Lavin Lauds Play of Davis, Watson

Coach Steve Lavin said the most positive part of this season so far has been the play of freshmen guards Baron Davis and Earl Watson, even though each at times has been disappointed with his own play.

Davis and Watson have started all 18 of UCLA’s games.

“You have to make them understand they’re doing some really special things,” Lavin said. “But because they’re playing at UCLA, the 11 national championships and the expectations and because of their personalities, they’re naturally perfectionists and never satisfied.

“And that’s a good thing overall, because they’ll never be complacent. . . . But there’s times when you worry about them because they’re so hard on themselves. They get so down on themselves that they’re not enjoying the fact that, hey, you’re a backcourt that’s 15-3, you’re ranked eighth in the nation here.

“As a coach, you’ve got to put in context, hey, look where [Mike] Bibby was last year at this time [with eventual national champion Arizona]. Look where you guys are.”