Farmar Fights Through the Pain

MESA, Ariz. —  As the bus carrying the UCLA basketball team sped from Tucson to the Phoenix area Thursday night, sophomore guard Jordan Farmar watched a tape of the team’s victory over Arizona hours earlier while clutching his constant companion: an ice bag.

These days, that bag is never far from Farmar’s right ankle, which was sprained in mid-November and has repeatedly been re-injured, each time when he has stepped awkwardly on someone else’s foot on the court.

It happened again Thursday, forcing Farmar out of the Arizona game briefly. He iced the foot on and off that night, upon his arrival at the team’s Mesa hotel. And he was at it again Friday in preparation for today’s game at Arizona State.

Farmar was so discouraged by his latest setback that late Thursday he talked about taking some time off to allow for an uninterrupted healing process. But by Friday Farmar had decided that wasn’t practical.

“It would take 30 days for the ankle to fully heal,” Farmar said, “and I don’t have 30 days. But it would be nice to go a couple of games without stepping on somebody’s foot.”

Said UCLA Coach Ben Howland: “It’s always his right ankle. Let’s do the other ankle for a change.”

Howland was trying to find a little humor in a frustrating situation, but there has been nothing humorous about Farmar’s dwindling scoring as the ankle problem has lingered. Before the start of Pacific 10 Conference play, Farmar was averaging 16 points a game and shooting 46.8%.

In the conference opener against Stanford, he re-injured the ankle and, in three conference games including that one, he is shooting 28% (seven for 25) and has a total of 22 points.

Trying to play through pain on a heavily taped ankle supported by a brace, Farmar doesn’t have the lift in his legs required to make his jump shot. His shots repeatedly have hit the front of the rim. However, Howland says Farmar in his present state is better than no Farmar.

“We are still going to be more likely to win with him in there at 75% to 80% than with him not in there at all,” the coach said. “And he knows that.”

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TODAY

at Arizona State, 1 p.m. PST, FSNW2

Site -- Wells Fargo Arena, Tempe, Ariz.

Radio -- 570.

Records -- UCLA 12-2 overall, 2-1 in Pacific 10; Arizona State 6-6, 0-3.

Update -- The Sun Devils are better at home (6-3) than on the road, where they are winless. Arizona State is led in scoring by Kevin Kruger (15.6-point average) and Bryson Krueger (13.8). Nevada Las Vegas Coach Lon Kruger is Kevin’s father.