AFFLALO THROWS FUEL ON HIS FIRE GUARD'S COMPETITIVENESS RUBS OFF ON UCLA TEAMMATES.

Byline: BRIAN DOHN Staff Writer

ANAHEIM - Arron Afflalo still has his sights on the NBA, on the big paychecks so he can take care of his family, but not nearly as much as he did at this time last season.

Afflalo entered the NBA draft last spring, then pulled his name out when he didn't get the draft assurance he sought.

But rather than obsess about what is needed to improve his draft status, UCLA's junior guard said he has a new obsession.

``When he was talking about what to do (about the NBA), I told him I felt like he had a great chance to be one of the greats at UCLA,'' said Afflalo's childhood friend and roommate, Michael J. Pagan.

Already intensely dedicated, and an obsessive competitor, Afflalo fine- tuned his already tunnel-vision focus in an effort to become a more complete basketball player, and raise his profile in UCLA lore.

Entering today's matchup between his top-ranked Bruins and No. 6 Texas A&M in the Wooden Classic at the Honda Center, Afflalo leads UCLA in scoring (17.1 points per game) and is one of the best defensive players in the country.

``I think coming back to school is going to do me a lot of good in the long run, as far as just my perception around UCLA,'' said the chiseled 6-foot-5, 215-pound Afflalo. ``If I'm able to have a good individual year, maybe be All-American, and most importantly we stay No. 1 and win the (national) championship -- I don't want to be forgotten here.''

Those closest to Afflalo said his undying commitment to improving his game could cement his legacy in Westwood.

After a loss to West Virginia last season in which Afflalo missed 8 of 9 shots, he returned to the Pauley Pavilion court less than an hour later for a 60-minute individual workout.

Another time Bruins coach Ben Howland forbid Afflalo from entering a gym on an off day, because Afflalo's idea of fighting fatigue was to practice more.

And fresh of scoring 20 points in Tuesday's win against Cal State Fullerton, Afflalo went back to his apartment and watched the game.

Twice.

``After one of the volleyball playoff games last week, I was in (Pauley) playing one-on-one with (Pagan) for about an hour,'' Afflalo said. ``I don't like to lose. I have a lot of pride. And what took it over the top is I love basketball, I play it, I practice it so much. So if you beat me at that, I'm hurt even more.''

With Jordan Farmar now in the NBA, Afflalo's work ethic and accountability has made him UCLA's unquestioned leader.

``His competitive spirit, it rubs off on all of us,'' said Bruins sophomore point guard Darren Collison. ``When we see Arron willing to do anything to win, everyone is willing to do anything to win.''

Pagan, who has known Afflalo since the pair were five, said Afflalo's competitive fury and hard work were evident even in grade school. The two used to play on a five-foot basket in Afflalo's house, crashing into each other, banging into walls and eventually getting yelled at for their roughhousing.

But one thing was always constant.

``Me and Arron used to fight every day playing basketball,'' said Pagan, who is an actor. ``If I beat him, it was, `Let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go.' He always wanted to play again. He didn't go home with a loss.''

Afflalo's mentality is to always improve.

Hanging on a wall in Afflalo's apartment is a picture of himself from last season's national championship loss to Florida, a game in which he scored 10points and was 3 of 10 from the field.

Afflalo took a photo from the Internet and dressed it up with a few spiritual phrases, such as ``our greatest battles are those that are within our mind.''

Afflalo's dad took it a step further, blowing up the photo to small-poster size.

``I figured it was a good picture to look at when I didn't feel like working out,'' Afflalo said. ``I see it every day. It's like a picture on my wall.''

Disappointment is what drives Afflalo.

When he was smacked with the realization he was not NBA-bound, he said he was not bummed.

Instead, he kept a checklist of what scouts and NBA executives said he needed to improve in his game. There was ball-handling, shot consistency, ability to create his own shot and get to the free-throw line more often.

And then came Afflalo's realization that it may be impossible to show what the NBA was looking for in one season.

``I'm trying to show I have it all, and it takes a little more time for me,'' Afflalo said. ``I can defend, I can run, I can pass, I can play point, I can shoot 3s, I can post-up.

``It's hard for me to do every night because I'm not playing at a small school, and in a situation where I'm getting the ball every time down the floor. It's taking more time for me to show every little thing I do.

``Throughout the course of three or four years, hopefully, people can see that.''

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CAPTION(S):

photo, 3 boxes

Photo:

(color) AFFLALO

Box:

(1) NO. 1 UCLA VS. NO. 6 TEXAS A&M

- Brian Dohn

(2) USC vs. GEORGE WASHINGTON

- Matthew Kredell

(3) WOODEN CLASSIC