Barnes Steps Up His Game

Dan Gadzuric, Jason Kapono and Earl Watson grab most of the headlines, but forward Matt Barnes could be UCLA’s most consistent threat.

Barnes, a junior, quietly has rounded into a basketball player, not just a high school football star who happens to play hoops in the off-season. He’s averaging 10.7 points and 7.1 rebounds, and seems to play taller than his actual height of 6 feet 7.

He has led the Bruins in rebounding four times and has three double-doubles this season. He models his game after that of Scottie Pippen.

“I feel like I can handle the ball, play all spots,” Barnes said. “I feel like I have all aspects of the game covered. I don’t do anything great, but I have everything covered.”

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According to a newspaper report, Rick Pitino has postponed his plans to visit Nevada Las Vegas this week to discuss the coaching job. He intended to spend the week at the home of UNLV Athletic Director Charles Cavagnaro.

“I’ve asked [UNLV] for a little time,” Pitino said in Monday’s edition of the Boston Globe. “I’m not going to go out there until I’m more serious about it.”

Pitino was all the buzz at UCLA last week after Athletic Director Peter Dalis told reporters he called the former Boston Celtic coach twice in the last month.