Afflalo: Winning A National Title Is Priority
It was last April when guard Arron Afflalo gave a verbal commitment to the UCLA basketball program. Since then, Afflalo has gained more confidence and excitement in being a member of the UCLA team starting in 2004-2005.
"Coach Howland is one of the best coaches in the country," said Afflalo, a 6-foot-4, 195-pound shooting guard/small forward from Price High School in Compton, Calif. "I can't wait to play for him. UCLA will have a chance to win a National Championship with him there."
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It's the main reason why Afflalo is going to play for the Bruins. And there are other reasons. "It's exciting to be able to play in front of your family and friends," Affalo said. "Being close to home and being able to play for a great school was one of the reasons why I want to play for UCLA."
Afflalo, who recently competed at an all star event in New Jersey, indicated there are some areas of his game he would like to polish before he plays for Howland. "I want to get stronger and be more physical," Afflalo said. "I also want to get quicker and become more athletic.
"I think the way you do that is do a lot of exercises that have to do with quickness and jumping. There are all sorts of jumping techniques you can do to become more athletic. I am doing them now. And I do them everyday now. So hopefully by the time I get to college I will have improved that area."
For now, Afflalo is looking forward to his senior year. "I am just going to try and help my team win some games this season," Afflalo said.
Afflalo is rated the 32nd best player in the country in the Rivals150.