UW Men's Basketball | Holiday brothers play for bragging rights

It's still eight weeks from the madness of March. Not even the midpoint of the Pac-10 season.

But as much as can be at stake in late January will be at stake today when the Washington men's basketball team hosts No. 13 UCLA at 1 p.m. at Edmundson Pavilion.

Sole possession of first place in the Pac-10 for the winner. A chance for Washington to make a statement that it is back on the national stage after two years of relative mediocrity. Maybe even a Top 25 ranking for the Huskies come Monday.

And, oh yeah, bragging rights in the Holiday family.

"It just makes it that much better that I'm playing my brother, and now it's for first place," said UW sophomore guard Justin Holiday of his brother Jrue, a freshman guard for UCLA.

Today marks the first time they have faced each other in an organized game, though the two have had countless backyard tussles at home in Chatsworth, Calif.

"He's the one I learned to play from," said Jrue. "I played against him more than anybody. We'd play one-on-one or 21 or whatever, so I don't think it will be weird. It might be weird for our family and friends to see us go against each other. I guess I'll be kind of comfortable playing him."

Mother Toya and father Shawn made the trip up for the weekend, the only people Friday allowed to watch UCLA's practice at Edmundson Pavilion, then stick around for UW's workout.

"I'm going to root for both of them and remember every play so that when we have Christmas dinner I can say, 'Remember when he took you?' " Toya Holiday said. "I'm excited."

It's uncertain how often the Holiday brothers will match up. While the 6-foot-6 Justin is a reserve averaging 16 minutes a game for the Huskies, the 6-2 Jrue is a starter for the Bruins, one of the more hyped freshmen in the country after being named the 2008 Gatorade National Player of the Year.

Washington recruited him heavily, but staying close to home — the family lives 15 minutes from the UCLA campus — ultimately won out.

"He's still staying at my home four days of the week," said Toya, who was a college basketball player at Arizona State; Shawn Holiday also played collegiately, including a stint at ASU.

Justin said he never pressured his brother to come to UW, and Jrue said, "He knew where I was going before I knew, I guess. He wasn't disappointed."

Justin, who wasn't as touted, didn't get an offer from UCLA but professes no regrets that the brothers couldn't stay together.

Toya says the one good thing about her sons going to different schools is that "they have to grow up." The two spent most of their years sharing a bedroom, doing so again for a few days over the Christmas holidays.

The numbers indicate Jrue hasn't quite lived up to his high-school billing. He's averaging 9.5 points and posting solid numbers in general, but not quite what those who predicted he could be an NBA lottery pick this June expected.

But UCLA coach Ben Howland points to his playmaking (2.9 assists average) and defense and says he's progressing just fine.

"I never really came in here with the mind-set that I'm going to average 20 points and all of that, or that I was going to do exactly what I did in high school, because this is a different level," Jrue Holiday said.

And he's been a key part of a UCLA team that,despite some heavy losses from last year's squad, is 15-3 overall and 5-1 in the Pac-10.

A UW win would put the Huskies (14-4, 5-1) all alone in first place in the conference for the first time since Jan. 6, 2005.

It would also be a fifth straight victory against UCLA in Seattle, a streak Huskies coach Lorenzo Romar finds as hard to figure as everyone else. The first two years came with Brandon Roy still a Husky. But the last two seasons, UW squads headed for losing conference records were able to beat UCLA teams headed to the Final Four.

"I can't put my finger on it," Romar said. "But this is a new year, two new teams."

Said Howland: "They've been very, very good at home. That's typical of most teams, but that's a real great home-court advantage."

One Justin Holiday hopes to show his little brother firsthand today.

Note

• Romar said he attributed Jon Brockman's 0-for-8 game from the field and four-point total against USC on Thursday largely to the Trojans' defensive plan to take him out of the game, as well as the play of Trojans big man Taj Gibson. But Romar also said that Brockman's ankle, sprained in mid-December, remains an issue. He said Brockman could use two to three weeks of rest to get to 100 percent, but that Brockman doesn't want to sit out and Romar doesn't think the Huskies could afford it.

Bob Condotta: 206-515-5699 or bcondotta@seattletimes.com