Game Was Too Long, Season Too Short : College basketball: UCLA freshman O’Bannon is resigned to sitting out after knee injury.

Tracy Murray, a UCLA sophomore forward, had just walked off the court at the John Wooden Center Tuesday night, ending his participation in an informal basketball session with Bruin teammates.

“A lot of us were thinking about stopping then, too,” said Ed O’Bannon, a 6-foot-8 freshman.

Said Mitchell Butler: “I said, ‘This is my last game.’ ”

Before they quit, however, O’Bannon suffered a season-ending knee injury when he landed awkwardly on his left leg after dunking.

Now, the excitement over the Bruins’ resurgence is on hold. Coach Jim Harrick’s team will open practice Monday, the day O’Bannon will seek a second medical opinion on his knee.

O’Bannon, one of the country’s top recruits from Artesia High in Lakewood, said he will undergo surgery Monday or Tuesday.

Tests showed that O’Bannon had torn his anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus cartilage. The injury is similar to those suffered by Clipper stars Danny Manning and Ron Harper.

Still, O’Bannon joined teammates in full regalia Friday at the Wooden Center for a photo session. Wearing a white UCLA uniform with powder blue and gold trim and No. 31, O’Bannon hobbled onto the court on crutches. He wore a navy blue knee brace, and quickly found a seat so he could stretch out his injured leg.

O’Bannon said he has more or less resigned himself to being sidelined for a year or more.

“My family and I sat down and talked about it,” he said. “That’s when we all cried together and got it all out. We just have to go on with our lives.”

O’Bannon said that when he fell Tuesday night, he did not immediately realize the extent of the injury.

“When I went down, I felt it and heard a sound, like a pop,” he said. “I looked at it. (His leg) was turned the wrong way. With all the team around offering support, I got up and walked off the court.

“I felt like I turned an ankle. I figured I would come back in a couple of days.”

But an examination by UCLA trainers indicated a serious injury, and a serious setback for O’Bannon.

He had decided to attend UCLA in August, after having first said he would go to Nevada Las Vegas.

He decided to switch soon after NCAA officials announced that UNLV’s program was banned from postseason competition for one season, that penalty stemming from violations of 13 years ago.

Another prize UNLV recruit, Shon Tarver, a 6-5 guard from Oxnard Santa Clara, switched to UCLA as well.

The attention and pressure mounted during those weeks in July when he was unsure what to do, O’Bannon said. He said it simply became a difficult choice he had to make.

“It’s a life(time) decision (to select a college),” he said. “I won’t transfer from UCLA now. This is where I’ll stay.”

The recruiting pressures left him drained. Now the injured knee has left him strained.

“I’ve got a couple of gray hairs over everything,” he said.

The mood was melancholy throughout the UCLA team Friday. Although UCLA has four starters back from last season’s 22-11 team that reached the round of 16 in the NCAA playoffs, the Bruins lack inside strength.

O’Bannon was not expected to be a center, but Harrick said the loss will change the team’s dynamics.

“With Ed, we might have been a top 10 to 15 team,” Harrick said. “Without him, maybe we’re 15 to 20. If that.”

Murray, who had never seen O’Bannon play in high school, was impressed during their pickup games in the past two months.

“Just getting a taste of him--wow!” Murray said.

Teammates Butler, Gerald Madkins and Zan Mason echoed that sentiment. They emphasized that not only is O’Bannon talented, he is a respected part of the team.

“We were really starting to become a big-time program,” Butler said.

Harrick, reaching for positives, said the injury will help O’Bannon adjust to college life.

O’Bannon did not disagree. He said he needs a focus, which school will fulfill.

“That’s what I’m supposed to be here for anyway,” he said. “I’m supposed to be a student. But I’ve always worked hard in my life. I expect to come back. I know there will be sweat and tears, but I will do it.”