DARTMOUTH FRSHMAN CAN ONLY WATCH, WAIT : LAIBOW ADJUSTING TO BENCH ROLE ON TALENTED IVY LEAGUE TEAM.

Byline: Vincent Bonsignore Daily News Staff Writer

Brian Laibow wakes up every morning in his Dartmouth College dorm room and immediately turns on his computer to check the weather report for Hanover, New Hampshire.

Laibow, who grew up in Southern California, knows all too well what he'll likely face when he ventures outside. But for some reason the former Agoura High School basketball star and current Ivy League freshman just can't resist taking a hopeful peek.

``It always says something like sunny with a high of five,'' Laibow said, chuckling. ``And there's snow on the ground every day.''

But like all the other cold realities Laibow has experienced as a freshman attending school 3,000 miles away from home while playing Division I college basketball, he refuses to let his first east coast winter get him down. And just as he attacks every practice at Dartmouth like he was preparing for the NCAA Tournament despite the frustrating reality that he'll get minimal playing time this year, Laibow puts on his three layers of clothing each morning, collects his books and heads outside to confront another harsh, bitter day in New England.

In both cases Laibow employs a sort of delayed satisfaction philosophy. He tells himself that winter will soon give way to spring and then a warm summer won't be far behind. By toughing out four months of freezing weather, he'll appreciate the comforting summer sun that much more. And though his effort and sacrifice each day at practice might not be enough to convince Big Green coach Dave Saucher that his freshman guard deserves more court time this year, Laibow realizes that one day the hard work and learning will pay dividends.

``When I'm working (hard) at practice I'm basically thinking about the future,'' said Laibow. ``My time will eventually come. A lot of the seniors on this team went through the same thing when they were freshmen that I'm going through now. Knowing that really helps.''

Saucher agrees.

``I don't think we've had anybody come in here as a freshman who didn't need to make adjustments,'' he said. ``That's normal for anyone and that's what Brian is going through right now. But in terms of his willingness to work and being a good teammate, I could not be happier.''

If Laibow's first year at Dartmouth isn't everything he hoped it would be, at the very least it's been everything he expected it to be. From his lack of playing time to working around the clock on homework, Laibow was well prepared for this experience.

Dartmouth is a senior dominated club this season that's chasing its first Ivy League championship in over 30 years. And Laibow plays behind point guard Kenny Mitchell, who will likely play professional basketball in Europe next year. All three components equate to a season of sitting, watching and learning for Laibow.

``He's a great player,'' Laibow said of Mitchell, who plays about 37 of 40 minutes most games. ``I knew coming in what the situation would be.''

As a result, Laibow takes his opportunities as they come. Mostly that's been limited to practice, where the 6-4 guard goes head-to-head against Mitchell.

``We go after it pretty hard,'' said Laibow. ``Practice is like my game.''

Laibow admits that he and Mitchell have experienced some heated moments during workouts, but he appreciates that the senior point guard provides a daily barometer by which he can measure his progress.

Presently, Laibow has a checklist of areas he needs to improve in. First and foremost is adjusting to the speed of division I basketball. He found out immediately that casually pulling up for a jump shot like he did in high school would no longer work, so he'll pay plenty of attention to developing a quicker release during the off-season. He'll also work on his footwork, identifying and refining a few bread-and-butter shots and mastering the Big Green's complicated offense.

The mere fact that he considers himself behind in some parts of the game is very much a new situation for Laibow. At Agoura, he was four-year starter and was able to dominate most of his competition.

But once he reported to college, he quickly realized that all of his teammates were some sort of all-America, all-Region or all-Conference players during their prep careers.

``I have a lot more respect for the guys on my teams in high school who didn't get much playing time,'' Laibow said. ``It's tough to work hard every day knowing that there's a chance you might not play in the game. In my case, I'm thinking about next year and the year after that.''

Saucher cautions that all of his players are evaluated on a daily basis and each must climb a ladder that will hopefully take them from high school stars to productive college players. There are no assurances for anyone that that development will be completed, but he feels that Laibow is certainly headed in the right direction.

``Nothing is etched in stone or guaranteed,'' Saucher said. ``But as long as Brian continues to work hard and develop, he'll have an excellent opportunity here in the future.''

That's exactly what Laibow is counting on. He's part of an impressive freshman recruiting class at Dartmouth and he'd like nothing more then to continue the recent tradition of competitive basketball teams at the school.

This year, in addition to gaining some valuable experience in practice and spot duty during games, Laibow is content to observe and learn. He also acts as Mitchell's extra pair of eyes, picking things out from his vantage point on the bench that will hopefully help his teammate on the court.

In turn, Mitchell has been like an older brother to Laibow.

``In a basketball sense he helps me read the offense and run the team and listen to what the coach is trying to say when he's yelling,'' Laibow said. ``Just the little things like talking to me and helping me have been real helpful.''

Laibow carried a 3.7 GPA in his first semester at Dartmouth, and much like his adjustment going from prep basketball to college basketball, he's learning there are some differences in academics as well. He says he does homework right up until the time he leaves for games or practice and continues again as soon as he returns to his dorm room.

``In high school I didn't have to try very hard and I still did well,'' Laibow said. ``Things are a lot tougher here.''

CAPTION(S):

Photo

Photo: (Ran in Conejo and Simi) Brain Laibow - Treats practice like game