Rookie Ridnour excelling in transition game

Yet before last night's game with the Celtics, Ridnour, whom Seattle selected with the 14th pick in the first round of last June's NBA draft, acknowledged his life is a little different now that he's in the NBA.

No longer is he the Big Man on Campus, but rather just another rookie trying to pick up something new each day.

"It's been fun, it's been one big learning process," said Ridnour, who entered last night's game averaging a little more than 17 minutes a contest. "I've been getting used to the traveling and getting used to having game after game."

Ridnour, who is best known for his floppy haircut and his ability to make plays on both ends of the floor, starred at Oregon for three years before he decided to leave early.

Last season, Ridnour was named Pacific-10 Player of the Year as he set a season school record for assists (218) and tied the record for steals in a season with 61.

But all that is old news for the 22-year-old who says he's quickly learning that the NBA is quite different from college.

"Everyone on the court is so much better," he said. "The game is faster and you can't make plays you used to be able to make in college, so you have to kind of learn what you can do and what you can't do. I think I've adjusted pretty well and I'm enjoying myself."

Not only is the game different and faster, but one night you can be in New Jersey playing the Nets and the next night you can be in Boston playing the Celtics.

"Psychologically you have to get used to that knowing you don't have a night off," said Ridnour, who came to town averaging 6.4 points a game. "In college you would come back from a road trip and you would have like four days at home to just relax. But here you have a game the next night, another one after that and another one coming."

Much like Celtics rookie point guard Marcus Banks, Ridnour is on a team that likes to push the basketball and play up-tempo whenever the chance is there. It's a system he's been used to since high school where he was coached by his father, Rob, and it's one he feels will help make the transition easier.

"It's good to be on a team that runs," he said. "We're kind of struggling right now but we just need to keep pushing it."

All of Ridnour's action has been in a reserve role. He had his best outing last week when scored 15 points, grabbed 5 rebounds and dished out 7 assists -- all career highs -- against the Knicks.

"If you get your chance to play you have to make the most of it and make things happen," he said. "I try to bring energy to the game."

Ridnour said sometimes he misses the college game, playing in front of packed houses with noisy student sections, but then again he doesn't think his life in the NBA is all that bad, either.

"[College] was fun, it is kind of something you miss," he said. "But this is something you dream of and when you get here it's awesome."