| Kyle Anderson lead the Bruins with 19 points against California on Thursday, but the freshman is also UCLA's top rebounder averaging 8.7 per game. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press / January 3, 2013) |
The 6-foot-9 point guard says rebounding is a form of playing hard. Anderson had 12 rebounds in the Bruins' 79-65 win against California on Thursday.
By Baxter Holmes
The Times of the City of Angels
6:47 PM PST, January 4, 2013
At UCLA, Kyle Anderson is both a point guard and the team's leading rebounder, a rare combination on any level in basketball.
"Rebounding is a form of playing hard," the 6-foot-9 freshman from New Jersey said. "So, in order to play hard, you've got to get on the glass."
Anderson is averaging 8.7 rebounds per game, sixth most among Pac-12 Conference players. Along with 19 points, he had 12 rebounds in the Bruins' 79-65 conference-opening win Thursday against California.
"Number one, he has great hands," UCLA Coach Ben Howland said during a teleconference with reporters Friday, a day before the Bruins play host to Stanford at Pauley Pavilion.
"He's got strong hands, soft hands," Howland continued. "He's long; he has a nose for the ball. He has a good understanding of being able to anticipate where the ball's going to come off."
Anderson has four double-doubles this season, and he has also been solid on defense, averaging nearly a block and two steals per game.
In defense
Shabazz Muhammad has been criticized for not being much of a defensive player.
"I can play defense," the freshman swingman said Thursday. "I know I can."
Howland said Muhammad's defensive effort against California, when the freshman looked more than capable in several one-on-one situations, was his best so far this season.
"In fairness to him, he's never been asked to do a lot of stuff," Howland said.
UCLA's overall defensive effort versus the Golden Bears was its best of the season. The Bruins held California without a three-point basket, a feat that UCLA hadn't achieved since 2006, when it blanked Louisiana State.
Injury update
Freshman center Tony Parker underwent acupuncture treatment to try to relieve lower back spams. Howland said Parker missed the team's first walk-through early Friday. Parker's status for Saturday's game was not known.
baxter.holmes@latimes.com
Twitter: @BaxterHolmes
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