Bruins, Facing Games in Washington, Put Haley Back at Center; Butler Out

Jack Haley will be back in the starting lineup for UCLA’s basketball team in games Thursday night at Washington and Saturday afternoon at Washington State.

Haley, a 6-10 junior who was replaced at center by 6-8 sophomore Craig Jackson after four games, will be back at center. Jackson will move to the big forward position in place of Kelvin Butler, a 6-7 sophomore.

UCLA Coach Walt Hazzard said that one of the main reasons for the change was the fact that Butler’s mother is seriously ill.

“His personal situation has influenced his play, and it’s possible that he won’t even be able to make the trip with us this weekend,” Hazzard said.

The move also puts Jackson back in his more natural position.

As for Haley, who struggled in his early starting role, Hazzard is hoping that having a couple of productive games off the bench helped his confidence. Hazzard said: “He’s been playing well in practice, making his shots and catching the ball. Hopefully, he’ll remain as calm in the games as he has in practice.

“We hope to get a good effort out of Jack on the boards and with his post defense. At least we can look like we can match up with Washington, then. . . . He’ll play well. We know we’ll get five good fouls.”

UCLA has a 6-3 record overall and a 1-1 mark in the Pacific 10. The Bruins, however, did not look too good in either of their conference games. UCLA beat Oregon in the conference opener but lost to Oregon State Saturday. Hazzard was not at all pleased with his team’s latest effort.

“We are now averaging 17 turnovers a game--that’s an area we must improve. . . . Saturday, we were also hurt by the second and third shots we allowed Oregon State to get. . . .

“We ran no offense. We called plays that were not run and ended up turning over the ball in confusion.

“We made mental errors and had a lack of effort last Saturday. Those were major concerns of mine. I did not feel like the team gave 100%, and that I will not tolerate. I will not accept that.”

UCLA will be on the road Thursday for the first time since the Nov. 24 season opener at Chapel Hill. The Bruins had eight straight games at Pauley Pavilion in December and the first week of January.

Bruin Notes Reggie Miller, UCLA’s standout junior forward, leads the team in scoring with 24 points a game, free-throw percentage with 90.1% and blocked shots, 5, and is second in rebounding with an average 5.4 a game and in steals with 15 total. Miller is making 55.1% of his shots, even though he has been shooting mostly from long range. . . . Both teams on the Bruin schedule this week have been struggling. Washington, which got off to a fast start, had lost four straight before beating Stanford, 70-69. Washington is 7-7. Washington State, which also had a good start, now has a three-game losing streak and a 7-8 record.