Rubin Makes Every Minute Count

Who is Janou Rubin, anyway?

The UCLA guard who made all three of his three-point shots against Arizona Saturday is a walk-on from Union City and the cousin of New Jersey Net guard Brandon Armstrong, who starred at Pepperdine from 1999 to 2001.

“It felt good to play in a real game,” Rubin said. “I haven’t played minutes like that since high school.”

The 6-foot-3 redshirt sophomore got in because Coach Steve Lavin was so exasperated with the starters he inserted four little-used subs with 13 minutes left in the 87-52 loss. Rubin stood out.

Lavin left him in for 10 minutes, equaling the time Rubin had in four previous appearances this season.

He has proven he can shoot before, making all three shots he took as a freshman in 2000-01. Rubin has made six of nine in his career.

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Rarely has a trip to hostile Stanford and California appeared so inviting. But UCLA has lost six home games in a row and fans at Pauley Pavilion have expressed their frustration.

The atmosphere at Maples Pavilion or Haas Pavilion this weekend can hardly be any worse.

“I think it will be good to go on the road,” forward Andre Patterson said. “We need to get away, be together 24 hours a day and regroup.”

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UCLA will practice at noon today because school is not in session to recognize Martin Luther King Day.

-- Steve Henson