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The Sports Xchange

OVERVIEW

Russell Westbrook fought for minutes as a freshman, but he emerged as a steady scorer and sensational defender as a sophomore. Playing for a squad that featured All-Americans Kevin Love and Darren Collison, the consensus in the scouting industry is that Westbrook's game makes him the Bruins' most likely potential lottery pick.

In two seasons at UCLA, Westbrook poured in 619 points (8.3 per game) and grabbed 181 rebounds (2.4 per game). He logged more minutes on the court (1,318) in a season than any other player since the Bruins tabulated those statistics beginning in 1979. He handed out 191 assists, as he shot 48.4 percent from the field and 35.4 percent from 3-point range.

At Leuzinger High School, Westbrook garnered third-team Long Beach Press-Telegram Best in the West honors. He added third-team All-State, first-team All-CIF Division I and two-time Most Valuable Player of the Bay League honors. Scout.com rated him as the second-best shooting guard in the West and one of the top 25 shooting guards in the nation.

As a senior, Westbrook led Leuzinger to a 25-4 overall record and to a CIF-SS Division I-AA quarterfinal playoff appearance. He averaged 25.1 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 2.3 assists that season. He connected on 57 3-pointers and made 76.0 percent of his free throws. He also totaled 14 double-doubles, scored 30 or more points on eight occasions and registered a career-best 51 points at Carson High in 2006.

It was a "learning" experience for Westbrook during his first season at UCLA in 2006-07. Used to being the featured player on his team, he had to take a backseat to others, as he averaged nine minutes per game while playing in 36 contests. He scored 122 points (3.4 per game), shooting 45.7 percent from the field, but made only 54.8 percent of his free throws. He had 28 rebounds and 24 assists, but longed to break the starting lineup, having done it just once as a freshman.

The 2007-08 season saw the arrival of Kevin Love to be the Bruins' featured scoring option, but with Darren Collison serving as his mentor in the backcourt, Westbrook would start 34-of-39 games in 2007-08. The All-Pac 10 Conference third-team choice ranked third on the team in scoring, as he averaged 12.7 points per game.

Westbrook made 46.5 percent of his field goals, including 26-of-77 from 3-point range and greatly improved his free throw shooting, hitting at a 71.3 percent clip after making just 54.8 percent of those shots the previous year. He ranked third on the squad with 198 rebounds and led the team with 63 steals and 167 assists.

After the 2008 NCAA Tournament, Westbrook announced that he was declaring for early entry in the NBA Draft. "After discussing it with my family and weighing my options, I've decided to put my name into the 2008 NBA Draft," he said. "I will not be hiring an agent and will maintain my classes to keep my eligibility."

"Russell has worked very, very hard to put himself in a position where he is projected to be a first round draft pick," UCLA head coach Ben Howland said. "I am 100 percent supportive of him and putting his name in and getting out there and working out for some teams and weighing his options. I'm really exited and proud about what Russell accomplished this year. I haven't had a player that's improved more in one year than Russell."

ANALYSIS

Positives: Designated to play the point for the Bruins, Westbrook is more of a combo guard who might lack the height you look for in a "2" guard, but compensates with a very good reach (8'4") and excellent leaping ability (36 1/2-inch vertical) ... Coachable athlete who plays with an unselfish nature, as he will not hesitate to pass out of trouble to an open teammate ... Studies game film and puts in extra hours in the gym to improve ... Gets high elevation in the lane, showing good touch as a finisher, despite having the rotating defense around him ... Has very good court vision, knowing when to slash to the rim or create some space to get off his shot ... Consciously secure with the ball, keeping his dribble tight and low ... Has large, soft hands which are assets on the boards and fighting to disrupt as an on-ball defender ... He lacks the height to play shooting guard but did experience a growth spurt late in his prep career (went from 5-foot-8 to 6-2) and has excellent strength to take on physical backcourt types and wing players when rotating on help defense ... Defenders will back off when Westbrook goes full steam into the lane, and his power base makes Westbrook tough to defeat ... Athletic but doesn't force his own shot and knows he can convert in transition regularly, but needs to pick and choose his spots (preferably in the open area) when attempting 3-pointers ... Is still developing a consistent offensive game, but is very physical applying pressure defense and uses his reach well to disrupt the action in the passing lanes ... Has the lateral range to mirror as a defender and will not bite on head and shoulder fakes when defending along the perimeter ... Keeps his hands active when pressuring the shooter, resulting in his opponent being forced to take off-balance shots ... Uses his long arms and ball-anticipation skills to create pressure and steals and is good at setting and establishing position vs. an oncoming guard ... Stays low in his stance with arms and feet consistently moving when applying pressure ... Shows explosive crossover action, as he is sudden in his charge to the basket, using his body well to draw contact on the way to the rim or to separate from his man to step back for a fade-away jumper ... Shows very good balance and an explosive vertical going up above the basket to score ... Still more comfortable piling up most of his points when moving in the open court, where he is quick to set and put up his jumper, but is also effective in transition, as he is quick to spot the seam in the opposing defense to attack the basket with fluid catch-and-shoot action ... Knows how to create scoring opportunities for himself coming off the dribble ... Moves well with the ball in his hands and is efficient at getting "skinny" to slip his way through traffic on charges to the rim ... Sets his feet well, getting good elevation on his jump shot, with the high release point to get over the outstretched arms of the defender ... Plays his best defense when matched vs. the elite, having held Michigan State's Drew Neitzel to 4-of-11 shooting for 13 points; forcing six turnovers by D.J. Augustin of Texas; limiting Davidson's Stephen Curry to 6-of-19 field goals; forcing Washington State's Kyle Weaver into 4-of-11 shooting and more than held his own against Southern California's O.J. Mayo in their three meetings, holding the Trojan to 5-of-12 shooting with four turnovers and four fouls on 1/19, followed by 2-of-8 from the field with 10 turnovers and a career-low eight points on 2/17 and 6-of-16 shooting on 3/14 ... Has the speed to bring the ball up on the fast break and is quick with his entry passes when playing on the baseline ... Early in his career, he might be a good fit coming off an NBA bench, as he is perfectly content serving as a role player to work on improving his skills and perimeter shooting.

Negatives: Still developing a consistent offensive game, as he is a bit of a streaky shooter who is more comfortable taking chances when he is able to create space for himself...Turnover prone trying to force his way through traffic and isn't always aware to pressure coming from rotations ... Corrected a hitch in his free throw shooting, but is still a 68.5 percent performer in this area ... Has good lateral agility, but gets too reckless when trying to weave in and out of the crowd, leaving the ball on the floor too long ... Has a quick release, but lacks the fluidity of a pure shooter and tends to rush his shot before setting his feet properly ... Because of his offensive inexperience, he is not that creative making his own shot ... Has developing ball-handling skills, but has had just one year experience playing the point and the experience and feel for distributing the ball is just not there yet (more effective when playing off the ball than having to control it) ... Tries to get too creative with the ball, leading to turnovers ... Will speed up his shot and lack arc when taking transition jumpers ... Needs to set his feet better before long-range shot attempts (tends to push forward rather than just elevating on his jumpers) ... More comfortable taking his shots in space, as he is not effective playing the half-court game.

Compares To: LEANDRO BARBOSA-Phoenix ... Until Westbrook can settle in and hone his skills at one position, he might be a better fit as a combo guard coming off the bench. He is a physical defender with improving ball-handling skills, but needs more court experience bringing the ball down the court before he can get comfortable at the point. He has large, natural hands and is very comfortable playing in transition. He creates steal opportunities for himself by clogging passing lanes and brings good energy on both ends of the court. He is not comfortable playing at a slow pace and might never be the type that can easily create his own shot. He will need to show better consistency with his mid-range game, but has the skills to make those shots, when he is able to separate and create space. Westbrook will more likely be drafted based on his athleticism and needs a few years to hone his skills before putting him on the court for 40 minutes per game.

CAREER NOTES

Played a total of 1,318 minutes in 2007-08, breaking the school record of 1,303 minutes by guard Arron Afflalo in 2005-06 ... Started 35-of-75 games he played in, scoring 619 points (8.3 per game) ... Made 230-of-496 field goals (46.4 percent), 35-of-99 3-pointers (35.4 percent) and 124-of-181 free throws (68.5 percent) ... Pulled down 181 rebounds (2.4 per game), as 69 came from the offensive glass ... Credited with 191 assists (2.5 per game) and blocked eight shots ... Also had 77 steals ... His 63 steals in 2007-08 tied Tyus Edney (1992-93) for ninth on the school's season-record list.

2007-08 SEASON

All-American Defensive Team first-team choice by The NBA Draft Report ... Third-team All-Pac-10 Conference selection ... Added All-Tournament West Region first-team honors ... Saw action in 39 games, starting 34 contests while setting the school season-record with 1,318 minutes played ... Finished third on the team in scoring with 497 points (12.7 per game), as he shot 46.5 percent from the field (182-of-391) and 71.3 percent from the charity stripe (107-of-150) ... Made 26-of-77 3-point attempts (33.8 percent) ... Grabbed 153 rebounds, including 61 from the offensive end ... Led the team with 167 assists (4.3 per game) and 63 steals (1.7 per game) ... Blocked seven shots and had 96 turnovers with a team-high 93 personal fouls ... Scored in double figures in 28 contests, producing a double-double performance vs. Western Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament.

2007-08 GAME ANALYSIS

Opened the season with 10 points, five assists, two steals and three boards vs. Portland State ... Added nine assists, nine points and four rebounds vs. Youngstown State and put up 13 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the foul line, as he also tallied seven assists vs. Maryland ... Made 6-of-7 field goals, scoring 15 points with six assists and two steals vs. Yale ... Posted 19 points, eight assists and seven boards to close out the month of November with an 83-60 victory over George Washington ... chipped in with six assists, three rebounds and 14 points vs. Davidson and totaled 12 points vs. Michigan for his best performances in December ... Hit on 6-of-7 shots from the field for 15 points and six assists vs. Stanford ... Had three steals, four assists, four boards and 12 points vs. Washington State ... Added 18 points vs. Washington and 15 more with seven rebounds in the Oregon clash ... Closed out the month of January with 10 points, seven assists and four steals in an 84-51 triumph over Arizona State ... Produced 21 points on 10-of-13 shooting vs. Arizona, adding three assists to start off February action ... Poured in 18 points with six rebounds vs. Washington and had seven assists, five rebounds and 17 points vs. Oregon State for his best February efforts ... Scored 19 points vs. Stanford and 18 more vs. California to begin the month of March ... Grabbed a season-high eleven rebounds and had nine points vs. Stanford in the Pac-10 Tournament ... In NCAA Tournament action, Westbrook tallied seven assists, four boards and nine points vs. Mississippi Valley State and put in 14 points with 11 rebounds and five assists vs. Western Kentucky ... Added four steals vs. Texas A&M and 17 points with three steals vs. Xavier ... In a 78-63 loss to Memphis in the national championship game, Westbrook collected 22 points on 10-of-19 shooting, as he also delivered three assists, three steals and a trio of rebounds.

2006-07 SEASON

Played in 36 games as a combo guard during his freshman year, logging 325 minutes of action ... Scored 122 points (3.4 per game), shooting 45.7 percent from the field on 48-of-105 field goals, including 9-of-22 from 3-point range ... Hit on just 17-of-31 free throws (54.8 percent) as he pulled down 28 rebounds ... Collected 24 assists with 14 steals and one blocked shot.

2006-07 GAME ANALYSIS

Tied his season-high of 11 points in a win over Oregon State...Also scored 11 points in just 11 minutes in a win over Long Beach State, as he made all three of his three-pointers he attempted vs. the 49ers...Made the first start of his career in place of the injured Darren Collison in a loss at West Virginia, as he had season-highs of five rebounds, four assists and two steals vs. the Mountaineers, but was 1-for-11 from the field in a season-high 32 minutes...Played in 15 minutes in the win over Chaminade, recording three points, two rebounds, one steal and two assists ... Tallied seven points, two rebounds and an assist in 11 minutes vs. Sam Houston State ... Scored 10 points in 13 minutes (3-for-5 from the field) in a loss at Oregon (1/06)...Played 16 minutes in a win at USC, registering six points, one rebound and one assist vs. the Trojans (1/13)...Scored in all five NCAA Tournament games, but never played more than eight minutes, as he tallied four points in four minutes vs. Indiana and four points, one rebound, one assist and one steal in five minutes in the Kansas clash.

INJURY REPORT

No injuries reported.

HIGH SCHOOL

Attended Leuzinger (Hawthorne, Cal.) High school, playing basketball for head coach Reggie Morris...Garnered third-team Long Beach Press-Telegram Best in the West honors, as he added third-team All-State, first-team All-CIF Division I and two-time Most Valuable Player of the Bay League recognition ... Scout.com rated him as the second-best shooting guard in the West and one of the top 25 shooting guards in the nation ... As a senior, the left-handed shooter led Leuzinger to a 25-4 overall record and to a CIF-SS Div. I-AA quarterfinal playoff appearance, as he averaged 25.1 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 2.3 assists ... Also connected on 57 3-pointers and made 76.0 percent of his free throws ... Totaled 14 double-doubles, scored 30 or more points on eight occasions and registered a career-best 51 points at Carson High in 2006.

PERSONAL

General Studies major ... Son of Shannon Horton and Russell Westbrook ... Born 11/12/88 in Long Beach, California ... Resides in Hawthorne, California.