Lavin optimistic at press conference
UCLA head coach Steve Lavin held his first press conference of
the season Thursday, where he addressed a potpourri of issues
regarding his team, himself and the Pac-10.
What he said:
“¢bull; Lavin seems content with the balance of veteran team
leaders, such as fifth-year senior Ray Young and senior Jason
Kapono, and talented freshmen, such as Ryan Hollins and Michael
Fey.
“Having Jason and Ray this year has worked out well for
us,” Lavin said. “We’ve staggered our leadership.
In this era, where kids leave early for the NBA, it really helps to
have seniors.”
“¢bull; Lavin also gave an update on sophomore Andre Patterson.
The coach said Patterson’s grades vastly improved in the two
summer sessions he took at UCLA, and he is doing well now at Santa
Monica Community College. Lavin expects Patterson to rejoin the
team in mid-December, most likely against Northern Arizona on
December 17 or at Kansas on December 21.
“¢bull; He also used the forum to praise new athletic director
Dan Guerrero.
“To be honest, (Guerrero) has been really
refreshing,” Lavin said. “He was at one of our
recruiting picnics, which was the first time in twelve years that
(an AD) had attended. He also gave a talk to the team, which was
also the first time I’ve seen that.”
“¢bull; Lavin praised the off-season conditioning of many of his
players, specifically juniors T.J Cummings, John Crispin, Ryan
Walcott and sophomore Cedric Bozeman.
“Everyone seems healthy,” Lavin said. “T.J and
Crispin excelled in conditioning, in terms of the timed mile and
wind sprints, and Walcott and Bozeman each look like they’ve
put on muscle.”
“¢bull; Lavin agreed with the preseason consensus that picks
Arizona to win the Pac-10.
“Arizona is as strong a team personnel-wise in our league
that I remember in a long time, probably since the 1991-92 UCLA
team,” Lavin said.
“¢bull; Other issues addressed included the difficult
nonconference schedule (Duke, Kansas, Georgetown, St. Johns and
Michigan), the expectations for Cedric Bozeman (Lavin is looking
for a big year from the 6-6 point guard), and defensive strategy
(look for more experiments with a full-court press this year).
By Greg Schain, Daily Bruin Reporter