Flowers Starts Amid Adversity

Last week was especially difficult for UCLA guard Jason Flowers and his family. His aunt fell ill Thursday--she has since recovered--and, later that day, his mother was tied up and robbed at gunpoint while working at her office in South Central Los Angeles.

“She was really shaken up about it,” Flowers said of his mother, Vivian Hawes, who was uninjured. “I’ve never seen her shaken up that much. She’s such a strong woman.”

According to Flowers, a lone gunman came into the office, bound the employees and stole money from the safe. He said the incident was reported to the police.

“She was upset telling me about it at first,” said Flowers, who missed practice Friday so he could be with his family. “By the end, she was able to laugh and joke about it. She said, ‘I’ve been through all this; you guys better win.’ ”

Flowers, a transfer from UC Irvine, made the first start of his UCLA career Saturday at Purdue, stepping in for Ray Young. Bruin Coach Steve Lavin, fond of juggling the starting lineup, thought the change might give his notoriously slow-starting team a boost.

“I was surprised,” Flowers said of the assignment. “Right before the game, I came in and saw my name on the board.”

Flowers played seven minutes in his debut, making a three-point shot and picking up four fouls. All in all, he was pleased.

“Hopefully, me coming out here and getting a chance to play will help my mom,” he said.