Brian Thompson With graduation looming,
Thompson desperately wants to be a freshman again. Share your
favorite freshman memories or any other comments with him by
e-mailing him at: [email protected].
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We all have to admit, there’s a special place in our
hearts for freshmen.
Sure, they might be a bit naive and impressionable. But the
innocence, energy and eagerness they exude is quite refreshing.
Don’t we all wish we could go back to those worry-free
days?
We have this special place in our hearts for freshmen because we
see a little of ourselves in them. Of course, all of those
’80’s teen movies taught us that it’s never cool
to be down with the freshman class. But one place where we are able
to reveal our soft spot for these young tykes is on the basketball
court.
UCLA fans have always felt a special connection to the new
freshmen on the basketball squad. We seem to root extra-hard for
these 18- and 19-year-olds to succeed. When these kids take the
floor, the dynamic of the game changes.
This year’s team, with its veteran core, has provided the
perfect environment for the freshmen to ease into college
basketball. It has also provided an opportunity for us fans to be a
little more patient with them.
Rico Hines, Billy Knight, Jason Kapono, Matt Barnes and Dan
Gadzuric ““ the starting five ““ have all been here a
while. Outside of watching Barnes drop 30-plus points, we all
somewhat know what to expect out of these guys.
This year, there are three true freshmen on the squad: guards
Cedric Bozeman and Dijon Thompson and forward Andre Patterson. And
when any of these guys enter a game, there’s an added buzz
around Pauley Pavilion.
That’s because we really don’t know what to
expect.
When Bozeman threads the needle with an amazing pass, Thompson
drains a three-pointer from the wing, or Patterson rises above
everyone to snatch a rebound, we fans seem to feel a sense of pride
and relief. It’s almost like we’re parents watching our
sons or daughters do something great that makes us proud.
At the same time, we are much more forgiving of the mistakes a
freshman makes. We seem to quickly forget an errant pass or and
ill-advised shot.
Bruin fans accept that there are going to be growing pains.
One only needs to look at how the fans treat a player like Hines
compared to how they treat Bozeman to illustrate that point.
Freshmen on the floor add a sense of nervous anticipation. We
think of them as being a bit more fragile, so we cheer loudly
either to let them know we appreciate their successes or pick them
up when they fail.
They seem to be more like us, less like your stereotypical,
egotistical athlete. It’s that whole innocence thing again.
And they play with a sense of urgency, as they know they need to
impress the coaches to get more playing time. Again, it’s the
eagerness and energy that we appreciate.
This campus’ love affair with freshmen goes back decades.
More recently, who could forget the impact of Toby Bailey and J.R.
Henderson as freshmen in the 1994-95 season? There would be no 11th
banner in Pauley without them.
In 1997-98, there was the Baron Davis and Earl Watson team. You
had the showy, all-world point guard and the no-name, always
hustling shooting guard. That team had its ups and downs, but it
was always exciting. The fans remember Baron’s thundering
dunks and not that he fouled out of nearly every game.
Fans feel their special bond with the freshmen out there on the
basketball court. But just like little boys and girls grow up,
freshmen become sophomores. And those sophomores are suddenly
subjected to all sorts of criticism and abuse. It’s just like
when all of us became sophomores and suddenly had to grow up a
little bit.
It might be tough for Bozeman, Thompson and Patterson next year.
The expectations will be greater on them. So boys, enjoy the love
while it lasts! Next year, there will be a new group of freshmen
for us fans to take under our wing.