Bruins Have Guard Up
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Coach Steve Lavin jokingly referred to it as his “five-guard lineup” at a luncheon Wednesday, but UCLA will open the season against North Carolina with four guards and J.R. Henderson, a forward “who wants to be a point guard,” Lavin said.
Lavin announced that freshmen Baron Davis and Earl Watson, junior Brandon Loyd and senior Toby Bailey will start alongside Henderson.
But 6-foot-3 Rico Hines, a freshman swingman who spent last season at a prep school because of eligibility questions, could play as big a role as any of the starters, and might end up matched against the big and talented Tar Heel post players.
“Rico Hines is kind of a [taller] Cameron Dollar, with toughness and intensity and defensive attitude,” Lavin said. “He just helps you win. Doesn’t do anything spectacular, just brings it every day. Every single day.
“Everyone thinks he’s a junior or a senior, that he transferred in. He’s just very mature as a player.”
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