UCLA Men’s Basketball Dec. 14, 2002 Marc Dellins/Bill Bennett/310-206-8179 For Immediate Release IT'S FINALS WEEK FOR UCLA AS THE BRUINS HOST PORTLAND ON SATURDAY, DEC. 14 (5 P.M.) IN PAULEY PAVILION; UCLA WINS FIRST GAME OF SEASON ON DEC. 8 IN PAULEY, BEATING LONG BEACH STATE, 81-58 78.3(18-23) from the foul line, with 21 rebounds and 15 UPCOMING GAME turnovers. The 49ers were led by Tony Darden's 14 points. The Bruins lead the Long Beach State series 9-0. SATURDAY, DEC. 14 – UCLA (1-2) v s . Portland (3-2), 5 p.m., Pauley Pavilion. TV - UCLA-Portland Series – UCLA leads it 2-0. The Fox Sports Net West 2, with Bill Bruins have won both games in Pauley – 93-69 in 1967-68 Macdonald/Dan Belluomini; Radio – Fox Sports and 122-57 in 1966-67. AM 1150 – Chris Roberts/Don MacLean). UCLA TENTATIVE STARTING LINEUP (1-2) PORTLAND STARTING LINEUP (3-2) No. Name Pos. Ht. C l . Ppg Rpg No. Name Pos. Ht. Cl. Ppg Rpg 24 Jason Kapono F 6-8 Sr. 21.3 7.3 44 Dustin Geddis F 6-7 Jr. 8.0 6.0 43 T. J. Cummings C 6-10 Jr. 8.7 4.0 14 Ghislain Sema C 6-7 Jr. 7.6 5.2 45 Michael Fey C 7-0 Fr. 1.3 1.7 11 Eugene Geter G 5-10 Fr. 7.8 1.0 21 Cedric Bozeman G 6-6 So. 8.7 5.7 15 Adam Quick G 6-2 Jr. 9.4 1.8 34 Ray Young G 6-4 Sr. 10.7 4.3 55 Casey Frandsen G 6-3 Jr. 12.6 2.0 Head Coach Steve Lavin – In his seventh season as Head Coach Michael Holton – A UCLA standout Bruin head coach with a school and career mark of 136-61 guard and assistant coach, he is in his second season as the (197 games, 69.0) and 12th year on the UCLA staff (355 head coach at Portland (last year, the Pilots were 6-24 games, 262-93, 73.8). overall). From 1980-83, Holton was a four-year letterman, The 2001 Pac-10 Coach of the Year, Lavin and Duke's who as a freshman starting guard in 1980, was a member of Mike Krzyzewski are the only current coaches who have Larry Brown's Bruin squad that reached the NCAA title guided their teams to five NCAA "Sweet 16s" in the last game. From 1996-2001, Holton was a Bruin assistant six seasons. coach. Lavin entered 2002-03 as the 15th winningest active coach (minimum five years as a Div. I head coach/based on The Pilots – Are 3-2. Portland started the season with percentage-69.6, 135-59 entering this season). three consecutive home wins but has lost its last two games (at Oregon 96-Portland 66, Dec. 4; Oregon State 71, at UCLA's Last Game – Portland 64, Dec. 7). Portland's game with UCLA will be at UCLA 81, Long Beach State 58 – On Dec. 8 its third consecutive against a Pac-10 opponent. The Pilots' before 6,358 at Pauley Pavilion, UCLA broke open a tight game with UCLA is their only contest this week. game in the second half to defeat Long Beach State 81-58. The 23-point margin of victory was the largest for the Bruins since a 93-65 (28 points) win over Villanova on Jan. BRUIN HEADLINES 13, 2001 in Pauley. UCLA led 32-25 at halftime and outscored Long Beach State 49-33 in the second half. UCLA IN THE POLLS (Top 25) The Bruins had three players in double figures and Date AP USA were led by Jason Kapono's career-high tying and game-high Preseason 14th 12th 28 points. Also in double figures were T. J. Cummings, 12 Week 1 15th points and five rebounds and Jon Crispin's 11 points, Week 2 14th 14th including 3-6 from three-point range. Week 3 nr nr UCLA shot a game-high 49.2 from the field (30-61), a Week 4 nr nr game-high 33.3 (8-24) from three-point range and 68.4 (13- 19) from the foul line, with a game-high 44 rebounds and 18 turnovers. UCLA PICKED THIRD IN CONFERENCE Long Beach State shot 39.6 (19-48) from the field, POLL 13.3 (2-15) from three-point range and a game-high In a poll of media members released Nov. 6 at Pac-10 Men's Basketball Media Day in Los Angeles, the Bruins were picked to finish third (195 votes) in the 2003 Pac-10 In 13 seasons, the Bruins in Pauley Pavilion have Conference race, behind unanimous No. 1 choice Arizona been unbeaten in non-league games on seven occasions (27 first place votes/270 votes) and second-place Oregon (1998-99, 7-0; 1997-98, 6-0; 1994-95, 6-0; 1993-94, 6-0; (237). Behind Arizona, Oregon and UCLA were – fourth- 1992-93, 8-0; 1990-91, 8-0 and 1989-90, 6-0). place Arizona State (160), fifth-place California (154), sixth-place USC (152); seventh-place Stanford (136); 2002-03 UCLA SCHEDULE eighth-place Washington (81); ninth-place Oregon State The Bruins' schedule features eight teams that were in last (71) and 10th-place Washington State (29). season's NCAA Tournament ("Sweet 16" Duke, Final Four Kansas, USC, St. John's, "Sweet 16" Arizona, Stanford, PAC-10 LEADERS California and "Elite Eight" Oregon), and one NIT In this week's (Dec. 9) Pac-10 stats, here are participant (Arizona State). the Bruin team and individual leaders (Top 3 i n In 2001-02, UCLA's schedule was rated by Basketball a category). Times as the No. 3 strongest schedule in the U. S. (trailing Team – FG %-3rd, 45.7 (86-188); 3pt. FG% Def-3rdT, only No. 1 Arizona and No. 2 North Carolina) and the Pac- 30.8 (20-65); Reb. Def.-3rd, 34.0; Asst./TO Ratio-3rd, 1.15. 10 Conference was ranked No. 1 in the nation (based on Individuals – Scoring – Jason Kapono, 3rd, 21.3; Assts strength of schedule among member schools). – Cedric Bozeman, 2nd, 5.33; FT% - T. J. Cummings, 1stT, 1.000 (6-6); Asst./TO Ration – Cedric Bozeman, 2nd, BRUINS IN THE NBA 2.67. Entering the preseason, UCLA had 10 players on NBA rosters – Toby Bailey, New York Knicks (waived); Matt THE WOODEN TRADITION Barnes, Cleveland Cavaliers (waived, drafted by UCLA's 84-73 loss to Duke was the Bruins' Fayetteville, NC in the NBDL); Baron Davis, New first appearance in the third-annual Wooden Orleans Hornets; Dan Gadzuric, Milwaukee Bucks; Tradition (2002 – Duke 84-UCLA 73, Purdue Darrick Martin, Denver Nuggets (waived); Jelani 86-Louisville 84; 2001-Purdue, Stanford, McCoy, Toronto Raptors; Jerome Moiso, New Orleans Missouri, Xavier; 2000-Purdue, Arizona, Notre Hornets; Reggie Miller,Indiana Pacers; Tracy Murray, Dame, Cincinnati). Los Angeles Lakers and Earl Watson, Memphis In the Wooden Classic, held at the Arrowhead Pond in Grizzlies. Anaheim, No. 20 UCLA’s win over No. 16 Alabama, 79- 57, on Dec. 8, 2001, was UCLA’s fifth victory (in six JASON KAPONO games) at the Wooden Classic. Is on the preseason lists for the Wooden and Naismith Steve Lavin is 3-1 in the Wooden Classic, beating Awards, given annually to the nation's top player. Last Alabama (2001), New Mexico (1997) and Oklahoma State season, Kapono was a finalist for the Naismith honor and as (1998) and losing to Georgia Tech (2000). a sophomore, he was a finalist for the Wooden Award. He's UCLA in the John R. Wooden Classic also nominated for the second annual Senior Class Award, 2001-02 – No. 20 UCLA 79, No. 16 Alabama 57 presented annually to the nation's senior Player of the Year 2000-01 – Georgia Tech 72, UCLA 67 for NCAA Div. 1 men's and women's basketball. 1998-99 – No. 18 UCLA 69, No. 11 Oklahoma Maryland's Juan Dixon won the award last year. State 66 1997-98 – No. 15 UCLA 69, No. 8 New Mexico 58 JASON KAPONO CAREER CHARTS 1995-96 – UCLA 73, No. 20 Maryland 63 On UCLA three-point charts, Kapono is No. 2 in 1994-95 – No. 2 UCLA 82, No. 7 Kentucky 81 percentage (260-571, 45.5; No. 1, Pooh Richardson, 46.4, 52-112, 1986-89) and No. 1 (260) in three-point field goals PAULEYPAVILION/NONCONFERENCE (surpassing former No. 1 Tracy Murray, 197, 1990-92) and GAMES No. 1 (571) in attempts (surpassing former No. 1, Toby In non-conference games in Pauley Bailey, 501, 1995-98). He also ranks No. 6 in free throw Pavilion since 1989-90, UCLA is 76-9 (89.4, percentage (306-375, 81.6; No. 5, Henry Bibby, 82.3, 275- 85 games). During Steve Lavin’s tenure (since 334, 1970-72). Kapono was the 41st Bruin in history to 1996-97), the Bruins are 33-7 (40 games, 82.5) score 1000 or more points (1,672, No. 13; No. 12, Gail and in the remaining seven years of the 1990s, Goodrich, 1,690, 1963-65) but only the third player to do it the Bruins were 43-2 (45 games, 95.6). by the end of his sophomore season and just the fifth to do UCLA’s 86-81 (OT) loss to USD on Nov. 26, it in his first two seasons. With 28 points, Kapono will 2002 (season home opener) and 85-78 loss to Pepperdine on become the 12th player in school history to score at least Nov.