O’Bannon’s Play Remains a Cut Above the Ordinary

UCLA is Charlie’s team now. The O’Bruins. They complete his sentences, finish his thoughts, move to his squeaks.

There had been hints and hopes during the quirky first 22 games of the UCLA season, but Thursday it became official.

UCLA is Charles O’Bannon’s team now. From the final six minutes of the first half Wednesday until whenever they finish going where only he can take them.

His team. Been that way since the holidays. You know it. He knows it.

“This is my team . . . my team, with Cameron Dollar,” O’Bannon said after UCLA’s 82-60 victory over USC. “I want them to rally around me. I want that. Wanted that from Day One.”

Toby Bailey was their leading scorer, but O’Bannon was their breath. J.R. Henderson grabbed as many rebounds, but O’Bannon was their strength.

He started the game without making a play in the first 14 minutes.

Ended it with 17 points, eight rebounds, a season-high eight assists.

Ended it after being involved in 12 consecutive points that turned a seven-point deficit into a one-point lead the Bruins never lost.

Ended it with a bandage over his right eye, blood on his white T-shirt, and those trademark blue and gold fuzzy balls dangling from the heels of his socks.

Looking like he just left an LPGA fistfight.

“I’ll keep wearing these socks the rest of the year,” he said. “I just wish I made those golfers’ money.”

That’s as fancy as he gets. Finally. Eddie’s little brother has grown up.

His final points Wednesday came on a final-minute dunk, notable not for the way the basket shook, but for the way he didn’t.

No taunting, no posing, no selfish moves for the spotlight. It was just as he had behaved in the previous 39 minutes. Perhaps from watching him, his younger teammates were just as responsible.

Yes, Henderson started this week’s fun feud with his rips of USC.

But it was the Trojans who carried that spat on to the court.

It was Jarvis Turner who pulled down Henderson’s pants during one tangle.

It was Stais Boseman who shoved away Jelani McCoy’s feet after the UCLA center fell on him under the basket.

It was Boseman who shoved Brandon Loyd out of bounds, although, if that little three-point dude doesn’t start combing his hair, I’m going to be shoving him out of bounds.

It was USC that lost its composure.

It was O’Bannon who made sure the O’Bruins didn’t.

“As much as you would like to show the child in you out there, as much fun as some of that stuff would be, that’s not the way I play anymore,” O’Bannon said. “I’ve matured past that. I’ve realized, you’ve got to be a man.”

Beginning with 5:44 left in the first half, O’Bannon was the man.

USC led by seven. UCLA had lost Dollar and Henderson to foul trouble. O’Bannon, who had recorded double-doubles in four of his previous 11 games, had not made a play.

“Just SC?” Just panic.

Bailey came down, threw up a 30-foot pass over a crowded lane, maybe just panicking.

For the first time this evening, O’Bannon was there. Leaped above everyone, grabbed the ball just before it fell through the rim, forced it down.

Two points. Game started. Game over.

“I was just not making my shots,” O’Bannon said, smiling like one who believes that condition is only temporary. “That little alley-oop, that got me going.”

For the next five minutes, he was Danny Manning with Kansas. Christian Laettner with Duke. Corliss Williamson with Arkansas.

He flipped a give-and-go pass to Kris Johnson for a layup. He made a 10-foot floater down the middle over Rodrick Rhodes.

He stole a dribble from Gary Williams, ran to the other end of the court, grabbed a rebound, was fouled, made two free throws.

He juked left, then right, then made another shot over Rhodes in the lane.

(In case you are wondering, Rodrick Rhodes has pulled the greatest disappearing act in this town since a guy named Harrick).

Two minutes later, the first half ended with UCLA holding a one-point lead.

No sooner did the second half start than O’Bannon was throwing a ball over his shoulder to McCoy for a dunk that gave UCLA a six-point lead.

Even an elbow early in the second half that caused a cut that forced him to miss about five minutes didn’t slow him.

He could barely see underneath the bandage above his right eye, yet moments after he came back into the game, he had a leaping assist to Johnson.

“That was killing me,” he said.

The cut?

“Naw,” he said, smiling, Superman for a night, or at least a strong facsimile of his brother. “The bandage.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Pac-10 Race

Conf.

*--*

Team W L UCLA 11 3 California 9 4 Arizona 8 4 USC 9 5 Stanford 8 5 Washington 7 5 Oregon 5 8 Washington State 3 9 Arizona State 2 10 Oregon State 2 11

*--*

Overall

*--*

Team W L UCLA 16 7 California 18 6 Arizona 16 6 USC 14 9 Stanford 15 6 Washington 14 7 Oregon 14 8 Washington State 11 13 Arizona State 10 14 Oregon State 6 16

*--*

WEDNESDAY’S RESULT

UCLA 82, USC 60

TONIGHT’S GAMES

Arizona at Oregon 7

Arizona State at Oregon State 7

California at Washington 7

Stanford at Washington State 7:30