Back-Loaded Bruins

UCLA men’s basketball Coach Ben Howland keeps saying it over and over, like a mantra: “Better now than mid-December. Better now than mid-December. Better now than mid-December. ... “

What else could he say to keep his sanity as the Bruin starting lineup he had such high hopes for limped off the court, one after another, into the trainer’s room, or the operating room.

Associated Press has ranked UCLA No. 19 in its preseason poll, the first time in Howland’s three seasons in Westwood that he has had a team make the top 25.

But four key members of the team were not in the lineup when the Bruins opened their exhibition season against Carleton University nearly two weeks ago. Gone from the frontcourt were Josh Shipp (hip surgery), Alfred Aboya (knee surgery) and Michael Fey (severe groin strain). Gone from the backcourt was guard Jordan Farmar (groin strain), a preseason Wooden Award candidate.

At the low point, Howland had only seven scholarship players available for practice

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” says Howland, who has seen a lot in an 11-year coaching career that included stops at Northern Arizona and Pittsburgh before his arrival at UCLA.

Howland was supposed to be spending the autumn diagraming fastbreaks and extolling the virtues of boxing out and looking for the open man. Instead, he was perusing MRIs and X-rays, learning about the inner workings of the hip and the lingering effects of groin strains.

After struggling through a losing season in his first year at UCLA, and returning the Bruins to the NCAA tournament last season, where they lost in the opening round to Texas Tech, Howland had hoped to take another leap forward this year, propelled by Farmar, Shipp and guard Aaron Afflalo, his three star sophomores.

Instead, Howland’s hopes are on hold.

None of the injuries is season-ending. Farmar is already back, having played in the Bruins’ exhibition finale against Cal State Monterey Bay on Thursday, when he showed that his sharp shooting eye and dazzling ballhandling ability may have been enhanced after a season of experience in the caldron of a big-time program and a summer in the weight room.

Fey, who began practicing only this past weekend, is expected to play tonight in UCLA’s opening-round NIT Season Tip-Off tournament game against New Mexico State but might not be at full strength for a month. Aboya is expected back by the end of the month, Shipp by the end of next month.

The question is how much their absence will affect the entire season. Howland may say of the injuries, “It’s better now,” but it’s still not good. Learning to mesh as teammates at the start of conference play, as opposed to the start of preseason practice, can be disruptive.

If the Bruins can move on from their injuries, one other basic question remains in determining their fate: Can the frontcourt play up to the level of the backcourt?

UCLA seems loaded at the guard positions. The 6-2 Farmar has added 15 pounds of muscle to weigh in at 185, and his court awareness and leadership qualities seem to have also grown.

There is no question who runs the show on the floor.

“I’m the leader,” Farmar says flatly. “Everybody embraces that. I think I’ve earned it.”

Nicely complementing Farmar is the 6-5 Afflalo, whose athletic ability and versatility were demonstrated in that he was UCLA’s best defensive player and the team leader in three-point shooting (38.6%, 39 of 101.)

Nobody on the roster is going to unseat these two from the starting lineup, but freshman Darren Collison has already made a strong case for more playing time, beginning with the exhibition opener. Collison, from Etiwanda High, scored the first five points of that game, showing unusual poise and confidence for a freshman.

What caused even Howland’s jaw to drop was a play in which the 6-foot Collison stole the ball and made it to the basket for a dunk on only two dribbles. Howland ran the game tape back, measured, and reported that Collison had started seven feet behind the midcourt line.

And then there is Cedric Bozeman. Remember him? All he did was start at the point for three seasons, lead the Pacific 10 Conference in assists in 2003-04 and use his 6-6 height and mobility to become a strong defensive force.

But Bozeman sat out last season because of a knee injury. Now he’s back, more healthy than many of his teammates and determined to make an impact in his senior year. In the frontcourt, Dijon Thompson has completed his eligibility, so somebody is going to have to make up his averages of 18.4 points and 7.9 rebounds if UCLA is to be successful.

The logical player to look to is Shipp, who averaged 9.3 points and 5.2 rebounds in his first season. That rebounding figure was the highest among Pac-10 freshmen.

But can Shipp first rebound from his hip surgery?

“We have to hope Josh Shipp can come back and be Josh Shipp,” Howland said, with more than a hint of concern.

Until Fey is at full strength and Aboya is ready, Howland will go with senior Ryan Hollins and sophomore Lorenzo Mata at center and hope he can get production on the boards from freshman forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, who tied Bozeman for the team lead in rebounds with 17 in the club’s two exhibition games.

The Bruins, however, are going to need a bigger presence on the boards than Bozeman and Mbah a Moute to prove worthy of their national ranking.

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UCLA at a glance

Last season: 18-11 overall, 11-7 Pacific 10 Conference.

* Finish: Tied for third in the conference, lost to Texas Tech, 78-66, in a first-round NCAA tournament game played at Tucson. It was UCLA’s first appearance in the tournament in three years. UCLA’s starting guards, Jordan Farmar and Arron Afflalo, combined to shoot two for 13 from the field in their season-ending game.

* Coach: Ben Howland, third season, 29-28.

* Who’s gone: Dijon Thompson, Brian Morrison, Josiah Johnson, Matt McKinney.

* Projected starters: Assuming all of the injured return at full strength, which may be a big assumption: Guards Farmar (13.2 points, 5.3 assists, 1.4 steals) and Afflalo (10.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists); forwards Josh Shipp (9.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.2 steals) and Alfred Aboya (18.0 points, 12.0 rebounds as a high school senior); center Michael Fey (8.6 points, 4.8 rebounds).

* Keys to season: Can the frontcourt keep up with the backcourt? That was already questionable considering that Farmar and Afflalo figure to be even better than they were in their freshman year with a season of experience to draw upon. Add dazzling freshman Darren Collison and the Bruins appear solid at the perimeter. The key to the frontcourt was going to be the play of forwards Shipp, a sophomore, and Aboya, a freshman. The key now is whether Shipp and Aboya can even play, and if so, how effectively, considering that Shipp is recovering from hip surgery and Aboya from knee surgery. Somebody is going to have to make up for the production of departed Thompson (18.4 points and 7.9 rebounds) and get the ball in Farmar’s hands.

* Outlook: It looked like a promising season, so much so that the Bruins were ranked 19th in the Associated Press preseason poll and third in a Pac-10 preseason poll. And if Howland can finally put the doctors and the trainers in his rearview mirror and go back to concentrating on basketball with a team at full strength, those projections may hold up. If not, or if it takes the Bruins too long to make up for the amount of practice time as a complete unit that has already been lost, it could turn out to be a long and frustrating season in Westwood.

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UCLA roster

Jordan Farmar (guard) -- No. 1, 6-2, 185, So.: With maturity gained from his first season and strength gained from a summer in the weight room, he could dribble his way onto the national stage.

* Darren Collison (guard) -- No. 2, 6-0, 155, Fr.: He’s already caught the coach’s attention with his athleticism and confidence, no small feat for a freshman playing behind Farmar.

* Josh Shipp (forward) -- No. 3, 6-5, 207, So.: Coach Ben Howland saw him as the major force in the frontcourt. However, so far Shipp hasn’t been seen at all because of hip surgery.

* Arron Afflalo (guard) -- No. 4, 6-5, 210, So.: An accurate outside shooter, a strong defensive force, quick, with good hands, he is the perfect backcourt partner for Farmar.

* DeAndre Robinson (guard) -- No. 5, 6-5, 200, Fr.: A walk-on, he was twice first-team all-league at King High in Riverside.

* Janou Rubin (guard) -- No. 10, 6-3, 208, Sr.: He didn’t know whether he’d be back until Monday when the NCAA granted him a sixth season of eligibility because of chronic knee problems.

* Ryan Wright (forward) -- No. 11, 6-8, 225, Fr.: If nothing else, he gets points for creativity, getting the loudest cheer at the team’s preseason dunk contest at Pauley Pavilion. Wright threw the ball up on the glass, then whipped off his uniform top before completing the slam.

* Alfred Aboya (forward/center) -- No. 12, 6-8, 233, Fr.: Howland has big plans for him. But they are on hold while Aboya recovers from arthroscopic knee surgery.

* Lorenzo Mata (center) -- No. 14, 6-8, 235, So.: With so many injuries in the frontcourt, Mata has an opportunity to fill the void. So far, he hasn’t earned more playing time.

* Ryan Hollins (center) -- No. 15, 7-0 1/2 , 230, Sr.: Seems much improved but still needs to be more of a force on the boards.

* Michael Roll (guard/forward) -- No. 20, 6-5, 205, Fr.: A pure shooter, he could provide instant offense off the bench. Needs to work on the other aspects of his game.

* Cedric Bozeman (guard/forward) -- No. 21, 6-6, 207, Sr.: He’s back, after sitting out all of last season because of knee surgery. Looks good on defense and is rebounding well, but his old position, point guard, is taken.

* Kelvin Kim (guard) -- No. 22, 5-10, 165, Fr.: A solid shooter, his appearance on the court is guaranteed to fire up the fans at Pauley, even in extended garbage time.

* Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (forward) -- No. 23, 6-7, 224, Fr.: He has earned a starting role in the injury-depleted frontcourt, impressing Howland with his aggressiveness, especially on the boards.

* Joey Ellis (guard) -- No. 24, 6-2, 180, Fr.: A walk-on redshirt freshman, he is recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery.

* Michael Fey (center) -- No. 45, 7-0, 279, Sr.: The job is his as soon as he can fully recover from the severe groin strain that all but wiped out his participation in preseason practice.

* Nican Robinson (guard) -- No. 55, 5-10, 175, Fr.: Walk-on’s father, Sam, played in the NBA. So did his uncle, Paul Pressey. Two other uncles, Rod Martin and Mike Davis Sr., played for the Raiders.

-- Steve Springer