BOZEMAN IN POSITION TO SUCCEED CHANGE TO SMALL FORWARD HAS HELPED UCLA SENIOR.

Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer

For much of Cedric Bozeman's UCLA career, he appeared to represent what was wrong within the program.

He couldn't make the open shot. He couldn't run a half-court offense, or find the open guy all the time. As the program crumbled after his freshman season, he was a central figure in the blame game.

But it might have been the program wronged Bozeman. As his UCLA career winds down and the Bruins are again on the national radar, Bozeman is being praised for being the non-statistical glue holding the team together during this injury-riddled, yet promising, season.

Furthermore, Bozeman is doing it while shedding another label - that of being soft - by playing with a torn labrum in his left shoulder. That comes after he missed last season because of reconstructive right knee surgery.

But how did Bozeman's transform his game after missing last season?

Arizona coach Lute Olson, who recruited Bozeman hard out of Mater Dei of Santa Ana, said Bozeman, a point guard in his first three seasons at UCLA, is finally playing where he belongs - on the wing.

``I feel that he was probably playing out of position,'' Olson said. ``That isn't to say he couldn't be a point guard, but I think he's much more effective with his size at the wing slot. And the thing that I've been happy with him is, he's never been known as a shooter, but I think he's become a good shooter now that he's not involved in having to distribute all the time.''

The quiet, likable Bozeman agrees with Olson.

He played some point guard at Mater Dei, but that wasn't his main position. He loved the wing, or small forward, and his ability to handle the basketball in the open court allowed him to thrive without the responsibility of running an offense.

Bozeman was a McDonald's all-American, and when he arrived on UCLA's campus in the summer of 2001, was immediately handed the keys to a high-octane, up-and-down offense on a team with high expectations.

But Bozeman didn't even have a learner's permit when it came to point guard.

``I think this is the most comfortable I've been,'' Bozeman said of his position change. ``This has really allowed me to do a lot of different things, and it's helped me as a player. And I'm really enjoying it, too. In high school, I was more of a roamer, with guard skills, and could play the point, but played the wing my whole life.''

Imagine yanking Bruins sophomore Jordan Farmar from UCLA's lineup and putting leading scorer Arron Afflalo in charge of running the offense.

Afflalo played some point guard in high school, and he would likely do a serviceable job. But his more natural position is off-guard.

``(Bozeman) is a wing. That's what he is,'' Bruins coach Ben Howland said. ``He's multi-faceted.''

Bozeman spent two seasons playing point guard under former coach Steve Lavin, then as a junior felt the brunt of Howland's demanding, toughness-oriented style. The results fell somewhere between awful and average, as Bozeman led the Pacific-10 in assists as a junior (5.5 per game), but his 41.1 percent career shooting percentage - including 27.4 percent from 3-point range - best described his shortcomings.

``Development-wise, (playing point guard) gave me a chance to see things from a different perspective, but it might have hindered me a little offensively,'' Bozeman said. ``It kept me a little passive at times, but I can't really be mad about playing the position.''

Now, Bozeman is being asked to do less within the offense, and is accomplishing more.

In the absence of injured Josh Shipp, Bozeman secured the wing position, giving the Bruins consistency there on a nightly basis.

Bozeman will play tremendous defense, grab a couple of critical rebounds, push the ball up court at times and not turn it over. And he's added something very few people thought he could - offensive efficiency.

Bozeman refined his shooting mechanics, he tucked his elbow in, got his feet under his shot better and more elevation, and became a viable outside option. He is shooting 53.9 percent from the floor, including 45.5 percent from 3-point range. His 69 percent free-throw percentage is also markedly higher than his 50 percent career mark.

The Bruins (20-5, 10-3 Pac-10) are also 15-2 with Bozeman in the lineup heading into today's game against USC at the Sports Arena. He is averaging 8.5 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.

``Who knows? If he would have moved off the ball earlier in his career, he might have been able to make a different impact,'' Farmar said. ``He's had a tough road, and toughed it out, and he's learned a lot about the experience. No one can say what he's gained from it, but I'm sure he's gained perspective on a lot of things.''

Bozeman said he will play professionally, most likely overseas. But Olson said it's too early to rule out Bozeman as an NBA player.

``I do think he does have a future because the only question I've ever heard is whether he can shoot the ball,'' Olson said. ``Well, he's proving this year he can shoot it. He's long, he plays hard, he's a great kid.

``We need more people like that, frankly, in the NBA. He'd be a good team guy. He wouldn't be belly-aching about 'play me or trade me here,' only making a couple a million or so a year. I think he'd be happy to be in that position.''

Brian Dohn, [phone]

brian.dohn(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, box

Photo:

(1) no caption (Cedric Bozeman)

(2) no caption (basketball net)

Box:

No. 15 UCLA vs. USC

- Brian Dohn and Scott Wolf