Westbrook always ready for his shot

Russell Westbrook is not shy about shooting the ball.

The UCLA freshman, a backup to sophomore point guard Darren Collison and a late recruit who wasn’t signed until the spring when all the supposed high school standouts have been taken, will take shots. Any shots. Long shots, short shots. He’ll take them quickly, as soon as the ball is in his hands. Or he might wait a minute.

Though he is 6 feet 3, Westbrook, from Leuzinger High, will drive toward, around and through 7-footers if that’s what it takes. Basketball is just a layup waiting to be driven toward, a three-pointer to be taken from 25 feet. Or 30.

Thing is, there isn’t a Bruin who will complain.

UCLA Coach Ben Howland, a demanding taskmaster who expects excellent defense and well-aware passing, likes the “offensive spark” that Westbrook offers off the bench.

Howland also says, “The thing I like is Russell is really, really bright. He is very good at picking up the small details. He’s a very sharp kid.”

Collison speaks of Westbrook’s rookie confidence as a great thing.

“Most freshmen won’t have the same aggression he has,” Collison said. “Normally you have times when you have to tell freshmen to shoot the ball. We don’t have to tell Russell to shoot the ball. That’s a good thing. We need somebody to be aggressive.”

Junior Arron Afflalo likes Westbrook’s attitude.

“He’s fearless,” Afflalo said. “That’s part of his upbringing, to be a confident kid and that’s good. Let’s hope he stays that way.”

There are two periods when high school basketball players can sign official letters of commitment to colleges -- in the fall and in the spring. Westbrook took a chance by choosing not to officially sign with schools such as Wyoming and Creighton early and hoping for something better. While Westbrook said it was never posed to him in this way, UCLA’s offer came when it became clear last winter that the Bruins were going to lose Jordan Farmar and maybe Afflalo to the NBA.

“They didn’t say much about who was going to go,” Westbrook said. “I just had a feeling.”

Westbrook has played in all 22 UCLA games, averaging 9.8 minutes and four points. And about those four points. “It’s instant usually,” sophomore forward Josh Shipp said. “Russell gives us a quick offensive burst and that’s a good thing.”

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UCLA (20-2) moved to the second spot in in the writers’ Associated Press poll and the coach’s ESPN/USA Today poll. And in the AP poll, five other Pacific 10 Conference teams were ranked, more than any other conference, with Oregon, Washington State, USC, Arizona and Stanford all on the list.

“It’s very clear six teams in our conference that are for sure in the NCAA tournament right now and there’s still a chance to get a seventh,” Howland said.

diane.pucin@latimes.com