Is UCLA's Jrue Holiday too cool for his school?

Even his mother. Toya is the vocal one in the family, an athletic director at Campbell Hall, and has been reminding him about when he used to get worked up during games.

"It was toward the refs," he said. "I never got any calls."

It wasn't the sort of anger that resulted in shouting or technical fouls. Holiday used it as motivation, attacking the rim.

That's why his mom has been encouraging him to recapture that feeling.

"Which is weird because in high school she would tell me to calm down," he said. "Now she tells me I need more of an edge."

Last weekend, in a tight, physical game at Oregon, he sprinted downcourt on the break and dunked hard over a defender, letting out a roar when he came down. His teammates said they had never heard him like that before.

Holiday smiled. "Maybe I need that aggressiveness."

In other words, losing his cool every once in a while might just heat up his game.

Holiday is willing to give it a try. He even rolls his eyes at the thought.

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david.wharton@latimes.com