Freshmen Receive Knightly Advice

UCLA fifth-year senior Billy Knight has counseled his freshmen roommates, Dijon Thompson and Andre Patterson, on everything from study habits to accepting reserve roles. Now Knight, who like all the Bruins has been to the NCAA tournament every season, is giving advice about not allowing late-season losses to destroy their confidence.

“I talked to them about it this week,” he said. “It’s something I had problems with as a freshman. Over the years I’ve learned nothing is set in stone. Just because we lost our last game doesn’t mean we have to keep losing.

“It’s a new season now. We start out playing 40 minutes and the score is 0-0. The rankings and seedings don’t mean anything. It’s something I’ve learned over the years.”

Freshman Cedric Bozeman hangs out in the dorm room Knight shares with Thompson and Patterson, so he gets an earful as well. Bozeman, who has been struggling at point guard, decided to give himself some positive feedback after talking to Knight, digging out tapes of his best performances, including the only two games he scored in double figures since the season opener.

“It’s important to remind myself that I can play well, that I have played well and that I will play well in the future,” Bozeman said.

Knight, 23, isn’t too old to learn something from the Bruins’ roller coaster season.

“It’s not a make-believe or dream season where we win every game, it was a season that is like life,” he said. “You learn that you can’t give up. That sometimes you reach your potential, but that you have to stay consistent.”