Ross Is the Challenge; Afflalo Seems Up to It

Ronald Ross came to Texas Tech as a beggar.

Any team that mattered didn’t want the guard from Hobbs, N.M. When Bob Knight’s son Patrick saw Ross play in an amateur tournament, he suggested Ross could be a star in the Big Sky Conference. But Ross wanted more, so he went to Texas Tech without a scholarship. Playing for the most demanding, cantankerous college coach in the country, Ross won that scholarship and before this season Bob Knight named Ross his captain.

Arron Afflalo needed to be persuaded to come to UCLA.

He won all the high school awards that mattered, including being named a McDonald’s All-American. Afflalo could have had dozens of scholarships, and UCLA Coach Ben Howland needed to make a persuasive sales pitch before Afflalo signed with UCLA.

Tonight, when sixth-seeded Texas Tech plays 11th-seeded UCLA in a first-round NCAA tournament game at the McKale Center, the acclaimed freshman Afflalo will be offered the chance to slow the working-class Ross.

Ross is listed at 6 feet 2. He weighs 182 pounds and took off from the free-throw line when he did some exhibition dunks for the crowd during Wednesday’s open practice.

This season he is averaging 17 points and shooting 53% from the field. He makes 45% of his three-point shots, has a quick release and a mature patience. “He doesn’t take many bad shots,” Afflalo said.

Patrick Knight, a Red Raider assistant coach, first saw Ross in a tournament in Oklahoma. Knight had gone to scout high school juniors but couldn’t take his eyes off Ross.

“We didn’t have a scholarship,” he said, “and I won’t tell you what school, but an assistant coach came up to me looking for a point guard and I told him, ‘Take Ross. He’ll be player of the year in your conference for four years.’ But he said his head coach wanted a junior college kid, more mature.”

Bob Knight says he appreciates Ross as much as any player he has coached. “Not being on scholarship for two years,” Knight said, “nobody worked any harder or spent more time on the game. He was a good athlete. Now he’s a good basketball player.”

It has been his ability to watch and learn and his willingness to take Knight’s aggressive criticism, Pat Knight said, that have helped the senior become one of the best players in the Big 12 Conference.

“He’s tough and he moves well,” Pat Knight said, “and he’s always been willing to stand up and take responsibility for himself and his team. He’s been willing to learn what Coach teaches.”

Afflalo said he was looking forward to the challenge.

From the first day of practice, Howland has praised Afflalo for his defensive talent and made Afflalo the point man on stopping good perimeter players.

When it was announced Sunday that UCLA would play Texas Tech, Afflalo said immediately that he wanted to guard Ross. Afflalo has no trace of a cocky high school hotshot in him. His answers are always seriously considered and he takes time to study whomever he must stop.

So Afflalo was ready with a concise evaluation of Ross’ skills.

“He moves well without the ball,” Afflalo said. “He takes good shots, he doesn’t force shots. He’s clearly the leader of that team. So I’m going to try and limit him. If you limit the leader, maybe it makes the followers slow down a little.”

UCLA senior Dijon Thompson said it would not be only Afflalo’s job to stop Ross. For Afflalo to stay in front of Ross, Thompson said, the Bruin inside players, especially him and center Michael Fey, have to give Afflalo vocal advice.

“Their picks and hard screens definitely keep you alert,” Thompson said. “Our five [center] and four [power forward] must be very assertive in calling out screens for Arron so they don’t get him.”

Ross was benched for a game and a half and sat out a start this season. “I just wasn’t playing the way Coach Knight wanted,” he said. “I learned from that, though. If you listen to Coach Knight you just become a much better player.”

As much a sign of his improvement as his scoring, which has jumped seven points a game since last season, is that Ross led the Big 12 in steals this year, averaging 2.53.

“He’s got good hands,” Afflalo said, “and you can tell he’s got real good instincts.”

At 6-5, Afflalo will have three inches on Ross. Those inches won’t matter if Afflalo gets lost in the screens, can’t stay with Ross’ quick cuts or gets beat up on the picks.

“It comes down to quickness,” Howland said. “Ross is a great player, he takes good shots, he’s a senior. The key thing for Arron will be how his teammates help him as he’s being screened. You’re like a bowling ball out there when you’re guarding their perimeter players.”

*

Thompson took himself out of Wednesday morning’s closed practice, though he did participate in the evening open shootaround at the McKale Center. Thompson said he was hit on his left thigh by Ryan Hollins’ knee during Tuesday’s workout at Pauley Pavilion.

“It’s pretty sore, and it’s swollen,” said Thompson, who wore a protective pad during the evening workout. Thompson said he is also bothered by a sinus infection. “But I’ll play,” Thompson said.

Only Thompson and fellow senior Brian Morrison have any NCAA tournament experience for the Bruins. And Morrison has sat out practice since he took a knee from Matt McKinney on his right thigh during Saturday’s practice. Morrison, who also sat out the Wednesday morning workout, dunked the ball during Wednesday’s open session and said he expected to play his usual minutes.