COLLEGE BASKETBALL / NCAA MEN’S FINAL FOUR : Country or Western? : Worlds Will Collide When Zidek Tries to Move Cowboys’ Reeves

George Zidek is 7 feet, 268 pounds and wants to be Bryant (Big Country) Reeves when he grows up.

But first, he has to play him. And push him. And shove him. And, he hopes, beat him Saturday in Seattle, in the pivotal matchup of UCLA’s national semifinal game against Reeves’ Oklahoma State Cowboys.

“He’s going to be excited to play,” UCLA assistant coach Mark Gottfried said of Zidek, “and probably use Big Country as somewhat of a measuring stick for himself.

“As George went from being a non-player to being a player, Big Country is probably someone he looked at and said, ‘Hey, I wish I could be like that guy.’ ”

For Zidek, Reeves is a spike-haired final exam after four years of progression. From a painfully slow Czechoslovakian-born workaholic with a lot to work on, to this, in his senior year, coming ‘cross Country.

Reeves, 292 pounds of pure post power, is averaging 21.4 points and 9.5 rebounds a game, is shooting 58.9% from the field and dominated talented Massachusetts sophomore center Marcus Camby in the East Regional final.

Before that, Reeves played Wake Forest star center Tim Duncan, a potential NBA superstar, to a standstill.

“He’s a huge dude, to say the least,” UCLA forward Ed O’Bannon said of Reeves. “I think George’s going to have his hands full.”

But O’Bannon said the rest of the team is comfortable knowing Zidek is confronting the behemoth in UCLA’s predominantly man-to-man system. If the Bruins’ chance to get to the national title game rests on hard work and perseverance, O’Bannon said, then Zidek is the perfect one to draw the heaviest load.

“George works extremely hard, the hardest I’ve ever seen anybody work,” O’Bannon said. “I’m glad we’re going to the Final Four and the spotlight is on him. He deserves it, and we’re going to just jump on his back.

“I’m sure he can carry us, anyway. We’re going to go as far as he takes us.”

Or as far as he’s capable of muscling Reeves out of the low post--and moving Oklahoma State out of its diligent, work-the-ball-inside attack.

Though the Cowboys are hardly anyone’s choice as the most talented team in the Final Four, Reeves might be the one player, with his combination of mass and talent, most able to single-handedly end UCLA’s national title hopes.

And if you concentrate too much on him, Reeves has the luxury of passing to guard Randy Rutherford, who has 142 three-point baskets this season.

“Reeves is probably better than anybody we’ve played all year long,” UCLA Coach Jim Harrick said.

Said Zidek: “Big Country, in my mind, I think he’s the best true big man, true low-post player, in the country right now. I’ve been really watching him in the past, tried to learn something from him, because he’s been manhandling the opposition on the block.”

What about Reeves does Zidek admire most?

“Establishing the position on the post,” Zidek said. “He is absolutely great at that. Sealing and pinning--he’s going to get you on the block so that you cannot move, and then he just gets the ball and you’re just out of position and he shoots the ball over you.

“He really uses his body well. And that’s something that I could really learn from him.”

Zidek already outplayed one incredible bulk--Mississippi State’s 6-11 Erick Dampier in the third round, holding him to four shots--in the tournament, but Reeves is far more developed offensively.

Harrick talks about double-teaming Reeves, and about playing J.R. Henderson at center at times to make Reeves run the floor. But there’s little doubt that when Oklahoma State needs a basket, it will work the ball into Reeves, and if the game’s on the line, Zidek will be the one between Big Country and the big basket.

“I hope that the style of refereeing’s going to enable us to play physical, so I’m going to be able to push him out of the post at least a little bit,” Zidek said. “He’s over 290 pounds, so it’s going to be tough, but I just hope I’m strong enough to push him out of the block.”

How will he stop him? Not with tremendous quickness or jumping ability or strength, but with his mind, Harrick said.

“George, he’s got one thing in his favor: He’s a very, very bright guy,” Harrick said. “With the game plan that we’ll put together, and with his intelligence and watching tape himself, he’ll be able to play him probably as good as we physically can.

“He’ll play it exactly like I tell him; he won’t deviate from the game plan, with no special agenda. He won’t try to block the shot. Get the tape of Wake Forest, watch how Tim Duncan played him. (Duncan) held him to 15, Tim Duncan played him good. George isn’t Tim Duncan.”

Duncan held Reeves down with his long arms and quick jumping ability--he blocked eight shots against Oklahoma State. But against Camby, also considered an elite shot blocker, Reeves scored 24 points, most coming on quick jump hooks and turn-around jumpers from eight to 10 feet, had 10 rebounds and got Camby frustrated and into foul trouble.

“The bread and butter is the way he establishes his position,” Zidek said. “Because he’s doing it so well, he can shoot his shot. You can’t even see over him. That’s how he gets the shot off.

“He’s really unique. He’s got unbelievable touch, he can catch the ball, even if it’s a bad pass, I’ve seen him do unbelievable things. The guards just feel comfortable throwing him the ball.”

Said Harrick: “I don’t know that it’ll solely be on George, because we’re a team defense, but we’ll do what we can with him. We would hope that we could contain him to 15 points.”

In one memorable game at Lawrence, Kan., this year, Kansas’ tall and rangy front line held Reeves to the first scoreless performance of his career. Has Zidek seen a tape of that game?

“I remember that one, and I remember when they played Kansas at their place (this year), he had 33 (points) and 20 (rebounds),” Zidek said. “And I’m not really sure which tape I should see.”