Saturday night in San Jose, that night must have seemed very far away. There was only laughter and relief for Afflalo. He finally busted out of his NCAA shooting slump, scoring 15 of his 24 points in the second half as the Bruins defeated Kansas 68-55 in the West Regional championship. The Jayhawks were the first No. 1 seed eliminated from this year’s tournament, Afflalo had been UCLA’s top offensive weapon.

And the Bruins were Final Four bound.

“Obviously when you’re making shots, you’re gaining confidence,” Afflalo said. “My teammates place a lot of trust in me. But, you know, it’s all about the win. If I’m fortunate enough to make shots — just keep shooting, keep shooting, and keep playing. That has to be a scorer’s mentality.”

If anyone was ever born to score for the Bruins, it was Afflalo. He was delivered into this world at the UCLA Medical Center, not far from Pauley Pavilion. His birthday is Oct. 15 (the date traditionally associated with the start of college basketball practice). His mother — and the doctor — would know for certain, but it isn’t far-fetched to suggest Afflalo was born with a basketball in his hands.

In fact, his mother, Gwendolyn Washington, has told stories of shopping at the supermarket with her two-year-old son. It seems young Arron was very good at pointing and his vocabulary was limited to the word “ball.” Even though she used diversionary tactics, intentionally going around his favorite aisle, he still put together a large collection of balls.

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He also had one of those Fisher-Price baskets. What better way to prepare for the Final Four than a regular schedule of late-night jam fests against friends in the Fisher-Price league?

It must have done something for his shooting stroke. The hometown hero has had a pretty good career. And now he gets a second chance to grab the biggest prize of all.

Sometimes the best things in life are worth waiting for.

“Obviously to play the team that beat you in the championship game adds a little incentive, a little motivation for you,” Afflalo said. “Hopefully we feed off that as a team and use that to our advantage.”