Seamless transition

UCLA point guard Darren Collison can thank heredity for his speed and defense-shredding quickness.

His parents, June Griffith and Dennis Collison, were internationally ranked runners who competed for New York’s Adelphi University and their native Guyana. June Griffith reached the semifinals of the 400-meter run at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, and Dennis specialized in the 200 and competed in the Pan-Am Games.

But Darren’s feistiness and sureness on the court are very much his own.

With every clever pass and audacious steal, the 6-foot-1 sophomore from Rancho Cucamonga more firmly stamps his identity on a Bruins team that’s better than the group the Florida Gators crushed in last year’s NCAA championship game.

The Bruins didn’t lose a beat -- or a step -- when Jordan Farmar left for the NBA and Collison inherited the starting job. They gained a quick-thinking, multi-dimensional leader whose temperament and abilities at both ends of the floor mesh more solidly with his teammates’ talents than Farmar’s did.

“Darren is faster and defensively can pressure the ball full court,” forward Alfred Aboya said of the difference between last year’s Bruins and this year’s.

“I think this team is a better team. More athletic. We’re faster. We complement each other.”

Collison is the glue that has bonded them all season, and he has lifted his game during the Bruins’ march to a rematch with Florida in Saturday’s national semifinal in Atlanta.

In four tournament games he has averaged 13.8 points, second on the team to Arron Afflalo’s 18.3. He continued to test opponents’ defenses with his speed and athleticism while frustrating foes with his unyielding defensive play.

“I’ve been really pleased with his leadership,” Coach Ben Howland said Tuesday during a news conference on the Westwood campus.

“Darren’s done a great job from the beginning leading in the huddles. Before they go out, he’s the one that’s talking. It all starts with your point guard, and he’s done a very good job this year.”

His effectiveness is reflected in his statistics, though numbers don’t tell the whole story.

Farmar was a more prolific scorer, averaging 13.5 points last season to Collison’s 12.8 this season. Farmar, an inch taller, was a slightly better rebounder, averaging 2.6 to Collison’s 2.3.

But while Farmar averaged just over one steal a game, Collison is averaging 2.3. Farmar’s assist-to-turnover ratio was 1.4, but Collison’s is 1.9 even after his uncharacteristic one-assist, seven-turnover effort in UCLA’s upset of Kansas last Saturday.

“Jordan was very good. He played the game with a high IQ,” Afflalo said. “Darren has the same natural athleticism and quickness that allows him to do things we couldn’t do last year, like pushing the ball a little more and extending the defense to cause some turnovers. And because of that, our team has really flourished.”

While both were accepted as floor generals, Collison is comfortable as part of an ensemble. Farmar wanted to take over games and occasionally grated on his teammates’ nerves. The two traded punches during a practice last season after Farmar elbowed Collison in the face, an incident Collison downplayed.

“That’s what happens when you have two players that are naturally good and competing. We were competing for a spot. At the end of the day we were always cool,” Collison said. “That was my boy, and we did things respectfully.

“We wouldn’t have gotten that far, to the championship, if we didn’t have any type of chemistry.”

Collison acknowledged that he initially felt the weight of his increased minutes and higher expectations this season.

“Last year, I was providing energy coming off the bench and I did absolutely what it took to help the team win, in whatever aspect. This year I have a much bigger responsibility and a much bigger role,” he said.

“I’ve got to be more mature in how to approach situations. I am the extension of the coach. That’s a big leadership role. I’ve got to make sure that everybody’s doing their job.”

The Bruins might do their jobs well and still lose Saturday, so good are the Gators. “You’ve got to pick your poison,” Collison said when asked if UCLA will focus on stopping Florida inside or outside. “Right now, they don’t have any weaknesses.”

Florida’s championship starting five returned and each has a double-figure scoring average, led by point guard Taurean Green’s 13.3. Collison said he’s respectful but not daunted.

“I’ve been playing against good point guards all year. There’s no reason why I should be scared of that. It’s just another game that my team has to play,” Collison said. “Most important, we’re doing this as a team, it’s not an individual effort. No one man can be a five-man team. So you’ve got to be smart about the situation.”

Being smart, quick and persistent have carried Collison and the Bruins this far. He -- and they -- will be defined by their performance Saturday. Leaders lead their teammates to championships. It’s another way for Collison to separate himself from Farmar.

helene.elliott@latimes.com