USD Men's Basketball 2000-2001

M O V E

S M A R T

Still learning the game and would benefit greatly from another year or two in college. " "The feedback I got was I was going to be a low first-round pick," Kapono said. Still, for Kapono it wasn't just the idea of playing for another year and improving his draft status. He went back to UCLA to play basketball hard, to hit the books and to do what any 19-year-old is supposed to-enjoy his college life. "College is like a building block; going pro is kind of like skipping that process," Kapono said. "You're jumping from an 18-year-old's world to a 30-year-old's world. You kinda miss the 20- "College is like a building block; going pro is kind of like skipping that process." -Jason Kapono year-old's world." As for Lavin, he couldn't hap– pier. A huge gun stays on his team looking to build off of last season's Sweet 16 berth. And also, he knows one of his players made a well– educated decision. "I think what happens is between the end of the college season and the draft there's a lot of misinformation that can affect a player in a neg-

Kapono will no doubt use this season to strengthen his overall game.

ative way for the rest of his life," Lavin said. "With Jason, you're gathering info by talking to people like Jerry West and Elgin Baylor, getting information from them." And knowing that decision has been made, Lavin is excit– ed about the effect it has had on a player who goes into the 2000-2001 season as a Wooden Award candidate as the best player in the nation. "Jason gives you an arsenal of offensive weapons that are probably as strong as anyone in the country," Lavin said. "The feedback he got was he was.the best shooter in the draft, and would probably go 20-29 in the draft. But the con– sensus was if he worked on his strength, he could better his position dramatically Because of that feedback he's had a definite roadmap for what he wanted to do in the offseason. " What Kapono did, by working out and playing summer basketball with such pros as Paul Pierce, Baron Davis and Tracey Murray, was to put the onus on conditioning and get– ting back on the court to help UCLA continue their glorious

tradition of winning-as well as to enjoy being a young man without the pressures of the NBA lifestyle. "I think its good because it gave me a chance to get my feet wet. I've been through the trials, got to meet the GMs," Kapono said. "I don't see any downside in the rule, I'm still on track to graduate." Lavin agreed with his star. "Jason is kind of a poster boy of this being a good rule when you are deliberate in your approach to making an informed decision," he said. "In college basketball the cli– mate has dramatically changed in the past 10 years. Jason used all his critical thinking skills to make a good decision ." While millions remain ahead of him, Kapono's good deci– sion can only help the quality of college hoops this season. •

William K. Wolfrum is a freelance writer in California and regular contributor to College Hoops Illustrated.