. "It’s always been a dream of mine."
He arrived in Westwood after dominating the Missouri prep ranks
only to find that this was not quite Kansas anymore.
Knowing that getting time in the rotation would be tough enough,
"Noodles" slithered his way into the starting lineup for opening
night against Santa Clara. Starting at small forward, Rush played
28 minutes and led the Bruins in scoring with 19 points and
rebounding with eight boards.
In the Puerto Rico Shootout, Rush continued to prove he belonged
on Lavin’s ever-changing lineup card. He played 32 minutes and
chipped in 14 points against defending national champion Kentucky.
He added eight points against nationally ranked Maryland earlier in
the tournament.
Following his one game suspension, Rush came back with fire as
he tied his season high Santa Clara game with 19 points in 34
minutes in an overtime victory over the Arizona State Sun Devils.
It was here that he began experiencing pain in his lower back. But
Rush just continued to play.
"The back is fine. I get treatment on it everyday," said Rush,
denying rumors that his back hinders his performance. "It hasn’t
affected my play."
But on the first Pac-10 road trip of the season along the Oregon
trail, Rush shot poorly, going four of 23 for the weekend,
including zero for 10 from downtown.
Although it is not uncommon to go through a small shooting
slide, this was quite out of the ordinary for the prolific
scorer.
"JaRon is pretty upbeat through it all," Lavin said. "He’s a
great competitor and is very resilient. He wants to be better. He
wants to shoot better. He wants to score."
But Lavin, the rest of the staff and the team are pleased with
the effort Rush demonstrates day in and day out for the Bruins.
Although his offensive output is not what some Bruin fans had
hoped, his intense defense and impressive rebounding makes up for
it all. He finished with 24 rebounds during the two-game Oregon
road trip.
And fortunately for Bruin fans, Rush silenced his critics on
Wednesday night against the hated Trojans at the L.A. Sports Arena.
Rush scored 15 points, including three for five from the
three-point line, and grabbed eight rebounds to help guide the
Bruins to an easy 98-80 victory.
"I got my confidence back," said Rush with a boyish smile.
His 25 minutes per game (third on the team) can be attributed to
his tenacious work ethic and persistence. He is currently averaging
10.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, the latter good enough for
13th in the conference.
His teammates describe him as talented, athletic and explosive.
And these skills need only the smallest amount of polish before
shining bright for UCLA. Fortunately for Lavin and Co., the Bruins
went on their Gold Rush early and acquired this young man’s
services – not to mention his upbeat and exuberant personality.
"He is the easiest person to get a smile out of," said
Lavin.
"On a scale of one to 10, he’s a nine in how easy it is to get a
smile from. Jerome (Moiso) is a 10 and Earl (Watson) is a two, so
that should give one an idea of what he brings to the table," Lavin
joked.
And now that the Pac-10 schedule is in full swing, it seems as
if Noodles is becoming as comfortable on the basketball court away
from his family as Top Ramen in a warm cup of water.
"I like the name," said Rush. "I think it’s gonna stick with me
for awhile."
UCLA hopes to keep him around for a while as well.
PATIL ARMENIAN/Daily Bruin
Freshman forward JaRon Rush in nicknamed "Noodles" because of
his on-court contortions.
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