UCLA FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK: KIBBLE STILL RECOVERING AFTER MS EPISODE.

Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer

Robert Kibble still has numbness in his left hand and arm, is fatigued, and used a motorized cart to watch Tuesday's practice.

However, a few weeks after an episode of the flu served as a precursor to a flare-up of his multiple sclerosis, UCLA's sophomore free safety said he hopes to return to football next season.

Kibble was originally diagnosed with the relapsing-remitting form of multiple sclerosis - a disease of immune dysfunction - the August before his senior season at Houston's Westfield High. He missed the first three games of that season.

``I feel like I'm going to come back from this one the same way I came back from (the first) one, and come back next year. But right now, it's too early to tell,'' Kibble said. ``I still can't really feel my left hand, or, really, my left arm, which is usually the last thing to come back as far as feeling and strength.''

The bout with the flu hospitalized Kibble for a week last month, and during that time another lesion was discovered on the right side his brain.

``He's real optimistic, and I am too, and I'm eager to get him back out playing again, which I'm sure is his goal,'' UCLA coach Karl Dorrell said. ``It's hard for me to imagine what he's going through. I have a tremendous amount of respect for what he's doing, and being out there on our team, and being the person that he is. He's a great role model for a lot of players on this team, even though he's a freshman.''

As if Kibble, who was a key special teams member last season and figures to take on a bigger role defensively in the fall, hasn't been through enough, there is the realization this will not be the last time he suffers such an episode.

``I'm far from 100 percent,'' Kibble said. ``I'm maybe 60 percent and still really weak in terms of strength and fatigue. I get fatigued really easily. But I've made a lot of progress from the episode and I'm feeling good about it. Give me a couple of months and I think I'll be ready to go again. Come (fall training) camp, I think I'll be ready to go.

``I'm really not sure why it happened, but they found a new lesion on the right side of my brain, which caused the tingling and the loss of strength and everything that happened on my left side. It's not going to be the last, but hopefully this is the last for a while.''

--Walk-on surprise: As UCLA searches for receivers to round out its rotation, one player to keep an eye on is walk-on Bobby Whithorne. He's played well this spring, making a few nice catches in Saturday's scrimmage, and has Pacific-10 Conference experience.

Whithorne played two seasons at Washington, but gave up his scholarship to play closer to home.

``He's doing pretty well,'' Dorrell said of Whithorne. ``He's familiar with what we're doing. He's smart, picks up things quickly and he has been noticeable in practice. He's off to a good start.''

And, yes, Whithorne did play with the Huskies. In 2004, his 18 catches for 215 yards ranked fourth for a Washington team that finished 1-10.

``From top to bottom this is a better program, and I want to win a championship. That's why I came here,'' said Whithorne, who attended Santa Margarita High and has two years of eligibility remaining. ``This is a much better experience. I think I've played pretty well (in practice), and I'm just trying to prove myself every day.''

Brian Dohn, [phone]

brian.dohn(at)dailynews.com