I am certainly having a great time watching this team. Sometimes I do find myself wondering what could have been without any NBA defections, but that isn’t realistic and I am happy with our squad and how we are developing.

And it’s great to come into a game knowing that 59-0 won’t happen. That we are going to acquit ourselves really well. I do like this quote though.

No doubt, some will respond by telling me I’m wrong, that we are one of the odds on favorites.

Sure we have a chance this year, but anyone who says that we are the odds on favorites this year with a astoundingly good UNC squad would have to be:

1) Delusional
2) A homer to an amazingly staggering degree
3) Visiting heretofore unvisited depths of their arse with their head

The only person who fits those three — Vic the Brick Jacobs

like last season was both more enjoyable and painful because the emotional investment is greater when expectations are higher. I can watch todays team and can calmly disengage from the game if need to, whereas last year it was a mad dash to and from the tube(Pauley is too far from my home). Yes I do enjoy the seeing the young players develop and I look forward to that time when we can expect more from them. But the intensity is just not there yet for me.

Let’s see, so far the Bruins lost in New York to a coach who’s had the team’s number for years and in Texas to a very good team, and both were winnable games. This team offers a different kind of promise—seniors playing their hearts out, freshmen adapting athleticism and skill into the CBH system. Even the Northridge game was fun, seeing JH and ML show off some skills we don’t usually see. There’s a pretty weak Pac-10 ahead of us, and unlike last year, only UNC is stands out above the opposition. I’m optimistic—everyone should be.

We were rated pre-season #4, and I (and probably most of you) kind of agreed with this ranking. #4 implies that we were projected to be a serious contender for the Final 4. There is no doubt that this lofty ranking was the result of “experts” expecting upper classmen Keefe and Roll to have developed into a serious inside force and a consistent deadly outside shooter, respectively.

I think the basis for this post by Achilles is the recognition that Keefe and Roll have not lived up to expectations. And probably never will. Thus thus our goals have to be reset.

We would be every bit as good as UNC, if Keefe and Roll would perform as projected at the start of the season. Maybe there is still time for them to “come up to speed,” who knows.

then you are really spoiled by the past success. Just enjoy and perhaps marvel at the athleticism of the new guys and surprising (to me at least) emergence of AA.

I’d rather watch and support a team that lost once in a while but played with heart, discipline and determination to grow than a Lavin team in disarray. The Lavin teams could pull off wins that took them to the Sweet 16 but why does that have to be the measuring stick? His teams had to depend on themselves, without any guidance, leaning on their talent.

His teams get blown out at home by UC Irvine, Cal State Northridge, Santa Clara; teams we should have a great advantage over.

There is no question CBH develops his players. I mean, he made Ryan Hollins into a draft pick. Remember his first two years under Lavin? Don’t you think Gadzooks and Moiso left early because they knew they would not develop under Lavin? It was hard watching these teams depend on the weave at the top of the key.

That is a great question. I am also finding this team fun to watch and certainly less stressful from last year when I expected at least a Final Four birth if not an undefeated season (one can hope, right? :) So in that way it is more fun. But there is something missing that has taken a little bit away from the fun for me too. I am not sure what it is but I think it could do with my sense that we lack a killer instinct. I just don’t see it in DC or JH (or any of the others yet) like I saw it in AA, JF, and RW—the desire to have the ball and take over the game.

Our guys are great players and seem like really great kids. I love the team and I’m proud of them no matter what. I just would like to see at least one of them elevate to another level. Remember how RW did that last year? Or AA the year before? And JF the year before that? Who is going to be that guy this year, especially in the tough games?

I think DC and JH are especially capable but I still haven’t seen it much from either of them. I think DC has had the opportunity and while he is a great PG and shooter, I don’t see it in his personality. I thought we would get it in JH given his track record. But I don’t see it (yet!). I hate to fault any one for this because it probably makes JH a nicer person and better team player, but I can’t shake the nagging feeling that he (and the team) would be better off if he grew in this area. I’m not talking arrogance—just a little more belief in himself. He seems so nice. I want to see him get a little mad and take over. He definitely has the skills. He’s missing just a little of the attitude.

Does anyone else agree? Or maybe you see it differently. Perhaps it is too much to ask of a freshman. I think I was expecting another KL type superstar given the hype that surrounded Jrue. But I don’t see a one-and-done here at this point. And I suppose that is where I am feeling a little disappointed in the team’s potential. It is a very small complaint on the whole, so don’t get me wrong. In general I am very happy with the amazing job CBH has done in creating the best program in the country in a very short time.

and for me at least, more enjoyable than last. I too had great expectations for last years team and believed at the beginning of the season that they had the possiblity of going undefeated. OK so I was a little delusional. Rfirpo is a little wet saying this team is not as athletic as years past. Just compare backcourts. JF,AA, CD were of average speeds. The team speed improved with DC at point. This year’s backcourt is as fast as last years if not faster. This is why we have heard the team talking about running more this year. It is not certainly because they are LESS athletic. AA2 is the most athletic center since Hollins. So this team has plenty of team speed and athleticism. Probably the deepest team that CBH has had in his years at UCLA, Maybe ever.

That being said, this team has a way to go to get to the level of the previous three. Reminds me alot of the team of 05/06. What remains to be seen is if there is one player on this team has the court moxy of JF or CB. That team always had a player who wanted the ball with the game on the line be it JF,AA, or CB. This team, imho, has the potential to be the best of Howland’s career, they need more time to gel and play together knowing intuitively where their teammates will be. We should see equal parts of DC, JS and finally JH stepping up to provide points as well as leadership and this team will be fine. Unfortunately, it seems every year we have a team that represents our Achilles (no pun intended) heal i.e. the only team that COULD beat us. It was Florida for two years, Memphis last year and this year it appears to be UNC. At this point of the year it looks like many teams could beat us….and that’s ok for this time of year. By tournament time I believe UNC will be the only team in that category. But they could lose early in the tournament, I would rather see Bruins beating them of course.

There is no other coach I would trust to lead this team more that CBH. He will have this team prepared to play every game.

I don’t see why this team cannot be a title contender this season. Did anyone think the Bruins would be in the title game a few years ago just 8 games into that season?

I seriously hope we win a 12th one soon. But I love watching conference play. Now that the Pac 10 tournament is back too, its all the more fun to watch. And I would rather we win the Pac 10 reg season than go to the Sweet 16. Its simple, winning the Pac 10 regular season means that the Bruins play18 consistent games over a 2 month period. Much more fun that watching a couple of weeks worth of Lavin wins.

The Bruins had just lost the greatest player in college basketball history and another top-5 pick, Lucius Allen, not to mention the sweet-shooting Lynn Shackleford and the brains of the team, Kenny Heitz. What did they have in their place? One returning starter, albeit the immensely talented Sidney Wicks. To replace Kareem—a slow 6-9 forward named Steve Patterson. At the other forward, really the third forward, Curtis Rowe. At guard, the untried sophomore Henry Bibby (freshmen didn’t play varsity in those days) and the equally green junior John Vallely.

Everyone took a deep breath and thought back to 1966, when a good Bruin team lost the Pac-8 championship and thus didn’t make the much smaller tournament; before 1976, only conference champions got to the NCAAs.

What did they do? Lost a couple of games along the way, won a couple of very close games—and won the Pac-8 and the NCAA championships.

I’m not saying this team will bring home number 12, though I won’t be surprised if it goes a lot farther than all the naysayers think it will. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.

I love sports. I loved watching a lot of college football, even when neither of the teams playing was UCLA.
In basketball , my team is UCLA. I love to watch them play. I always have high hopes for the team, and watching the team come together over the course of a season is thrilling. Even last year, KL noticeably improved from day 1 to the Final Four.
This years team might not have the exceptional level of talent of last years, but it is a solid team, with a lot of raw talent in the freshmen. Fundamentals (a staple of CBH teams) plus talent will always go a long way. I look forward to catching as many games on DirecTV as I can.

The question which was asked was “would the basketball season still be fun if UCLA did not have a great chance to win the national championship”. The short answer from my perspective is “yes”.

A lot of the replies seem to be directed to a different question “is this basketball season as fun as the last three years, when UCLA went to the final 4”.

The short answer from my perspective to this question is “maybe not”. Before everybody jumps down my throat, please let me explain.

The reason the prior three seasons were so much fun in my mind was not the fact that we got to the final 4 each season. It is that we got to see the rejuvenation of a program by a master coach, which had been driven into the ground by his predecessor.

It was so much fun to see a coach who thrived on fundamentals, and instilled in his players a drive and a mental toughness. This was reflected in the super improvement of JF and AA under his tutelage for 06 and 07. Last year was a different thrill because we got to see how CBH was able to work with a completely different talent, in a superstar post player. Thus, we have been able in prior years to witness a rebirth of the program, and to see this rebirth restructured last year for a different talent set.

This year, we are seeing a continuation of the CBH standard of excellence. Inherently, to me, this is less fun than seeing a rebirth. It has nothing to do with whether we are more or less likely to make it to the final 4. “Less fun” does not mean “no fun”- it simply means less. That in my mind is not a bad result, but rather simply reflects the inevitable maturation of the program.

So again, would the basketball program still be fun- yes. Is it as fun- maybe not. These two answers are not inconsistent. The bottom line- we should all be thankful that we again have a master at the helm, and that we can look forward to seeing a superior teacher at work developing young talent. Let’s enjoy the show.