Baron of the court

Thursday, December 10, 1998

Baron of the court

FEATURE: Bouncing back from injury, Davis attempts to rediscover
old talent, charm

By Brent Boyd

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

Nearly nine months ago, Baron Davis sat on the Bruin sideline in
St. Petersburg’s Tropicana Field in agony.

Flanked by teammates, yet still all alone, he watched,
suffering, as his team was embarrassed by Kentucky and eliminated
from the NCAA Tournament.

And for the first time in his life, he was completely helpless
on a basketball court.

For the first time in his basketball career, his cat-like
quickness, eyes-in-the-back-of-the-head passing talent and sheer
athletic ability were rendered useless. He couldn’t save his team
this time – a difficult task considering the brace on his left knee
and a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) inside it.

For the first time in his basketball career, Baron Davis could
do nothing but sit and watch.

"It was the worst, the worst. It was the worst feeling," Davis
said of that 94-68 loss last March, "because it was like I let my
teammates down. I left them out there.

"That was definitely the lowest point."

It’s an image he can’t get out of his mind.

But a long and frustrating 38 weeks later, he’s at a point where
that feeling can finally be erased from his mind. Finally, Davis is
up to his old tricks again.

There are the no-look passes that surprise even the intended
recipient, the quickness which renders the opposition defenseless
and the enthusiasm that just forces everyone to play harder.

Almost 270 days since he tore his ACL by turning too fast on his
post-dunk landing, almost 270 days since suffering his
season-ending and potentially career-threatening injury in the
second round of the NCAA Tournament, Davis is back on the court
after a lengthy rehabilitation process.

No doubt that the team loves having the point guard back.

Even if it’s not the original version – not yet, anyway.

This is not the Baron Davis of old. He shot an air-ball against
Oklahoma State on Saturday, blew two free throws that could have
clinched the victory in that same game, and (according to his own
count) has missed seven lay-ups in under 35 minutes of action.

"It’s frustrating in a way," the sophomore guard said. "But I
have to keep going at it. I’ve been missing lay-ups and such, I’ve
just got to finish."

For one minute in Tuesday’s intrasquad scrimmage it seemed as if
Davis had put the ghosts of his rehab behind him. For a magical
minute, he was the Baron Davis that Bruin fans learned to love last
year, and opponents loved to loathe.

In that one minute he hit a three-pointer, stole the in-bounded
ball, put it back up for a lay-up, blocked a shot on the defensive
end, then put a fake on a defender who still didn’t know what hit
him, and flew past two other helpless opponents to the basket.

And missed the lay-up.

And with that one missed shot and with his ensuing scream, one
could tell it still wasn’t the same Davis that won the Pac-10
Freshman of the Year award last season.

Ten seconds after the blown lay-up, when play had ceased, he
looked up at the scoreboard and screamed at no one in particular –
except – perhaps -for himself. It was this one word that seemed to
sum up his entire rehabilitation.

"Finish," he yelled loud enough for all in Pauley Pavilion to
notice, though few showed any signs they did.

Although he no doubt was referring to his latest miss, he could
have just as easily been referring to the rehabilitation that has
consumed the last 38 weeks of his life.

The past nine and a half months have been dedicated to one
thing, and one thing only – a return to the basketball court and
the desire to put the feelings of the Kentucky game behind him.

The return came sooner than many people had expected. And
despite his difficulties, he doesn’t exactly look like a player who
hasn’t played in a game that mattered since March.

He has already played in two games, starting last Saturday’s
contest against Oklahoma State. In 35 minutes of action he has 16
points, four rebounds, two steals and already stands at fourth on
the team with seven assists.

Against OSU, he made a key defensive steal with a minute and a
half remaining, and then blocked a potential game-tying shot in the
final seconds to preserve the Bruin win.

"I think he is further along than I would have imagined in the
rehabilitative process," UCLA head coach Steve Lavin said. "It’s
great to have him back, he’s got that contagious enthusiasm about
him. He makes so much difference in the game."

But he would have never been back this soon if not for his
intense rehabilitation. Working with Los Angeles Lakers team doctor
Stephen Lombardo, Davis has been through a grueling few months.

For the first two weeks after his April surgery, he was in a
brace 18 hours a day and had ice on his knee the other six.

"I was rehabbing for 20 hours a day." Davis said.

After two weeks of just sitting around, there was a month of
flexing and leg extensions – two-and-a-half to four hours per
day.

The following two months he could walk – by now, without a limp
– and was able to start jogging towards the beginning of
summer.

"By the end of summer I was able to sprint ahead, but I couldn’t
make any turns," he said.

Not until Nov. 11, nearly eight months to the day after he
limped off the court in Atlanta, was Davis cleared to participate
in basketball drills.

For 241 days Baron Davis was not allowed to play the game he had
never before been without.

"Oh God, it was complete agony," Davis said of his rehab period
that is within weeks of ending. "That’s the only word to describe
it. It was trying, it was a character test. You have to work and
you have to do it every day. It was just something you had to do,
and sometimes the results don’t come as soon as you want."

But for someone that had already been through so much in life,
this was just another test for Davis.

Growing up in South Central, his house was located two blocks
away from a hot spot in the 1992 L.A. Riots. Davis learned to be
tough and he learned that nothing comes easy.

"From where I grew up, it helped me a lot," he said. "You got to
be tough, you got to be strong. You can’t be soft or people will
walk all over you, especially in my neighborhood."

Although he attended high school outside of his neighborhood –
at Santa Monica’s Crossroads High – Davis’ toughness was tested
more than ever.

In October 1996 his sister, Lisa Hodoh, bought a truck from
then-UCLA head coach Jim Harrick and gave it to Davis. Though this
was later cleared of any wrongdoing by the NCAA, word of potential
violations spread quickly throughout Westwood and the college
basketball world, putting Davis in the national spotlight.

"That makes you a stronger person," he said. "Being a kid in
high school and going through something like that, that type of
magnitude, it helps you grow up. It teaches you to grow up and be a
man and it just asks for toughness from you, character wise."

Nevertheless, the rehabilitation was a tough time for Davis.

Basketball was like a mirage for him. He could see it, feel it
and taste it – he just couldn’t play it.

For five weeks in the summer during his freshman year of high
school, he was sidelined by a broken ankle. Beyond that, Davis
never knew what it was like to not be able to play the game he
loved.

And so, doctoral advice be damned, he tried to play.

"Actually, my first pick-up game was in the summer, against the
doctor’s orders," he said with a grin that was difficult to tell
whether it resulted from guilt or slyness. "I got in trouble for
it, he almost killed me."

When the UCLA players returned to school in September for
conditioning drills, they often played pick-up games after
workouts. There was only one rule – no Baron, no matter how much he
begged.

"We used to kick him off the court and he’d get mad at us," said
sophomore guard Earl Watson, Davis’ close friend. "He’d try to play
but everyone would just stop playing until he left the court. He
got mad and wouldn’t talk to us for like 20 minutes and then he’d
say that was the best thing we could have done. He’d thank us the
next day."

Not playing hoops caused problems for Davis, however. Unable to
spend his time with his favorite pastime, he wasted the hours with
another hobby.

He’d eat.

"I just ate and watched TV," he said. "I eat a lot naturally,
but I wasn’t burning anything. I was eating pizza and Mojo potatoes
from Shakey’s with (teammate) Travis Reed every day. But I wasn’t
playing any basketball."

As a result, his weight ballooned from 205 to 230.

Still trying to work the extra weight off – he’s at 210 now –
Davis is in the final stages of his rehabilitation.

A few more weeks and he will be at full strength and back to as
good as new.

Perhaps he’ll be better than the player that averaged 11.7
points, 4.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists last year.

Perhaps, he’ll be back to the player that had the second-highest
steal total in UCLA history last season.

Perhaps he’ll never get back to the player he once was. But,
then again, he could be even better than before.

"Physically it’s his conditioning," Lavin said. "With his
conditioning his play will definitely improve."

And he’ll be back to take his role as the leader on the team – a
role he inherits by being its leading returner in points, assists,
rebounds and steals.

"The team with him has depth, and defensively and offensively
he’s another leader on the court. He’s a man who makes big plays in
crunch time," Watson said.

He has already made a difference in a game this year, blocking
the shot at the end of the Oklahoma State contest last Saturday to
seal the Bruin upset. But, for Davis, that wasn’t the greatest
reward for his dedication over the last few months.

That came three days earlier – against Delaware State in Pauley
Pavilion. Entering a game for the first time in March, Davis walked
on the court midway through the first half to the raucous cheers of
the 8,000 fans in attendance.

"That was the highest I ever felt while playing basketball," he
said. "Just being able to come back to our home game with our fans.
Our fans are wonderful, I got a standing ovation. I didn’t know how
to react to it. I was just excited to be out there – my emotions
were just running wild. That felt the best being out there with
this group of guys."

For now he’ll just have to be content with playing about 20
minutes a game – that is, until Dr. Lombardo gives him permission
to play more. It is expected that some time in January he will be
able to play the amount of minutes that he is used to.

But for now he’s just focused on trying to finish – both his
shots and his rehabilitation.

"Now that I’m able to play I’m getting better," Davis said.
"Game in and game out, I’m feeling a lot more comfortable. I’m
getting a better feel for the game. Slowly, slowly my conditioning
is improving, slowly."

If he has it his way, he’ll be back at full strength soon and
back at Tropicana Field this March.

Only this time it would be for the Final Four – and this time,
the only helpless players will be his opponents.

Now that would be quite a finish.MARY CIECEK

Sophomore guard Baron Davis is slowly making a comeback after
injuring his knee late last season.

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