Schwertley making most of minutes

KEVIN KLAUS/Arizona Daily Wildcat Sophomore forward Mike Schwertley has provided intensity off the bench for the Wildcats since receiving his first playing time of the season last week against Washington and Washington State.

Sophomore walk-on Mike Schwertley started the season on the bench - in street clothes.

Academically ineligible, the 6-foot-5 forward waited anxiously as he completed his classes so he could get back in uniform.

"I know I had to take care of some things academically," Schwertley said. "I needed to finish up some units. It would be awhile before I got to play, so I just went into practice and worked as hard as I could in practice situations and pushed the guys."

As the Wildcats climbed the polls, dropped, then ascended again, Schwertley worked on his game, counting the days until he was eligible.

Schwertley, who became eligible when the spring semester began, returned to warm-ups and his spot on the bench.

Then came the call.

Midway through the first half of last week's home game against Washington, head coach Lute Olson called down to Schwertley.

He took a breath and trotted toward the scorer's table, shed his warm-up top and waited for the next stoppage of play.

"(Entering a game) was something I had been thinking about for a long time," Schwertley said. "I had envisioned what I wanted to happen for months. I wanted to be ready. I knew that if I went in there and played hard and do my job, that my guys would take care of me."

His job was not just to take up space or give a teammate a breather - he was instructed to guard one of the most athletic and skilled players in the league in Husky forward Doug Wrenn.

For Schwertley, the task of guarding a key player is nothing new.

"It's a challenge," Schwertley said. "But I think I've been prepared for it as much as you can. Since I have been here I have been going up against guys like Gilbert Arenas and Richard Jefferson. This year I match up against Luke Walton, Will Bynum and Salim Stoudamire. It's nothing I am unprepared for."

Schwertley played just four minutes against Washington but made his presence felt, scoring two points and grabbing a rebound.

That performance was enough to instill a sense of confidence in Schwertley.

Two nights later, he scored six points and snagged four rebounds - three offensive - in a career-high 19 minutes of action against Washington State.

Olson said that with Schwertley in the rotation, the team's defense is more effective due to his 6-foot-5 frame.

Normally Olson would have to put guards like Bynum, Stoudamire and Gardner on players who were much taller.

"That fact that Mike Schwertley came in and did the kind of job that he did gives us a little more flexibility," Olson said. "He alleviates a lot of problems. Before (Schwertley's availability), if we were going to make a change on the perimeter, it had to be three guards. That can hurt you if you have to do that for any length of time with the size problem and the fact that you don't have someone coming off of the bench that can spell any of those three guards."

Junior forward Rick Anderson said Schwertley's presence will be vital to the team's performance entering a huge weekend trip to California and later in the Pacific-10 tournament and the NCAA tournament.

"He has awesome intensity and hard work," Anderson said. "He is so athletic and strong. He is going to be very important to us for the rest of the season."

This weekend when Arizona travels to No. 23 UCLA and No. 25 Southern California, Schwertley will match up with players on a different level than members of the UW and WSU teams.

Between them, the two Los Angeles teams boast four All-American candidates at the guard and forward positions.

Olson said Schwertley matches up well against the league's best because of his athletic ability and size.

"I think he provides us with energy because he is such a good athlete," Olson said. "The other thing is that Mike can guard either a guard or a small forward, he has that quickness to match up with anyone you put him on."

Even with Schwertley's increased time on the floor, he admits at times he gets a little nervous, and this weekend defending players such as UCLA's All-American guard Jason Kapono and USC forward David Bluthenthal will be no different.

"I get a little nervous sitting on the bench," Schwertley said. "You get warm in the layup lines, then you sit for a while. As long as you are mentally focused, the physical aspect will only take a minute or two."