Collison warming UCLA hearts these days, not bench

At times, it was difficult. Darren Collison, without hesitation, will acknowledge this now, how tough things became last season when, for more minutes than not, the obviously talented UCLA point guard found himself on the bench, watching, observing, yearning for playing time that never quite came in the bundles he would've liked.

Darren Collison no longer doubts his decision to choose UCLA over SDSU. (AP)

Sure, the Bruins were winning.

That was nice.

Sure, Jordan Farmar was a future pro.

That was understood.

But beyond those details, the facts were simple. Collison was a gifted basketball player good enough to start for most teams, and when this is abundantly clear to everybody you know and everybody who knows you, it can be hard to remain patient and focused on the greater good without wondering whether things are going correctly, whether the plan is going as planned.

To wonder is natural.

So Collison wondered.

"It was frustrating because I think everybody thinks when they are a high school star that they are going to start in college their first year," Collison said.

"So that was the frustrating part, not getting a starting position. But at the end of the day, I learned a lot, and I just decided to work harder and harder because I knew eventually success would come my way."

Eventually is now.

As top-ranked UCLA prepares for Saturday's showdown with No. 6 Texas A&M in the John R. Wooden Classic, one preseason question already answered is whether Collison could replace Farmar without UCLA slipping. Collison has replaced Farmar and there's been no slippage. The Bruins are 7-0 with notable wins over BYU, Kentucky and Georgia Tech.

It's too early to claim they are better than last season's team that played Florida for the national title. But it's worth noting they look like they might be better than last season's team that played Florida for the national title.