A RUSH OF CONTROVERSY; UCLA STAR RECRUIT HAD FALLING OUT WITH KANSAS.

Byline: Jon Wilner Daily News Staff Writer

JaRon Rush's favorite book is ``To Kill A Mockingbird.'' He's captivated by the courtroom suspense and Boo Radley's dramatic rescue of Jem and Scout in the woods.

Rush, a 6-7 senior from Pembroke Hill High in Kansas City, showed his love for drama throughout the 1997-98 recruiting season, at the expense of one college and to the delight of another. His controversial recruitment - which included a wealthy booster, an NCAA investigation, a suspicious sports utility vehicle, a coaching dispute and severed relations with Kansas coach Roy Williams - is expected to end today when Rush signs with UCLA.

He can't wait.

``UCLA will be a fresh start for me,'' he said March 29, after scoring 18 points in the Hoops Summitt All-Star Game in San Antonio. ``Hopefully, I've got everything over with. I'm going to try to move on.''

Rush orally committed to Kansas in November, but his mother, Glenda, refused to co-sign the letter of intent and he remained a recruitable athlete. For two months, UCLA and Kansas awaited a decision. It came in early February, when Rush criticized Williams' substitution pattern. Williams ended their relationship immediately, and a few days later Rush committed to UCLA.

``Recruiting had gotten a lot more distasteful, and this is an instance of the same kind of thing,'' Williams said. ``We made a commitment to JaRon, and JaRon made a commitment to us. Then outside sources made it a difficult situation. It got to the point that I felt it was in our best interest to stop the recruiting. But JaRon is a great prospect - a great prospect.''

About that, there's no controversy. Rush is a first-team Parade All-American. He's athletic, he's skilled, and he plays with contagious energy. With Baron Davis recovering from a knee injury, Rush will be UCLA's most talented player the moment he steps on the court.

``Once he gets into a team system where the offense doesn't depend on him, he'll be a fine player,'' said George Raveling, who has seen Rush play 35-40 times. ``Right now, he's had to carry too much of the offensive load for the teams he's been on. He has a long way to go defensively, so he'll fit right in with UCLA.''

Until February, most believed Rush was a good fit for Kansas. He was extremely close to prominent Jayhawks booster Tom Grant. According to the Kansas City Star, Rush received vacation allowance from Grant, he had a room in Grant's home, and he drove a GEO Tracker leased to him in Grant's name. More, a scholarship foundation established by Grant pays Rush's tuition at Pembroke Hill.

But an NCAA investigation determined the Rush-Grant relationship began prior to Rush becoming a ``recruitable athlete,'' and thus did not constitute a violation. That obstacle removed, Rush orally committed to Kansas in the fall.

``People misinterpreted my commitment,'' Rush said. ``I said I was going to Kansas, but I didn't say I wasn't taking any phone calls.''

The Bruins continued to recruit Rush, prompting Williams to call UCLA coach Steve Lavin in midseason. According to a source, Williams thought UCLA should have respected Rush's oral commitment and ceased its recruitment. But because they were never told to stop calling - by Rush or his mother - the Bruins continued their pursuit.

(Williams declined to comment. Lavin cannot comment until Rush's letter-of-intent arrives.)

The effect of Rush's critique - ``Roy subs too much for me'' - was overblown. It tweaked Williams, the source said, but not enough to singularly end the recruitment.

Instead, the Jayhawks grew weary of Myron Piggie, Rush's high-maintenance AAU coach/adviser, and wary of Rush's new car, a Chevy Blazer, which he reportedly began driving as his relationship with Kansas disintegrated. Piggie said the Blazer is on loan from a relative. A source said the vehicle came not from UCLA but from an independent third party.

When Williams stopped the recruitment, UCLA officials termed it damage control: Williams was dropping Rush before Rush could drop him.

``That irritates me,'' Williams said. ``How do they know what I'm thinking?''

Harper Lee couldn't have scripted it any stranger.

``The Kansas City community wanted me to go to Kansas so bad, when I chose something else they didn't agree with it,'' Rush said. ``I like coach Williams, but UCLA was a better program for me. Coach Lavin is down to earth, he's easy to get along with, and it gave me a chance to get away from all the stuff in Kansas City. It was suffocating.''

The Bruins had another advantage: Freshman guard Earl Watson, a native of Kansas City, Kan., is good friends with Rush. Watson survived a prolonged case of homesickness, started every game and was named to the Pac-10 all-freshman team.

``If Earl had gone home, that would have had an effect on me,'' Rush said. ``But now he's having a good time and says everything's OK. I roomed with him on my visit. We met a lot of people, but I was able to get lost in the big city. Sometimes, you want the attention. Sometimes, you don't.''