DANIEL WONG/Daily Bruin Senior Staff
By Dylan Hernandez
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
So … what now?
Do the Bruins get hammered in the early rounds of the NCAA
Tournament?
Or do they somehow make a run through the tournament, salvaging
what would otherwise be remembered as a frustrating season?
No one can say one way or the other with any certainty.
UCLA’s performance throughout this year suggests the
former scenario is more likely to happen than the latter.
This is a Steve Lavin team, remember, and Lavin’s teams do
tend to peak in March.
“We’ve played our best ball during times like this
when we are being counted out,” UCLA forward Jason Kapono
said. “I don’t think we will have any (negative) drag
(going into the NCAA Tournament).”
But prior to each of Lavin’s past surges into the Sweet
16, there were precursors of what was to come. Those Bruin teams
went on runs toward the end of the regular season before making
their runs in the tournament.
This year’s Bruins have had no such signs. UCLA has had
its moments of brilliance, but they’ve been just that ““
moments, not sustained stretches. For every step of progress the
team appeared to make during the season, it took a tumble to the
floor, putting it a few paces behind the competition.
That could be because the team relies so much on a freshman
point guard, Cedric Bozeman.
Understand, however, that over the course of the season, the
Bruins have improved most facets of their game.
They’ve learned to mix up their set offense with their
motion attack.
They’ve managed to keep senior center Dan Gadzuric out of
foul trouble.
Their help defense, particularly in the block, is quicker.
And Lavin has been doing a better job with substitutions.
The one inconsistent element has been Bozeman.
When Bozeman can hit his open teammates and keep his turnovers
under control, the Bruins play well. When he doesn’t do this,
UCLA struggles.
Bozeman’s backup, redshirt freshman Ryan Walcott, is gutsy
and consistent, but he isn’t in the same class as Bozeman.
He’s much shorter than Bozeman and doesn’t pass nearly
as well. He’ll give a consistent albeit unspectacular
effort.
But if the Bruins are to make a run in the tournament,
they’ll need that spectacular performance from a point guard.
Consistency might get them by Ole Miss tomorrow, but not past
top-seeded Cincinnati on Sunday.
None of the Bruins, of course, is saying that, probably because
they don’t want to put any added pressure on a true freshman
who missed six weeks because of a knee injury.
All talks of Bozeman focus on the progress he’s made,
progress that everyone around him has publicly deemed
satisfactory.
“Cedric’s as poised as any freshman point guard
I’ve seen in this conference,” Lavin said.
“He’s struggled with other things, like his shot, but
he’s always kept me encouraged. I wouldn’t trade Cedric
for anybody.”
There is, however, only so much that Bozeman can control. His
output is often as dependent on the play of his teammates as it is
on his own.
At times, he’s appeared to be too mentally quick for his
own good. Several of his turnovers have come when he’s hit
unsuspecting teammates right in the hands.
Recently, Bozeman has said he feels more comfortable running the
Bruins’ offense, especially when Lavin calls for the team to
run motion. He says he’s learned his teammates’ habits
and that they’ve learned his.
“I feel good, I feel more free,” Bozeman said.
“My knee feels stronger and healthier. This is the perfect
time to feel confident.”
Shortly after providing that sound bite though, Bozeman turned
the ball over six times in just 12 minutes of play against Cal in
the opening round of the Pac-10 Tournament. None of those turnovers
were his teammates’ fault.
It is unlikely that Bozeman will turn into Magic Johnson
overnight and drive the team into the Final Four. He still
doesn’t have a jumpshot and lacks the physical strength to
consistently take the ball to the basket.
Bruin fans will probably have to wait a couple of more years for
Bozeman to become the player they expected him to be. Some fans
have grown impatient with him and doubt that will ever happen, but
they forget that a play-making point guard takes more time to
adjust than a scoring point guard, which Bozeman is not.
Bozeman will be a starter in the NBA one day. He has all the
characteristics of a great playmaker. He just needs more time to
develop.
Until then, there will be more turnovers, more headaches and
more frustrations. Plenty of those should come tomorrow and more
should follow on Sunday ““ assuming UCLA even gets that
far.
To expect anything more of him would be unrealistic.