LOS ANGELES – In years past, UCLA coach Ben Howland remembers having 45 sets prepared for his team to go to at any given moment on offense.
Heading into their game with Stanford last Saturday, this year's Bruins cut that to just nine – a much simpler offense than many of Howland's other teams have run.
UCLA coach Ben Howland has adjusted to his young team by stripping down the offensive playbook, which seems to be working.
ISAAC ARJONILLA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
But as they showed Saturday in a victory on the road against the Cardinal, the Bruins' offense is apparently most effective when it's keeping things simple.
Saturday's triumph marked the first time UCLA has scored more than 85 points since its Dec.28 upset of then-No.7 Missouri. The Bruins shot 54 percent from the field, and their offense, despite 14 turnovers, ran as smoothly as it has during the conference season.
A simpler offense, Howland said, allowed players to focus less on the plays and more on just reading what the defense gave them.
"We're young," Howland said. "We're working on execution."
Junior forward Travis Wear agreed that the Bruins' nine-play offense against Stanford was much more effective, given the team's youth.
That's especially important going forward, as UCLA looks for a way to complement its dynamic transition game with a capable halfcourt one.
"Things run a lot smoother," Wear said of the decreased amount of offensive sets.
With a week off before Sunday's game against crosstown rival USC, the Bruins have spent more practice time on skill development, including reading defenses and setting screens – two things Howland said are keys to adding complexity to their current set of nine offensive sets.
"It's nine plays, but there's multiple plays that you're doing out of each," Howland said. "It's about reading what the defense gives you."
MUHAMMAD MISSES PRACTICE
After battling flu symptoms the week leading up to UCLA's last matchup with crosstown rival USC, freshman leading scorer Shabazz Muhammad missed practice on Tuesday fighting another ailment.
This time, however, Muhammad missed practice because of pink eye, which caused his eyes to swell and forced him to take out his contacts. Howland said Muhammad doesn't have glasses, so he couldn't take part in any part of practice.
The condition isn't expected to linger, and Muhammad should be back to practice soon, Howland said.
In UCLA's last meeting with USC – a 75-71 loss – Muhammad scored 22 points in his first rivalry matchup, despite battling flu symptoms.
"That he was able to play at all was really a testament to his toughness," Howland said.
PRAISING SCOTT
He might not have time to take in the Cirque de Soleil or hit the blackjack tables, but Howland is a big fan of the Pac-12's new-and-improved conference tournament.
Howland lauded the changes Commissioner Larry Scott made in the annual tournament, bringing it to theMGM Grand in Las Vegas and leaving behind the sometimes sparsely filled Staples Center.
"Moving the conference tournament to Vegas – what a great idea, long overdue," Howland said. "It's going to be exciting every year for decades to come now. For the next 10 years, people are going to be jacked up about going to Vegas to watch their team and go to Vegas to enjoy all the entertainment that you're able to enjoy there. This is going to turn into a great tournament, and it's going to be an every year deal that people are looking forward to. I'm just so excited for the conference, where it's headed."
"It all started with Larry," Howland continued. "People should be tipping their hat to him and what an incredible job he and his team have done to help this conference move into modern day competition with the other big leagues."
Contact the writer: rkartje@ocregister.com
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