Men’s basketball freshman Kevon Looney displays flexibility on court

The UCLA men’s basketball team held its first open practice Wednesday at Pauley Pavilion since the flood in late July severely damaged the arena, leading to a number of renovations, including a brand new court.

A new weight room, training room and nutrition room were installed, along with, for now at least, a gleaming, unblemished court.

While coach Steve Alford was pleased with the new pieces in the arena, he’s more eager to finally see how his new pieces perform in it starting this Friday in the team’s lone exhibition game against Azusa Pacific.

Perhaps the most intriguing of the bunch is freshman Kevon Looney. Listed as a forward, Looney possesses the ball-handling skills of a guard while still being a capable rebounder, giving Alford and UCLA a plethora of options on the court.

“Being able to swing Kevon in a lot of areas, now that he is healthy, really helps us because we can go big because that is what is going to be different (than last year),” Alford said. “Knowing that we can play Kevon (at guard) … gives us a little bit more flexibility in the backcourt that I’m not for sure we thought we had maybe seven or eight days ago.”

Equally encouraging is Looney’s increased flexibility. After battling a right hip injury that limited his range of motion for much of the last month, Looney said that he is now 100 percent and is going through rehab as a preventative measure.

The return to form has led to an increased comfort on the court for Looney, who said that the biggest transition for him from high school to college has been learning Alford’s system. On the defensive end, Looney is expected to be one of the team’s top rebounders while also serving as a facilitator on offense. It’s a role he said he is ready for.

“I did a lot of (handling the ball) in high school. Doing that is a little bit of transition, (but) I can outlet pass or push it, so I’m good at starting the break,” Looney said. “I want to be able to dominate the boards. I want to be the best rebounder in the conference and on our team so that’s something I’m going to focus on.”

A lot on his plate

Kormend, Hungary is more than 6,100 miles away from Los Angeles.

Naturally, it has taken some time to adjust for freshman forward Gyorgy Goloman, who hails from the town.

“(It’s) not hard, it’s just Los Angeles,” Goloman said with a laugh. “Hungary is a whole different world; it’s hard to even explain without experiencing it, but I like (Los Angeles) a lot.”

Goloman, who spent his senior year of high school in Florida, said that the food was what he missed most about Hungary, though he has developed a liking for wings and Mexican food since arriving in Los Angeles.

Whether those are a part of UCLA’s nutrition plan remains to be seen, but they will certainly help Goloman’s targeted weight goal of 220 pounds, up eight from his current weight.

And though he is currently undersized and raw as a player, Alford said that Goloman, along with sophomore forward Wanaah Bail, has emerged as one of the team’s pleasant surprises this offseason.

“(He’s a) really skilled 6-foot-10 kid, has to get stronger and he’s working every day on that; he lifts one or two more times than what the rest of the guys are doing,” Alford said. “But he’s got an incredible skill set and we are seeing that. Very, very good passing big man and that’s really helped us offensively.”