On the same page ...

by Nestor on Mar 28, 2006 5:59 AM PST in Basketball

Over the last few years we have heard Karl Dorrell and his staff repeatedly saying how his program is heading in the right direction because everyone is "on the same page." Of course it really has turned out to be a whole lot of BS given the mediocre and less than inspiring performances during last years (well except for those 4 comeback wins against shitty teams spearheaded by the 2LIVEDrew). Anyways ... why I am bringing up that phrase? Because that is operative phrase in today's article by Brian Dohn, which goes over how Jordan and AA, the two leaders of this team have walked the walk (emphasis mine):

Arron Afflalo and Jordan Farmar didn't mince words. As high school seniors, they flat-out questioned the desire of UCLA's players, and vowed to end two years of mediocrity in Westwood.

Afflalo said the 2003-04 Bruins showed "a lack of toughness" and demonstrated "little will to win." Farmar said he was recruited for "toughness," something the program was lacking.

Two years after making those comments, Afflalo and Farmar, the Bruins' starting sophomore guards, delivered on their promise to return UCLA to glory. They have led the second-seeded Bruins (31-6) to their first Final Four since 1995, as UCLA will face No. 4 seed LSU on Saturday at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis.

And amazingly, Afflalo and Farmar provided the attitude adjustment with little resistance from the very players they criticized.

"It's because we have great kids, and they're all on the same page," UCLA third-year coach Ben Howland said. "They're about winning, about getting the program back to where we all expect it to be, which is at the highest level. They've done a good job of getting along with one another because, the bottom line is, they're great kids."

Yeap they are all "on the same page." Who else is "on the same page"? From the same article:

"I'm not really a vocal leader. I lead more by example," Afflalo said. "I try to go out there and do the right thing, play my heart out and hopefully, the others will see that. I would love to believe (that happened), and I think so."

When Bozeman was reminded of Afflalo's and Farmar's comments following Saturday's 50-45 defeat of top-seeded Memphis in the Oakland Regional final, he shook his head and laughed.

"Yeah, I remember that," Bozeman said. "At that point, it kind of grazed my ear. I took nothing of it. This team, I guess, everybody's on the same page. At that time, I think we had people that had different agendas. At this point, all that is in the past."

And back in another office in Morgan Center guess who else after three years of mediocrity is still trying to get his team - yeap - "on the same page"?

"Well, we're new in a lot of areas. The offensive line has a lot of young players and new players that are playing and there are interchangeable so there's some frustration there getting everybody on the same page and that is understandable at this point because you don't have your five, you don't have your top five linemen that have had that continuity to work together. That will be developed later the rest of the spring and during summer."

Oh just google the phrase "on the same page" with Dorrell and see how many times it comes up? I just bring this up because given what Howland has accomplished in three seasons, how obvious it is becoming what a mediocre coach Dorrell truly is and what a bunch of hot air/bullshit in the form spin and excuses are always coming out of Dorrell's mediocre, always in a rebuilding mode, uninspiring, boring, listless football program. He will have to match feat equal to what Howland has done this season if Dorrell wants to justify taking almost million bunks in salary every year in Westwood. Howland has earned his pay while Dorrell clearly has not. Howland's team is "on the same page," while Dorrell is still looking clueless trying to get everyone to find that page.

Let's just hope some day we will have a coach like Howland leading the UCLA football team out of the Rose Bowl. Only then we will be playing a meaningful football game in January instead of gloating and spinning a BS win over some mediocre Big-10 program in late December in a city no one cares to be in.

Thank God for Howland.

GO BRUINS.

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But Nestor, there is a new attitude in the program

There is a buzz in the air with the new coaches. The players have been hitting the weights. It's all good.

(Haven't we heard this somewhere before?)

by Ajax on Mar 28, 2006 10:36 AM PST reply actions

Maybe this is part of the "plan"

Goals for

Year 2 - Don't have a losing record
Year 3 - Have heart to come back from losing big leads
Year 4 - Lift weights

Just think what we can accomplish by Year 10!

GO BRUINS. HOOK 'EM HORNS.

by uclawarren on Mar 28, 2006 10:45 AM PST reply actions

How's this for a plan? NEUHEISEL NOW!

We can't give Dorrell the Steve Lavin "7-Year Road to Program Annihilation" deal. As far as I am concerned, last year's horrendous loss to SUC was the final straw for Karl.

by UCngLA on Mar 28, 2006 10:58 AM PST reply actions

Neuhisel is not the solution

We need someone without a connection from those Donahue days.

One of the best thing about the Howland hire was he was fresh and he didn't have any prior connections to the rotten mediocre culuture emanating from the Morgan Center.

Karl Dorrell is basically a poor man's version of Terry Donahue which is pretty horrible.

We need a football head coach like Ben Howland who will come into UCLA with a fresh perspective, with a lot of experience, and invigorate the program the way Howland has done in three years.

Dorrell so far has been a cruel joke on Bruin football.

by Nestor on Mar 28, 2006 11:00 AM PST up reply actions

Butch Davis

We need an established, defensive minded head coach to come in and clean house.

I'm not talking about Ben Howland either.

Butch Davis + UCLA's recruiting potential = annual BCS appearances.

by Ajax on Mar 28, 2006 11:44 AM PST up reply actions

Butch Davis

He's a good candidate for UCLA. His college teams were always solid and he's a very good recruiter. He revived Miami before going to the pro's. I think if we don't excel on the field (tackle someone) defensively and beat the SCumbags he should be out..... fast. No sense prolonging the pain. This would be the year most of his recruits hit the field and measuring the results will clearly be on him.

I do like the new coaches he's brought in, lets see what they can do.

by artybruin on Mar 28, 2006 1:47 PM PST up reply actions

Yeap ...

true dat Arty. Put up or shut up time for Dorrell. 9 wins and beat SC otherwise he needs to hit the road.

by Nestor on Mar 28, 2006 1:53 PM PST up reply actions

Nine

That's a good number but this year it's 12 games so he needs to win only 75% along with beating the SCumbags. If he goes 11-1, but loses to them I still think he should be gone.

by artybruin on Mar 28, 2006 2:24 PM PST up reply actions

Trying to be reasonable here ...

If he goes 11-1 without a win over SC he will stay and get an extension. Honestly it depends on what kind of 11-1 or even 10-2 season we are talking about.

I will be somewhat willing to accept a 10-2 season where our team is playing solid football, in control, not looking clueless and lost in defense. I will not be happy with the kind of 10-2 season we had last year.

I want our team to come out looking in control and not predictable on O. I want our D to actually hit someone in the mouth instead of playing like bunch of girls.

And most of all I want our team to play with that ferocious mentality to win. Honestly Dorrell should share today's articles on Afflalo and Jordan in the Daily News and OC Register and put them in lockers in every single football player. That will teach them a thing or two about playing with the mentality of wanting to win instead of playing like bunch of girls of not wanting to lose. That is how they played against USC and Arizona last year when Championships were on the line. Like bunch of girls.

by Nestor on Mar 28, 2006 2:33 PM PST up reply actions

Reasonable

I would also think 10-2 or 11-1 is a great season but when you can't beat your hated rival for several years your coaching life expectancy becomes very short. Happens to programs all over the country (Ohio State and Earl Bruce comes to mind).

SCumbags have a big problem at QB this year, they can be had.

by artybruin on Mar 28, 2006 2:59 PM PST up reply actions

I agree

SC is a must win game for Dorrell this season. And unless there are extra-ordinary circumstances (i.e. UCLA going into that game with a spectcular record which includes great wins over ND at South Bend), Bruins should fire Dorrell if he fails to beat Pom Pom at the Rose Bowl this season. Enough excuses.

by Nestor on Mar 28, 2006 3:03 PM PST up reply actions

Choice:

so, would people rather have a 1-11 seaons where we beat SUC

an 11-1 season where that is our only loss?

It would be somewhat gratifying to see SC lose to a team that hadn't won a game all year, but I just don't want it to be us.

by drumfool on Mar 28, 2006 5:39 PM PST up reply actions

Middle Ground

Drum - I have to say that is a very imperfect question to present to Bruin football fans. The whole notion that Bruin football fans will be happy if they go 1-11 as long as that 1 win is against USC is an old one.

Cade McNowne in all his glory showed UCLA footall program is capable having both. We can have a great football season featuring 9,10,11 or 12 wins and can have our victories against USC. It's not one or the other.

What I want is simply for the UCLA football team to be in control.

Look at how we feel with regards to our hoops team. Now ... we know and believe we can win every game. We know our team is going to be scrating and clawing every game. We know our team will be prepared 98 percent of the time and will leave everything on the court and play to win. We don't have to hope for miracles.

Compare that to our football program. Did you honestly believe UCLA had a chance against SC before taking the field? We were the underdogs against Cal on our homefield. We need to change that feeling. I want to feel in football how I feel about hoops.

I am not asking Dorrell to produce 10 win seasons every year.

All I want for our football program is to be in top-15/20 every year, make legit run for the NC twice a decade, and play in BCS bowl games 5-6 times a decade, and oh beat SC 55 percent of time on the field.

That is not much to ask for considering the caliber of UCLA - the greatest public university in the world with the greatest athletic tradition around.

Not much to ask for.

So in perspective the choice you present is imperfect and a little unfair to UCLA fans.

by Nestor on Mar 28, 2006 6:42 PM PST up reply actions

Neuhisel is not Donahue.

If he was, he would already have been hired as Bruin head coach and he wouldn't have had so many run ins with the NCAA. He doesn't want to win Pac 10 titles and play it safe, he wants to push the envelope and build a powerhouse. Furthermore, he knows the LA enviornment and understands the city (costs, standard of living, etc.) And that is exactly why you are not going to get the kind of coach you want to come to Westwood. No premiere coach is going to leave his mansion in an exclusive gated community in the midwest (etc.) and move to Los Angeles where, if he is lucky, he can find a house that he can afford on his UCLA salary and not have to drive more than fifty miles north on the 101 to sleep in his bed every night. Our only hope is finding a really good and fiercely competitive coach whose dream gig is coaching at UCLA. That is Howland and that is Neuhisel. Any one else is going to be sub-standard or they will use UCLA as stepping stone.

by UCngLA on Mar 28, 2006 8:37 PM PST up reply actions

The fallacy of COL in LA

In Los Angeles, for a couple that makes approx. $200,000 per year (as many coaches do, either on their salary alone or with a second salary), a $1 million dollar home mortgage is totally feasible.

Now, they may not be living in Bel Air. Cry me a river -- most people can't afford to live there. But they'll not be commuting from Palmdale, nor will they have to live in an unsightly shack. I find it IMPOSSIBLE to believe there is nothing around the westside for $1 million.

by ytumamatambien on Mar 29, 2006 10:50 PM PST up reply actions

Westside

You apparently haven't been in the real estate market recently. So, you don't know that there really isn't much of anything around the westside for $1 million. Really. Maybe a trashy place in Palms, but nothing worth calling a home in the westside proper.

by Cocoman25 on Mar 30, 2006 9:04 PM PST up reply actions

More crying than Adam Morrison

Dude, cry me a fuckin' river if someone has a moderate commute. So what if you don't live 2 minutes away from campus. The point is that anyone who says people have to live 50 miles away or an hour drive away are on the pipe.

Any idiot with a computer cough could do a cursory search on a site like realtor.com and see there are PLENTY of homes located in the city of Los Angeles for around a million dollars that aren't "trashy place[s] in Palms", but nice single family homes in normal neighborhoods.

Yeah, most people in LA should be so unfortunate to have such "trashy" 4BR/2-3BA homes...

by ytumamatambien on Mar 30, 2006 11:20 PM PST up reply actions

Whatever

I don't care what your point is. I was simply pointing out that you don't know of what you speak. And that remains apparent. First, "the city of Los Angeles" and the westside are certainly not the same thing. I work in the real estate industry, and despite whatever an idiot like you with access to realtor.com (and not the actual MLS) might think, you can't get a decent place in the westside for under a million bucks. That's just the way it is. So, if you want to continue to be a cocky asshole about it, please do.

by Cocoman25 on Mar 31, 2006 9:00 AM PST up reply actions

Language

I liked your take re being "on the same page," though I think it's useful to know what Howland are Dorrell mean, respectively, when they use that phrase.

Howland: "Our guys are on the same page." Meaning: "Our players have fully bought into my time-tested philosophy of aggressive defense and mental and physical toughness, and are using the lessons I have refined while completely reviving two other programs to play championship basketball."

Dorrell: "Our guys are on the same page." Meaning: "Our players finally have a basic understanding of the offensive and defensive schemes that had to be revamped with all the coaching turnover, and I've gotten them to start not hating each other, so they'll lift weights together now."

I believe they both think their guys are "on the same page" with each other. The two coaches are just talking about different pages.

by Cocoman25 on Mar 28, 2006 2:27 PM PST reply actions