Guard Lazeric Jones faces former teammate as men’s basketball shoots for critical win against Arizona

Forget the fact that the Bruins are playing their biggest conference game of the year.

Lazeric Jones is getting ready for a college reunion ““ and he hasn’t even graduated from UCLA.

Tonight in Tucson, Ariz., the junior transfer guard will look across the court and see the second member of the “one-two punch” that led John A. Logan College to a conference title.

Jones and Arizona forward Jesse Perry led the Logan Volunteers to a 24-7 record as junior college sophomores, clinging to the dream of playing for big-time schools one day.

“We always talked about going somewhere big and doing something great, but you never know until you get there and have that feeling,” Jones said.
He’s there now, reunited with Perry and playing for second place in the Pac-10 in front of a national television audience.

But there were no guarantees two years ago when Jones decided to enroll in junior college.

“It was really tough, actually,” Jones said. “I really didn’t want to go the JUCO route, but my parents and my high school coaches really sat me down and made me feel at ease with it.

“When I got there, it was some rough times. You have to learn at the college level. … Those junior college players, they were better than I thought they were going to be. I think I kind of underestimated them, and I really got a good learning experience.”

Perry was one such good player ““ so good he’s starting for the Wildcats (16-4, 5-2 Pac-10) and averaging six points and four rebounds per game.

He’s one of a number of potential threats the Bruins (13-6, 5-2 Pac-10) will have to guard against if they hope to steal a critical road victory.

Though Arizona fell out of the top 25 last week, its rating in the Rating Percentage Index remains in the top 25 in the nation. A trip to Tucson means a chance for one more “quality” win.

“It’s a huge weekend for us,” redshirt freshman center Anthony Stover said. “To get down there and actually win at Arizona would help us stay on (Washington’s) heels in the Pac-10. And Arizona is ranked high in the RPI so it’s going to help us at tournament time.”

Stover is a relatively new addition to the Bruin starting five. He was rewarded for his work ethic at the defensive end with his first start against California on Jan. 20.

Tonight, he will be punished with the task of guarding Derrick Williams ““ the sophomore forward some have slated as the NBA draft’s No. 1 pick.

Williams averages nearly 20 points per game and gets to the free-throw line as often as anyone in college basketball. No other Wildcat averages more than 8.5 points per game.

“(Williams had) been underrated coming out of high school,” sophomore forward Tyler Honeycutt said. “A lot of people didn’t know about him. Then he kind of blew up on the scene.”

But Williams is far from the only concern.

Coach Ben Howland noted Arizona’s aggressive transition offense and junior guard Kyle Fogg as other potential trouble spots.

Fogg averages only seven points per game, but against UCLA, it’s a different story.

Fogg set career-highs in scoring with 25 and 26 points in two regular-season contests against the Bruins last season.

“Fogg has just annihilated us,” Howland said, adding that junior guard Malcolm Lee will defend the sharpshooter.

While Lee chases Fogg, Jones will likely defend the Wildcats’ other guard on the perimeter, and he and Lee both might be asked to help down low against Williams.

While he’s down in the paint, Jones will probably bump into Perry. Jones knows this is a big game for the entire team, but it’s even more important for him.

“The most exciting thing is that I get to talk to Jesse and see him again in person and play against him once again,” Jones said.

He doesn’t mind bumping into his friend. In fact, running into him at McKale Center is a sort of validation.

It means they both did something big, something great.