UCLA Sports Info True freshman point guard Cedric
Bozeman will make his UCLA debut tonight when he takes the
court against EA Sports.
By Dylan Hernandez
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Since arriving in Westwood, Cedric Bozeman has only practiced
behind closed doors.
He is reputed to be more skilled than his predecessor at point
guard, Earl Watson, but with UCLA men’s basketball workouts
now closed to the public (and the media), no one outside of the
program has yet to see the true freshman face college-level
competition.
Is this gangly kid from Santa Ana Mater Dei High School as good
as everyone says? Or is he an overhyped player who feasted on
shorter guards in high school?
These questions are unlikely to be fully answered tonight when
the Bruins face an EA Sports squad filled with players no one has
ever heard of in an exhibition contest at Pauley Pavilion. This EA
Sports team is not the EA All-Star team that downed North Carolina
on Sunday. It is a team that carries a 1-3 record and was flogged
by San Diego State, Pepperdine and the University of San Diego
earlier this month. Its two tallest players, DeAnthony Langston and
L Dee Murdock, are 6-foot-9, only two inches taller than
Bozeman.
The game, however, should serve as some indicator of
Bozeman’s ability and how much of the Bruins’ offense
he has grasped.
“I’m not taking it as any pressure,” Bozeman
said of the game. “Practice has been tough in itself.
“The veterans have basically helped me through the
offense. So far, I’ve picked up about 85 to 90-percent of the
offense. I’m getting better with each practice.”
Publicly, at least, Bozeman’s teammates and coaches are
expressing their approval of his performance in the preseason. The
former McDonald’s High School All-American, they say, is the
point guard they envisioned him being.
“There is always a learning curve when making the
transition from high school to college.” UCLA head coach
Steve Lavin said. “Some players are more equipped, have gifts
to make a smoother transition than others. Cedric Bozeman is one of
these players whose poise, court savvy, disposition and temperament
are ideal for playing point guard.”
“He’s a true point guard,” junior forward
Jason Kapono said. “He thinks team first and isn’t
worried about shooting. He should be a nice fit for us.”
Praise has come from outside of the team as well. Syracuse guard
DeShaun Williams, who spent the summer alongside Bozeman working
out with a private trainer, was impressed with the youngster.
“You could say that I was surprised at how hard he worked
and how much he knew as just a freshman,” Williams said.
“They are going to be surprised by how much he can do.
Everyone will be surprised.”