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Sophomore Matt McKinney has impressed coach Ben Howland in practice so far.

Though UCLA coach Ben Howland is no closer to settling upon a starting lineup, he has found one pleasant surprise. Sophomore forward Matt McKinney, who redshirted last season with a fractured bone in his left foot, has played well enough in practice the past two weeks to crack Howland’s rotation. “He’s been the biggest surprise,” Howland said. Howland’s biggest concern coming into the season has been front-court depth, so McKinney’s emergence has been a welcome sight. The 6-foot-8, 222-pound forward has displayed a solid work ethic as well as an athletic rebounding presence. Now that his foot injury has healed, it is his footwork, fundamentals and ability to set good screens that have garnered Howland’s attention. Senior Dijon Thompson agreed with his coach’s assessment. “He’s definitely the most improved guy on the team,” Thompson said. “The only problem I’ve seen him having is that he gets tired too quickly, and once he gets tired he forgets what he’s doing out there.” Indeed, McKinney is still slowly rebounding into form. His body isn’t yet used to the grind of a full season of basketball practices, but he is hopeful that as the season progresses he’ll get into better shape. He said he has no pain in his foot and is running the court fluidly. “I’m a little sore right now, practices have been long and tough, but hopefully by next week we’ll all be conditioned,” McKinney said. His overall athleticism is a plus, but McKinney knows that the quickest way for him to earn playing time is to do the so-called little things that coaches love. “I’m working for the other guys,” he said. “I’m not necessarily looking to score, I’m looking to win games.” Even with such a positive attitude, McKinney has plenty of competition for frontcourt minutes. Juniors Michael Fey and Ryan Hollins figure to see the bulk of the starts, while senior Josiah Johnson and freshman Lorenzo Mata are all working hard in practice and gunning for playing time. Howland, for his part, remains noncommital in regards to announcing his starting lineup. Still, McKinney believes that the intensity of practices will only benefit the team as a whole. “Everybody knows that no spots are given; they have to be taken,” he said. “That makes everyone work that much harder. It’s also raising our camaraderie, we’ve got more respect for each other now.”

GETTING HEALTHY: Thompson’s injured right hand did not seem to affect his shooting stroke at practice Thursday. The senior, who will have the stitches removed from his hand on Monday, buried several three-pointers in practice despite wearing a thick bandage over the cut in the webbing between his index and middle finger. The trainers designed the gauze bandage for Thompson so that he would be able to shoot without the ball catching any of the stitches and opening the wound. Thompson said he has had to alter his shooting technique somewhat, but did not expect the modification to affect him once the bandage is removed.

SCHEDULE SHAKE-UP: Monterrey Tech, a collegiate team from Mexico, has replaced Brazil’s Centro Universitario Mineiro Uberlandia as UCLA’s opponent in its second exhibition game on Nov. 11. The Bruins open up exhibition play one week from today against Simon Fraser, a collegiate team from Canada.

ADDED MOTIVATION: Howland said that UCLA had one of its best practices of the year Thursday, the only day this season that the media will be allowed to attend practice. “Maybe I should have the media in here every day,” Howland joked.

INJURY UPDATE: Freshman Lorenzo Mata sustained a bruised left knee after landing awkwardly on a blocked shot attempt Tuesday, but has not missed any practice.

With reports from Jeff Eisenberg, Bruin sports senior staff.

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