Crispin Offers Opinions on Issues

Jon Crispin has not played as much as he expected since transferring from Penn State. But all the bench time has given the junior guard ample opportunity to draw conclusions about UCLA.

He said he believes drastic changes will be necessary for the Bruins to return to a semblance of their former glory. Changes that go beyond firing Coach Steve Lavin.

“This is a program that is supposed to bring in dollars, and they need to take it more seriously,” he said.

The facilities are woeful, he believes, especially compared to Big East and other Pacific 10 schools.

“The facilities are better at Rutgers,” he said. “I’m not asking for filet mignon every night, but we are underprivileged here at UCLA. One of these days, UCLA will realize you have to [improve facilities] to compete.

“We see the championship banners, but that was 30 years ago. This is not the ‘70s. Everybody else is evolving. Cal is a great place to play, so are a lot of other schools, and I think kids coming out of high school realize that.”

The fair-weather fans at Pauley Pavilion only add to the perception that UCLA is living in the past.

“You go to Kansas and you can’t hear yourself think, the fans are so loud,” Crispin said. “You go to Cal, and after the first bucket it’s like, ‘Wow, this is crazy.’

“Here, you can yell from one side of the court to the other and people can hear you. It’s not the fans’ fault, it’s ours for not playing well.

“In L.A., it’s Hollywood, it’s the Lakers. It is not a college town. It’s a tough town and always will be.”

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Andre Patterson, the Bruins’ leading rebounder, is doubtful this week because of a sprained ankle. The sophomore forward was injured in the second minute of a loss to Stanford last Thursday and did not play in a loss to California on Saturday.

Patterson said he believes he will be recovered enough to play, but he has not practiced this week and Lavin said Patterson’s status was “up in the air.”

Patterson’s absence against Cal opened the door for freshman Ryan Hollins to contribute 15 effective minutes.

“Ryan will definitely have a chance to build on his last performance,” Lavin said. “He has practiced well too. Ryan played so well, he brought some great energy.”

The 6-foot-11 Hollins made two of three shots -- both dunks -- and grabbed three rebounds in 15 minutes. He also played solid defense, blocking one shot and disrupting several others.

Despite Hollins’ impressive showing, Dijon Thompson probably will start Thursday night against Oregon.

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Oregon forward Luke Jackson probably will miss the game because of a cut on his right ring finger.

The loss is significant because Jackson averages 16.4 points and 6.4 rebounds.

Jackson would have defended against Jason Kapono, the Bruins’ leading scorer.

“He won’t be in there, so maybe I can get some ... good looks,” Kapono said.