Bozeman to undergo surgery on knee
By Daily Bruin Staff
Dec. 2, 2001 9:00 p.m.
 KEITH ENRIQUEZ/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Freshman point
guard Cedric Bozeman prepares to take a jump shot
against Pepperdine in a game earlier this season.
By Greg Schain
Daily Bruin Reporter
UCLA freshman point guard Cedric Bozeman will undergo surgery
early next week to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee. The
injury was discovered after an MRI done last Thursday night.
The surgery will take place early next week in the UCLA Medical
Center, and Bozeman is expected to miss approximately four to six
weeks.
“I was pretty devastated when I first found out,”
Bozeman said. “But better they catch it now than later in the
season.”
Bozeman said he first felt the injury after UCLA’s opening
game against Houston at the Maui Invitational. He mentioned the
pain to head coach Steve Lavin at the time, but downplayed its
significance.
“He mentioned his knee was sore, and there was
swelling,” Lavin said.
Lavin and the trainers thought the pain was due to minor
tendinitis, which is common in basketball players.
But when the pain never subsided, the trainers decided to order
an MRI, which revealed the torn meniscus in the cartilage.
Bozeman thinks the injury might have played a role in his subpar
performance over the last few games. In the first four games of the
season, Bozeman was averaging 25 minutes, 5.3 points, 2.3 rebounds
and 3.3 assists per game.
“I haven’t been explosive and haven’t been
able to turn corners like I want to,” he said. “And I
haven’t been able to push the ball up the court as fast as I
know I can.”
UCLA has several options to replace Bozeman at the point guard
position. The two most likely candidates are freshman Dijon
Thompson and junior Jason Kapono.
Thompson played point guard his junior year of high school, but
switched out of the position his senior year when new talent
arrived. He has spent some time in practice playing the point and
says he is ready to start there if called upon.
“I feel comfortable playing the point,” Thompson
said. “I enjoy it, and it’s always nice to have a new
experience.”
Kapono also says he can step in if needed.
“I’m going to have to shift my mind-set in practice
to playing the point,” he said. “Instead of trying to
be a scorer, I’m going to work on creating more.”
Rico Hines could also see time at the point guard position.
Sitting for a month or more may hurt Bozeman’s
development.
According to Lavin, the early part of the season is normally a
critical period for freshmen to adjust to their new teammates and
the new offensive and defensive systems.
Bozeman will have to find other ways to learn UCLA’s style
of play.
“The best experience is through trial and error,”
Lavin said. “But Cedric won’t be able to do that. His
role will be similar to that of a backup quarterback calling in
plays to the starter.”
This won’t be Bozeman’s first-ever surgery. He
previously went under the knife to correct a problem in his right
shoulder.
He describes himself as a “quick healer” and hopes
to be back sooner than four weeks.
