In preparing to play NCAA Division I college basketball, Konner Veteto slimmed down from 275 pounds to 235.

He’s now back up to 255.

No, the Placer High graduate didn’t let his eating or workout habits slip – quite the opposite, in fact. Veteto (pronounced “VETT-eh-toe”) spent his summer in Auburn lifting weights, doing sit-ups and playing basketball every day.

Packing pounds back on – the right way – should be a good thing for Veteto, who recently began his sophomore season at UC Riverside as the Highlanders’ starting center. Not only does he have the mobility he developed last year after shedding excess pounds off of his frame, he’s also stronger.

“I feel like I can move fast this year, and I can move people around a lot more,” Veteto said.

“His conditioning’s been good,” UCR coach Jim Wooldridge said. “The work he did over the summer transformed him from a pretty athletic-looking kid to a kid who plays pretty well athletically along with the way he looks.”

Veteto will get a chance to play before his friends and family from the Foothills at 1:05 p.m. Saturday when UC Riverside (2-2) plays at Sacramento State.

“It’ll be nice, like having a home crowd pretty much at an away game,” said Veteto, who will return to the area on Feb. 28 for a Big West Conference game at UC Davis. “All my up-North games, my family comes. It’s really nice having so many people support you and stuff.”

After starting in just three of UC Riverside’s 24 games as a forward last season, Veteto has established himself as the Highlanders’ full-time starter at center. He’s currently averaging 10.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game and ranks third and second, respectively, in those categories for UCR.

Veteto is also shooting well at the free-throw line, hitting 83 percent of his shots (15-for-18), and is third on the Highlanders in field-goal percentage (.481).

“He’s scoring better. He’s rebounding the ball better,” Wooldridge said. “His court awareness stands out as well. His level of confidence has risen from one year to the next, and his expectation of what he produces has also increased.

“He’s put himself in a stable position on our team, and he should put up some real good numbers for us.”

Wooldridge isn’t just talking about this year. The coach expects to see Veteto continue to improve this season and beyond.

“His work ethic is really good, and he wants to be a player, which is the starting point for any young man,” the coach said. “You’ve got to have the will and the determination, and he has that right now.”