Time Is Now for Ramasar

Todd Ramasar arrived in the locker room Tuesday night at Pauley Pavilion to find his name listed as the starting shooting guard for UCLA’s exhibition against the California All-Stars, a standing that won’t hold for the regular season but is a sign of his progress.

It is a significant indication for a player who got only six minutes all of 1997-98 as a freshman walk-on. Come this season, helped by weight work that added about 15 pounds and at least the experience of having spent a year in the program, Ramasar could push for a spot in the rotation.

“The way he’s playing now, he’s been very efficient,” Coach Steve Lavin said. “He doesn’t make many mistakes.”

It helps that the contrast is a roster loaded with freshmen, those who do make mistakes.

“Just a year under my belt and everything,” Ramasar said of his strides. “I’m kind of a vet now. It’s all about a year passing.

“I’ve just picked up my intensity. I had been learning about that from a couple of the other returning players, Baron [Davis] and Earl [Watson].”

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The Bruins play the Taiwan national team tonight at 7:30 at Pauley Pavilion. It’s their final exhibition game before beginning the season next Thursday against Santa Clara. . . . Davis still isn’t ruling himself out for the opener, at least publicly. He has been cleared to rejoin selected contact drills, but still is not allowed to scrimmage.