[Online Exclusive]: Mata back in the game despite injury

Through four games in the NCAA Tournament, UCLA sophomore
Lorenzo Mata is averaging 8.5 minutes, 2.3 rebounds and 2.3 points
per game.

That’s exactly 8.5 minutes, 2.3 rebounds and 2.3 points
more per game than his coach and UCLA fans expected of Mata just a
few weeks ago.

On the bench since Jan. 12 after he fractured his right tibia in
a freak collision with teammate Jordan Farmar, all signs of
Mata’s return pointed toward next year.

Senior Ryan Hollins had assumed dominant control of the center
position by playing the best basketball of his career.

Freshman Alfred Aboya solidified his role as Hollins’
backup.

Even UCLA coach Ben Howland, at his weekly press conference
before the Bruins’ final pair of games of the conference
season on Feb. 28, said Mata was still a “long ways
away” and doubted he’d make a significant impact on the
court this season.

One problem. No one told Mata.

Against Memphis in the Elite Eight, the sophomore scored the
third-most points (four) and pulled down the third-most rebounds
(six) for UCLA, helping to send the Bruins to their first Final
Four since 1995. Significant enough?

“I guess I changed coach’s mind,” said Mata,
who returned during the Pac-10 Tournament and has seen his minutes
increase ever since.

“(The leg) started to feel a lot better at the end of the
season so I was just out there practicing and coach watched me.

“It’s still a little sore. But it’s the NCAA
Tournament, man. I’m doing whatever I can to be out
there.”

There were plenty of times, however, that Mata didn’t
think he’d be able to play in the NCAA Tournament.

The sophomore thought the pain in his leg would subside a short
time after sustaining the injury. He became frustrated when he was
still experiencing throbbing pain in the leg weeks later.

Yet Mata didn’t let that dissuade his rehabilitation. He
found a home away from home at the Acosta Center adjacent to Pauley
Pavilion, where he spent three hours every day strengthening his
leg.

“There was a point that it was really hurting a lot, and I
didn’t know what was going to happen,” Mata said.
“I was just trying to stay positive. I’m glad I got it
back.”

It’s not the only injury this season that Mata has had to
recover from.

On Dec. 1, he sustained a concussion in practice and missed the
next two games.

On Dec. 17, he had several teeth knocked out at Michigan, but
remained in the game.

On Jan. 7, he slightly fractured his nose at Arizona State and
remained in the game with tissue in his nose to stop the
bleeding.

Mata’s presence in the NCAA Tournament is as much a
product of his determination as it is a precaution against
something similar happening to one of his teammates.

“You never know when someone’s going to go
down,” Mata said.

Especially with this year’s Bruin team.

LATE-NIGHT DISTRACTION: On the night before
UCLA’s game against Memphis last Saturday in Oakland, Howland
said autograph seekers were knocking on many of the Bruin
players’ doors well past midnight. In Indianapolis, Howland
said there would be full-time security in the hotel to ensure what
happened in Oakland isn’t repeated. While several Bruins
slept peacefully before Saturday’s game against Memphis,
Hollins said someone was knocking on his door during the wee hours
of the morning. “But the way he played,” Howland said,
“I’m going to have someone knocking on his door most of
Friday night for our game this Saturday.” Hollins finished
with 14 points and a team-high nine rebounds against the Tigers and
was named the Oakland Regional’s Most Outstanding Player.

NOTHING’S FREE: UCLA went 20-for-39 from
the free-throw line against Memphis last Saturday, with Hollins the
biggest repeat offender, making only two of 11 foul shots. Against
Alabama the week before, the Bruins only made five of 13 shots from
the charity stripe, which hasn’t been that charitable to UCLA
in the NCAA Tournament. In the game against Memphis, Howland said
Hollins in particular was going through his free-throw shooting
routine way too quickly.

“Hollins was so sped up, so amped up, that his routine was
twice as fast as you’d want it to be,” Howland said.
“He just has to slow down and take a nice breath. There have
been studies that when you take a breath, it relaxes your nervous
system.

“That’s poor coaching. I’m the free-throw
coach. It’s my fault. Imagine if we had lost that game, not
only how I would feel, but how the players would feel for missing
all of those free throws.”

THE DIVE: UCLA freshman Luc Richard Mbah a
Moute said he’s received a lot of praise for his role in the
Bruins’ dramatic come-from-behind victory over Gonzaga in the
Sweet 16. He said almost none of it had to do with his lay-up with
8.6 seconds remaining that gave UCLA the lead. Instead, his friends
have commented on his ensuing steal with 2.6 seconds left, which
involved a maneuver more commonly found on a soccer field than a
basketball court. Trailing Gonzaga point guard Derek Raivio, Mbah a
Moute dove from mid-court and cleanly stole the ball from
underneath Raivio, stopping just above his own 3-point line.
“I played goalie in soccer (back in Cameroon), and I always
really wanted the ball,” Mbah a Moute said. “When I saw
it (Thursday), I knew I could get it. I’m not sure if it was
a soccer move, though.”

DRIBBLERS: Howland said senior center Michael
Fey, who has played only four minutes in the NCAA Tournament, could
likely see court time helping defend LSU’s Glen “Big
Baby” Davis. “(Fey’s) big body could definitely
be a factor for us,” Howland said. “When we’re
talking about Big Baby, we need big bodies.” Davis is
6-foot-9 and weighs in at 310 pounds. “¦ This being
Howland’s first Final Four, the UCLA coach called up two
coaches who’ve already been there and done that. One was Jim
Harrick, the last coach to lead UCLA to a national championship in
1995. The other was Memphis coach John Calipari, whom Howland just
beat to get to the Final Four. “¦ The Bruins leave Wednesday
for Indianapolis.