http://www.nba.com/knicks/news/ariza_SL040715.html
by Dennis D'Agostino

LONG BEACH, CA, July 15, 2004-- It's been one of the burning questions all
week during the Knicks' stay at the Southern California Summer Pro League.
Anybody got an extra ticket for Trevor Ariza?

"I'm having a real big problem trying to find enough tickets,
" says a laughing Ariza, the fluid 6-foot-8 forward selected by the Knicks
in the second round of the 2004 NBA Draft. "It's been fun. Everybody's been
able to come to the games, so it's been cool."

"I get to be in front of my family, my mom, my little brother and everything,
so they get to watch me play. When we're on the road, they won't get to watch
me play that much."

The Knicks may be a continent away from home this month,
but for the 19-year old Ariza and his family,
the road to summer league stretches no farther than his own backyard.

An early entry candidate this spring, Ariza was the 43rd overall pick in
the '04 Draft following a standout freshman season at UCLA. He earned
All-Pac 10 Freshman Team honors with an 11.6 scoring average (third-best
on the Bruins), and was the squad's second-leading rebounder at 6.5 per game.

Ariza notched a pair of 24-point games (against Oregon State and USC) and
led the Bruins in rebounds in 10 of his 25 games, despite missing three
contests in the season's early going due to a lung ailment. Prior to his
UCLA stint, the Los Angeles product was named City Player of the Year by
the Los Angeles Times as a senior at Westchester High School, and Second Team All-American by Parade magazine at the conclusion of his prep career.

Now, as he takes his first baby steps as a pro, Ariza knows that it's a whole
new ballgame.

"It's real physical," says a smiling Trevor. "The pace is a little faster,
but I think it's slowed down a little bit. People are taking their time doing
things now."

Before a contingent of friends and family at the Long Beach Pyramid, Ariza
made an immediate impact on the Knicks' Summer League squad, starting all
four of his games and posting 20+ points in both of the first two contests.

In his first game as a pro, he poured in a game-high 22 points (on 9-for-13
shooting) and added six rebounds in 38 minutes against the Clippers' squad on
July 10. The next night, he had 21 points, six boards and three steals in 39
minutes against the Lakers. Two days later, he contributed seven rebounds and
five points in 30 minutes as the Knicks defeated the Mavericks for their first
Summer League win.

"Everyone has been teaching me things that I never really knew about, and
helping me a lot with my game," says Ariza of the Knicks staff.

Traditionally, it's been tough for rookies to find playing time on a veteran
Knicks squad. It's a situation Ariza is well aware-of, and he knows there's
just one way to change it. "Just play hard, night in and night out," he says,"
and do everything I can to contribute to the team and get better."

There has been one somber note in Ariza's professional baptism. Amid all the
familiar faces in Long Beach, one is missing. . .Trevor's late brother Tajh,
who died in an accident eight years ago.

"(I think about him) especially now because his birthday is tomorrow (July 14),
" says Trevor. "That's real big, I think. I think about him a lot,
especially during the summer."

After starring in the Knicks' first four Summer League games, Ariza suffered
a setback in Wednesday's (July 14) game against the Grizzlies.
After scoring eight points and adding eight rebounds in 28 minutes in New
York's eventual 23-point win, he suffered a bruised lower left leg which
will probably sideline him for the remainder of the week.

But the staff had already seen enough of the youthful frontliner to know that
he will be heard from again, and soon, and often. Not just on his home turf
in California, but eventually in the Big Apple as well.