Max Hazzard

 Arizona athletics

LOS ANGELES — Arizona guard Max Hazzard played in the Wildcats’ game at UCLA on Saturday after sitting out Thursday at USC with what the program called a “personal issue.”

UA officials confirmed before Saturday’s UA-UCLA game that Hazzard could play, though they declined to specify the nature of his absence nor whether the issue is final. After Thursday’s game, UA coach Sean Miller said he didn’t know what Hazzard’s status was going forward.

“I really can’t say much beyond that,” Miller said then. 

Hazzard entered the game with 13:09 left in the first half, replacing Nico Mannion. Ninety seconds later, Hazzard hit a fast-break layup to give Arizona a 12-7 lead. His jumpshot in the final second of the first half gave Arizona a 33-27 advantage at the break. Hazzard played 20 minutes, scoring seven points on 3-of-4 shooting. He added four rebounds and two assists. 

The move came just in time to salvage a homecoming of sorts for Hazzard. His grandfather, Walt Hazzard, is a UCLA basketball legend. Max attended Loyola High School in Westchester and played his undergraduate seasons at UC Irvine.

Part of the family

When former UA standout Richard Jefferson joined the Bill Walton-Dave Pasch duo on ESPN’s broadcast Saturday, it wasn’t so much an interruption for Walton as much as it was hugging a family member.

Jefferson has been good friends with Walton’s son, Luke, ever since they took a recruiting visit to Arizona together in 1997.

“When (Luke) came back from that visit, he said, ‘I’m going to Arizona. I just met my best friend for life,’” Bill Walton said.

Best friends Luke Walton (right) hugs Richard Jefferson after their defeat of Illinois to advance to the Final Four on March 28, 2001.

Jefferson’s presence actually may have shaken things up more for Pasch, the play-by-play broadcaster who has become known for playing off and reeling in the tangentially inclined Walton during broadcasts.

“It’ll be a little different,” Pasch said with a smile before the game. “My mindset with Bill is already different and then you add somebody elseâ€Ļbut I’m looking forward to it.”

'Pointe of pride

Salpointe Catholic players, bottom from left, Grant Weitman, Braden Miller and Jordan Gainey celebrate with teammates following a 54-48 overtime victory against Peoria in the 4A boy's state championship basketball game in Phoenix on Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020.

As Arizona’s director of basketball operations, Ryan Reynolds’ main job on road trips is making sure the travel and logistics are smooth every step of the way.

But during the Wildcats’ pregame shootaround Saturday afternoon, Reynolds had a different duty: Watching the stream of Salpointe Catholic’s Class 4A state championship victory, then telling Miller and assistant coach Justin Gainey what was going on.

All three had major rooting interests in the Lancers: Miller and Gainey both have sons who played key roles in Saturday’s win, while Reynolds’ dad, Jim, is Salpointe’s head coach.

“Justin and I watched the first half before shootaround, and then during shootaround, I was keeping Sean and Justin up to date,” Reynolds said.

Jordan Gainey had seven points, 11 rebounds and two assists in Salpointe’s 54-48 win over Peoria in overtime. Braden Miller made a layup that helped put the game away in overtime.

It’s the first state title for Jim Reynolds after a long career coaching high school basketball in Ohio.

“He’s excited,” Ryan Reynolds said. “When my dad had his best 10-year run in Ohio, if you were going to win the state title then, you’d have to beat LeBron (James) or O.J. Mayo — and that wasn’t happening.”

In the moment

Even though two of his top college choices were facing each other on Thursday in Los Angeles, Ziaire Williams had other things on his mind.

His focus paid off Friday night, when the UA and USC recruiting target scored 25 points to lead Sierra Canyon High School to the CIF Southern Section Open Division title in a 59-48 win over Orange County power- house Mater Dei before 6,245 fans at Long Beach State’s Pyramid.

A 6-foot-8 “point forward” for the star-studded Trailblazers, who also have the sons of James (Bronny) and Dwyane Wade (Ziare), Williams filled the box score better than everyone else on the floor. He had 25 points on 9-for-17 shooting from the field and 5 of 6 free throws, while collecting six rebounds, four assists, four steals and one block with only one turnover.

“I was trying to do whatever it takes to win — rebound, score, find the open man, just whatever it takes,” Williams said, still grinning long after the photos had been taken and trophies handed out. “I’ve been waiting for this game my whole high school career, so that was definitely where the motivation came from.”

Back in fashion

When Trevor Davis and Rachael Ray were UCLA freshmen in 2016-17, they’d join the student lines outside Pauley Pavilion and find them winding up a hill and around a corner hours before tipoff.

“That was insane,” Ray said.

The reason: The Bruins went 31-5 that season, while point guard Lonzo Ball and his father, LaVar, made a virtual realty TV show out of the whole thing.

“It was national news,” Davis said.

Then came two years of apathy around the less successful Bruins of 2017-18 and 2018-19, before UCLA started a midseason revival this year.

Davis and Ray showed up three hours before Saturday’s game to become the first two in line, with seven others to quickly follow.

“It’s easier,” Davis said of the lineup. “But I think it’s good because my freshman year people were coming because of the hype. Now everyone who’s here is super into it.”

UCLA showered the first 1,000 students who showed up Saturday with free T-shirts and pizza.

Check out photos from Saturday's game here:

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Contact sports reporter Bruce Pascoe at 573-4146 or bpascoe@tucson.com. On Twitter @brucepascoe