Shootout to test Bruin strength

Wednesday, November 25, 1998

Shootout to test Bruin strength

MHOOPS: Team makes trek out

to Puerto Rico to open tournament featuring three other top 25
teams

By Brent Boyd

Daily Bruin Staff

While most students are at home chomping on turkey and mashed
potatoes this Thanksgiving weekend, members of the UCLA basketball
team will hope to have a feast of another kind – opposing
players.

And in Puerto Rico, no less.

The No. 10 Bruins head to San Juan this weekend to take part in
the eight-team Puerto Rico Shootout and in the process will
experience their first real test of the season.

UCLA (1-0) will open the tournament Thursday against the
University of San Francisco.

"It will give us a chance to see our strengths and weaknesses,"
UCLA head coach Steve Lavin said. "It gives our staff three days to
evaluate us against top talent. "

And, oh, is there some top talent awaiting the Bruins.

If UCLA beats USF (2-0), it will most likely face No. 5 Maryland
in the semi-finals. Maryland (4-0) plays American University of
Puerto Rico in the opening round.

No. 4 Kentucky (3-0) or No. 13 Xavier (3-0) should await the
winner in the championship game. The other teams on that side of
the bracket are Pittsburgh (4-0) and Colorado (4-0)

But don’t expect UCLA to look ahead. The Bruins know they have
to take care of business against the Dons first.

UCLA struggled with San Francisco’s conference foe Santa Clara
last week, and USF (2-0) has already beaten UC Santa Barbara and
St. Louis.

"We’re at a point where even the Taiwan team was a tough
opponent," Lavin said. "Plus, it’s a little easier knowing (USF)
was a NCAA Tourney team last year, so we’ll respect the Dons."

If history is any indicator, UCLA is ripe for an upset.

Three years in a row, the Bruins have participated in a major,
early-season tournament, and three years in a row the Bruins have
been first-round losers.

They lost to North Carolina last year in the Great Alaska
Shootout, two years ago to Tulsa in the Preseason NIT and the
1995-96 season started off with a loss to Santa Clara in the Maui
Invitational.

If UCLA does lose to San Francisco, it will still play its
allotted three games – but the last two would be in the loser’s
bracket.

Regardless, it looks like the Bruins will still have to play
without sophomore guard Baron Davis.

Although both coach and player say he has looked as good as he
ever has since his injury eight months ago, Davis still has not
been given the go-ahead to play.

"These back-to-back practices are the best that we’ve seen him
play in terms of intensity, enthusiasm and such," Lavin said. "But
we haven’t gotten any official word from the doctors. We’re still
working on the assumption he’s not going to play."

As for Davis, well …

"I feel great. But it’s not likely I’m going to play," he
said.

Otherwise, UCLA’s lineup won’t look much different than it did
in the 89-76 victory over Santa Clara last week.

Though Lavin has still not declared a starting lineup, the
Bruins will still substitute freely and show many different
combinations.

"We’re not going to sub to a point where there’s a chance we’ll
lose a game," Lavin said. "But, there are 14 players that I’m
comfortable putting in the game."

The schedule for the Puerto Rico Shootout: UCLA vs. San
Francisco Thursday at 3:30 p.m.; Winner’s bracket, Friday at 10:30
a.m. (ESPN2); Championship Saturday at 3:30 p.m. (ESPN2).MICHAEL
ROSS WACHT/Daily Bruin Senior Staff

Forward Rico Hines drives the ball past a Santa Clara defender
last week at the Pauley Pavilion.

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