Barnes Is Expected Back in the Lineup

Forward Matt Barnes has practiced the last two days and will play Thursday in the Pacific 10 Conference opener against Washington. He missed Saturday’s 75-74 victory against UC Irvine because of a sprained ankle.

Barnes’ return won’t necessarily mean less time for freshman Dijon Thompson, who excelled in 38 minutes against Irvine with 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists while playing point guard. Leading scorer Jason Kapono will move from forward to point guard to accommodate Barnes.

“If Matt starts, Dijon won’t, but he’ll see the equivalent of starter’s minutes whether he starts or not,” Coach Steve Lavin said

Forward T.J. Cummings sprained his right ankle Tuesday when he stepped on a loose ball during a drill, but he will play against Washington.

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Michael Fey, a 6-foot-11 center from Olympia, Wash., learned Tuesday that he had not achieved a qualifying score on his most recent SAT.

Fey also took an ACT, the result of which is pending.

He must receive a qualifying score on that before Jan. 7 if he is to enroll for the winter quarter and join the team, as UCLA had hoped.

Otherwise, he probably will not enroll at UCLA until next fall.

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Comments after the Irvine game by Joe Kapono that the UCLA offense does not create enough shots for his son didn’t bother Lavin, who is accustomed to fending off criticism.

“I got a call from Glen Rice’s wife too,” the coach quipped during a radio interview, a reference to the former Laker whose wife publicly complained about his limited number of shots.

Kapono, a junior and the Bruins’ leading scorer at 22 points, is on pace to break nearly every UCLA scoring record if he stays for his senior year.

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Doug Wrenn, Washington’s leading scorer, will not start against UCLA because he was late for the Huskies’ previous game, Dec. 11 against Gonzaga.

Wrenn, a 6-foot-8 sophomore many consider the most talented newcomer in the Pac-10, is a transfer from Connecticut with such a history of turmoil that a handful of Husky fans formed a pool on how long he will remain at Washington.

Connecticut dismissed him after the 1999-2000 season because of a series of minor incidents and he has made several missteps since arriving in Seattle.

Wrenn was ineligible for his first game at Washington because he’d played in an unsanctioned all-star game and had had an altercation with a women’s player over use of a practice gym.

And he was asked to leave practice early Monday for throwing elbows after previously having been warned about it.

“We’re not setting him up to fail,” Coach Bob Bender said. “We want him to be successful. We work with him every day to make sure he’s accountable.”

The former Seattle O’Dea High star scored 19 points against Bowling Green in his Washington debut and was named most valuable player in the Top of the World Classic in November. He is averaging 16.6 points.

C.J. Massingale, who scored 25 in a game at UCLA last season, will start in Wrenn’s place.