Walcott Stays Strong During Difficult Time

UCLA guard Ryan Walcott made a strong contribution with a heavy heart.

The redshirt freshman reserve made his only two shots and passed for three assists in 11 minutes during a 79-57 victory Saturday at the John Wooden Classic.

But afterward his thoughts returned to his grandfather, who died a week ago in Phoenix.

“The team was good rallying around him,” Coach Steve Lavin said.

Walcott, whose cousins include Sacramento King guard Mike Bibby and Arizona State standout receiver Shaun McDonald, was close to his grandfather.

“It was tough taking that phone call,” Walcott said. “I just laid in bed. I didn’t feel like doing anything.”

He decided not to return home for funeral services because he wanted to remain with the team. Starting point guard Cedric Bozeman is sidelined with a knee injury and Walcott is sharing the position with Jason Kapono and Dijon Thompson.

“I told my mom they needed me here,” he said.

The 6-foot-1 Walcott is considered by Lavin as the only true point guard on the roster. However, his playing time has been restricted because of sore knees.

“He’s getting more familiar with the offense and he does a good job of ballhandling and distributing the ball,” Lavin said.

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Matt Barnes played well after practicing hard. It’s supposed to work that way.

“I wasn’t going all out in practice and my coaches and teammates were telling me so,” he said.

The senior forward responded with his best performance of the season, scoring 15 points and taking eight rebounds in 34 minutes. He made two three-point baskets, five of six free throws and had two steals.

And he set the tone for the rout by scoring seven of UCLA’s first nine points.

“We got a lot of guys involved in the offense, and Matt got it all going,” Kapono said. “I wanted to get Matt touches early and he responded.”