UCLA basketball: The fun begins

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Beginning with the season opener against Cal State Fullerton on Monday night, the Bruins face six games over a span of 14 days.

Coach Ben Howland worries about how his young team will handle this jam-packed start. Some players share his concern.

‘That’s just going to test our stamina and our ability to do turnarounds on different games and our different assignments,’ guard Malcolm Lee says. ‘Games are going to be rolling in and out, we’re going to have different assignments and different objectives for every game.’

After the first few -- Fullerton, Cal State Bakersfield and Pepperdine -- UCLA plays in the 76 Classic tournament in Anaheim, where the field includes nationally ranked teams such as West Virginia, Butler and Clemson.

‘We’re going to look up and down just for right now,’ freshman Mike Moser predicts. ‘But once we start getting our chemistry right, getting our rotations going real smooth, I think things are going to look more solid.’

At least one player, senior forward James Keefe, is looking forward to the next two weeks.

‘It’s more fun when you’re actually playing games than when you’re practicing against each other,’ he said.

-- David Wharton