Home-game loss a learning experience

In the week following its record-setting 25-point home
exhibition loss, the UCLA basketball team has done everything short
of sending chocolates and personalized notes of gratitude to Branch
West Basketball Academy for delivering such a resounding wake-up
call.

“The valuable part of getting waxed on your home floor is
that it gives you an immediate report card,” head coach Steve
Lavin said. “As a coach, it’s a blessing when your
deficiencies are exposed early in the season.”

Humbled, but promising greater focus, the Bruins host the EA
Sports East All-Stars tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Pauley Pavilion for
the team’s last exhibition game of the season.

Though it would be a tad hyperbolic before Thanksgiving to say
UCLA is already facing a must-win scenario, and in an exhibition
game no less, concern exists over the lack of offensive ball
movement and defensive intensity.

“We saw what we did wrong out there,” senior guard
Ray Young said. “We didn’t play as a team. We were
basically just five individuals out there.”

As the deficit became wider in the 92-67 loss last week, shots
started to go up with 25 or more seconds left on the shot clock,
which gave Branch West occasionally effortless transition
points.

Lavin stressed in practice the value of getting the ball around
and sustaining defensive effort, but he’s also taking more of
a big-picture view of his young team’s development.

“We’re a team that’s in transition,”
Lavin said. “At UCLA, you’re not allowed to have
rebuilding years, but we have three kids who are freshmen
transitioning from high school. And we have players who last year
were complementary players that this year are going to play more
prominent roles.”

Lavin said he may give more minutes to his starters tonight.
Eight different Bruins played 10 minutes or more against Branch
West, as Lavin used the opportunity to observe some of his more
inexperienced players’ reactions in front of a crowd and
outside practice.

As has been customary, Lavin and his team used a cornucopia of
analogies to explain the team’s position, but with finals
around the corner, Jason Kapono’s evaluation seemed most
apropos.

“We got our early test scores back, and we’re weak
in a few areas,” he said.

Luckily for the Bruins, this test ““ like that against
Branch West ““ counts for zero percent of their final
grade.