He can rouse a crowd in a moment, as he did during a big win against Washington when he leaped high for an offensive rebound and followed with a resounding dunk.
He can frustrate his coach, so inept on defense against Stanford in a loss last week that Ben Howland might have dragged him off the floor with a theatrical hook had a cane been available.
Indeed, Lorenzo Mata sometimes very much looks like a young man who has been playing basketball seriously for only four years.
On Saturday, when UCLA meets USC at the Sports Arena trying to end a three-game Pacific 10 Conference losing streak, Mata will find himself moved down the depth chart. He's now No. 3 -- behind starter Michael Fey and inconsistent junior Ryan Hollins.
"I think part of it is that he just needs the practice time and he needs the experience," Howland said. "The thing about Lorenzo, we'll play against each other and he's such a nice kid. If you ask, 'Who's your favorite guy on the team?' how many guys would say Lorenzo? It would be a bunch of them. And it's like, 'Lorenzo, it's OK to beat on Mike. He does it to you every day.' "
Or, as assistant Donny Daniels said: "Lorenzo needs to stop being the whackee."
Still, Mata, 6 feet 8 with calves as sturdy as telephone poles, has the makings of a Bruin folk hero. The chanting of his name during pre-game warmups -- a traditional student activity where each player is serenaded until he acknowledges the crowd -- is the noisiest.
And already there is the Lorenzo Mata Super Fan Club, organized by a fellow UCLA student.
Mata, the first Latino basketball player in UCLA history, has done interviews here and in Arizona for Spanish-language radio stations even though he is averaging only 2.4 points and 3.4 rebounds a game.
One reason for Mata's popularity is his enthusiasm. He dashes onto the floor when Howland points his way, his 231-pound frame flanked by long arms that seem to flap when he runs, a fuzzy mustache neither big nor thick enough to hide his grin.
There was a five-game span -- beginning with the Michigan State game Dec. 21 -- when Mata averaged 4.8 rebounds and 14.4 minutes a game. He was active and aggressive, and, for a moment, when he soared high above the rim to grab an offensive rebound and stick it in to give UCLA a five-point lead with 27 seconds to go against Washington, Mata's head almost exploded with the stomping, howling appreciation of the crowd.
