M.Hoops notebook

Wednesday, January 27, 1999

M.Hoops notebook

Davis named player of the week

For the second time this month, sophomore guard Baron Davis was
named the Pac-10 player of the week.

In the Bruins’ two wins over USC and Louisville last week, Davis
averaged 20.5 points, 4.0 assists, 2.5 steals and 2.5 rebounds.

At Louisville, Davis had one of the better games of his career,
scoring a career-high 25 points to go along with six assists.

Gadzuric may not play Thursday

Freshman center Dan Gadzuric is not expected to play Thursday at
Washington State.

He sprained his ankle against USC a week ago and missed UCLA’s
82-70 victory over Louisville Saturday. Although he will probably
dress in uniform – unlike last weekend – it is still doubtful that
he will play.

"We can suit him up on Thursday, but we’re not sure yet (about
him playing)," Lavin said. "We need to talk to the doctors."

This may be a blessing in disguise for both Gadzuric and the
Bruins, however.

"We wouldn’t have scripted it this way, but he’s getting his
necessary rest for the tendinitis in his ankles," Lavin said.

Gadzuric has been suffering from the tendinitis all season long
and was not expected to have a chance to rest his ankles until the
end of the season.

Bruins ahead of schedule

Lavin may think the club has a long way to go, but he is also
impressed with how much the young team has progressed.

"As a team, I think we’re ahead of schedule," Lavin said. "I
would have guessed we’d be 11-7 or 12-6 at this point, and at the
bottom of the Top 25."

Instead, the Bruins stand at 14-4 and are No. 11 in both the AP
and coaches polls.

Team improvements still necessary

The Bruins have rolled off five consecutive impressive
performances, yet Lavin still doesn’t know exactly how good his
team is.

"It’s still a work in progress," he said. "We have a long way to
go."

In the past five contests, the Bruins won at Oregon, dominated
California, Louisville and USC, and played tough in a loss to
Stanford.

But, count Lavin as one who wasn’t too impressed with UCLA’s
solid second-half performance against Louisville.

"When I watched the Louisville game on tape, I was really
disappointed because there were a lot of things that I thought we
didn’t do well," he said. "But Stanford was the opposite. I was
really depressed after the game, but when I was watching film at
three or four in the morning, I thought it was the best game of the
season."

Notes compiled by Brent Boyd, Daily Bruin Senior Staff.

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