Jonathan Lee    AccuScore Analyst
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AccuScore analyst Jonathan Lee was able to visit a recent UCLA practice and talk to two key players for the No. 4 Bruins.  The interviews are below.

JRUE HOLIDAY is a freshman guard that will likely join Darren Collison in the starting backcourt.  Although he will be replacing Russell Westbrook, Holiday appears to be up to the task being ranked as the No. 2 and No. 4 player overall in the 2008 high school class by Rivals.com and Scout.com respectively.

How are you getting to know Darren Collison out on the court?
Darren is a great point guard.  He’s been mentoring me, giving me a feel for how everyone plays.  I think I feel comfortable with the whole team, it doesn’t matter who is running the court or who the big men are or anything.  I think we all have a real good relationship as a team.

Coach Howland just said that you would likely be starting.  Has he told you that yet?
Before I got here (when I was being recruited) he said he expected me to start, but now I’m not really thinking about that.  I’m just thinking about giving it my all every game.  If I start, I start.  If I come off the bench I’m still going to go just as hard.

How much are you looking to the first game?  Does your competitiveness turn up as soon as you get into a real game?
I’m excited.  I think the exhibition game is on Monday (November 3 vs. Cal Baptist).  It’s not even games; even practice is a battle too.  I don’t want to lose at anything.  I think everybody on the team is the same way.  Once everybody comes in here, I think my juices will start flowing and it will be a lot more exciting.

What is the leadership like on this team?
As I said before, Darren has been mentoring me.  I’m getting to know him better as a player.  From Josh (Shipp) I’m learning form the best two in college basketball.  He’s been here for four years, and he knows the game very well.  Because I’m a strong guard and I can go in and rebound so I’m learning from James (Keefe).  James and Alfred (Aboya) are our leading rebounders in practice so the leadership is there.  I see why (this team) has gone so far in previous years.  I’m just taking it all in.

How much is Coach Howland stressing rebounding to you?
It’s been big.  He’s been saying we lost our top rebounders to the NBA.  He really stresses rebounding.  It’s something we record everyday.  It’s a big deal.  James and Alfred I believe are the best rebounders on the team.

What’s it like playing with those guys inside?  Did you ever encounter anyone like Alfred in high school?
It’s fun.  I’m a little bit faster and quicker so I might be able to get around them, and I’m more explosive going up.  But sometimes I try to be strong, and he just throws me to the ground.  I just pop right back up though.  Alfred is a beast.  He’s a man amongst men.

Do you have a favorite spot on the floor?
I think right in the middle around 10 to 15 feet out.  In high school I could get to the basket pretty much anytime I wanted to, but now I have to shoot the three a lot better.  But I think the mid-range J is my favorite shot.

Is the extra foot on the three-point line noticeable?
Actually it is.  I was talking to (fellow freshman guard) Jerime Anderson about it the other day.  Yesterday he took a three point shoot from the high school line, and he said it seemed pretty easy.  It’s a big difference.  When you look at it, it doesn’t seem like much but it really is.  Every time I worked out (this summer) I was taking shots from further back and now the high school line feels like mid-range so that’s pretty easy now.

How much of an advantage is it that you’ve played with Jerime so much before you came to UCLA?  (**the two guards played with each other on the same AAU team)
It’s kind of like brothers playing together, like me and my older brother (Justin, a junior forward at Washington).  We know where each other are on the court.  I think that coming in we’ll be doing the same thing.  He’ll be bringing the ball down, I’ll bring it down.  I might not be the first look but he’s always going to know where I am on the court so it is definitely an advantage.

What player do you compare yourself to?
Sometimes people say Dwyane Wade, but I think I’m a lot like Deron Williams.  He’s a big strong point guard.  He can really get into the lane and control the paint.  He makes nice passes, and can make the three ball.

JAMES KEEFE is a junior forward and former McDonald’s All-American.  He showed his immense potential with 18 points and 12 rebounds against Western Kentucky in the Sweet Sixteen last season.  He will be counted upon much more heavily this year as UCLA’s starting power forward.

Have you gotten more physical as a player?
A lot more physical.  I gained weight in the off-season.  I have more confidence in my using my body going inside strong with two years playing against the great big guys we’ve had has really helped.  When we go against Alfred (Aboya) and Luc (Richard Mbah a Moute) and Kevin (Love) last year, Lorenzo Mata, even Ryan Wright when he was here; they were all physical guys.  Playing against them everyday you have to be physical and learn how to handle it.

***Mbah a Moute was a second-round pick of the Milwaukee Bucks.  Love was the number five overall selection, and was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves.  Mata is now playing professionally in Mexico, and Wright transferred to Oklahoma and will be a redshirt junior this season.***

When I was a freshman it was a different ball game.  I used my height to get rebounds and get points in the paint.  Then my first year it was a whole different game, but I got through it.  Now I feel confident.  After two years I’m used to it, and I’ve learned what I need to do.

What did you work on in the off-season?
I’d say two things.  First of all was my shot, and then I spent a lot of time in the weight room.  I worked with the nutritionist.  I was eating healthy every two hours, just gaining weight and getting big.  When I started this year I was 238, and then last year in the tournament I was in the low 220s.  So I gained about 15 or 16 pounds.  I actually lost a pound of fat so that is all muscle.  I’ve been able to carry the weight around.  That was one of our concerns if I got too big, but I’ve been happy with how it went.  A lot of it is in the legs too so that’s been helping me run up and down the floor.

What do you see in (freshman center) J’mison Morgan?
He’s doing great.  Like I said when I was a freshman, he’s probably used to just using his size to get rebounds and points (in high school).  These past two weeks of practice he’s really improved everyday.  He’s working hard.  On our days off he’s working with our strength coach running lines and trying to get in the best shape he can so I’m excited to see what he can do.

What about the rest of the freshman class?
You know they’ve all lived up to the expectations.  A lot of them have been in and out with minor injuries so it’s kind of hard to deal with, but one through five they’ve all looked very good in practice.

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