Roles of Henderson, Reed Are Pivotal

J.R. Henderson, UCLA’s walking mismatch, wasn’t perfect in the first half against Louisville on Sunday.

He missed one shot--followed that up with a dunk--then missed a couple of free throws.

Henderson’s career-high 32 points--21 of them in the first half--helped UCLA erase any hopes harbored by a flagging Louisville team that has a knack for making losses look closer than they ought to be.

UCLA, on the other hand, has a knack for making wins look closer than they ought to be: The Bruins’ 88-82 victory was no contest.

But it’s getting to be that time of year when UCLA needs to find itself--and the questions loom all the larger with the uncertainty of Jelani McCoy’s future with the team.

UCLA Coach Steve Lavin says February and March are what matter most.

They’re around the corner, by the way.

“The second half against Stanford, the second half against Cal, the first against ‘SC and the first half today, you can see glimpses of us hitting our stride,” Lavin said. “Last year, I think Kansas was razor-sharp so much of the season. They were like a buzz-saw, and they had lottery picks, a future hall of fame coach. Then they run into a fifth-place Pac-10 team [Arizona] and lose.”

National championships aren’t won in January and February, it’s true, but NCAA tournament seedings are influenced, and it was clear enough Sunday that Lavin is trying to get a grip on the mold of this team, come what may.

Henderson has never given up the starting center’s role he had to shoulder during McCoy’s suspension, and with McCoy on the bench for all but 14 minutes Sunday, Lavin gave freshman Travis Reed the most playing time he has had since before McCoy’s season debut.

“I can’t fill Jelani’s shoes. I’m just going to try my best and whatever happens, happens,” said Reed, who had seven points, a rebound, two blocked shots and two steals in 14 minutes.

Against Louisville, UCLA faced little challenge inside. Louisville didn’t have anybody who could defend Henderson’s versatile game, especially with its tallest starter, center Alex Sanders, listed at only 6 feet 7.

For once, the 6-8 Henderson had the size advantage, even playing center.

“We don’t have anybody big enough to guard him from behind,” said Louisville Coach Denny Crum, who watched as Henderson made mincemeat of Louisville’s defense in the first half, making nine of 10 shots.

Louisville made it too easy for Henderson to get the ball, and Henderson made it look easy to put in the basket, scoring on an assortment of dunks and jumpers--including his first three-point basket of the season, in the second half.

When Henderson got the ball in the first half, Louisville usually didn’t get it back until it fell through the net, and the Cardinals trailed by 18 at halftime.

“J.R. was just doing his normal thing,” UCLA forward Kris Johnson said. “They were just playing J.R. straight up. They weren’t doubling, and I don’t understand it at all. He made them pay for it.”

Said Henderson: “I just don’t see how anybody can play me with just one guy. That’s when I have to just attack, attack attack.”

In the second half, in particular, Louisville would drop a guard such as Cameron Murray down occasionally to help out on defense. But Murray--who had a woeful game in his return to Los Angeles, going one for 10--was no nuisance.

For Henderson, Sunday’s game was a bit of redemption. He has been in double figures all but two games this season. One, his nine-point outing against USC last game, didn’t matter. The other, his three-point game in the loss to Arizona, was killing.

Henderson has followed both with career-high performances--a 31-point game against Arizona State and the 32-point game Sunday.

“The ‘SC game, I was standing around a lot. Letting the ball come to me,” Henderson said. “This game, I decided I had to move around, keep the defender on his toes, and if he makes one bad move. . . . And the jumpers seemed to be going.”

Lavin, who can’t mention Henderson without starting a one-man crusade for player-of-the-year awards, said, “J.R. Henderson again comes up big. He’s just a tremendous player. He’s so versatile. He can step off the block and beat you off the drive. He can step out and take a three. His arsenal offensively, for a guy 6-9, he has such a vast array of options.” The questions right now are how many options Lavin is going to have, and he took a good look at Reed on Sunday after playing him for only 22 minutes in the eight games since McCoy returned.

McCoy, who gave up minutes to Reed, offered advice.

“He said, ‘Play hard, play strong, and when you get the ball inside you’ve got to go up strong,’ ” Reed said. “J.R. had 30 or something. They really couldn’t stop us inside.”

Lavin, criticized for playing his starters too many minutes, is trying to fix that--out of need or fear, it’s not clear.

“Yeah, it’s been hard,” said Reed, who played a season-high 28 minutes against New Mexico in December and had 14 points. “You’re used to being in the game a lot. You’re used to helping the team. You’ve just got to stay on the bench and cheer for your teammates. I’m glad to be back in the mix.”

Just how much in the mix remains to be seen.