UC-LAkers Game
by eubruin on Dec 15, 2008 6:16 PM PST
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Last night I had the pleasure of attending the Laker-Timberwolves game at the Staples Center. Despite the rather lethargic play, it was absolutely delightful to watch what was, for long lengths of the game, pretty much a UCLA dominated affair. With Ariza, Farmar, and Kevin Love on the floor at the same time, I felt right at home despite the countless $C "fans" around me - it boggles my mind that they elect to sport that heinous color-scheme in public.
Witnessing K-Love's signature outlet pass in person brought chills down my back, and unleashed a seldom roar from the crowd. Seeing Farmar's individual skill up-close was equally thrilling. Most surprising, however, was Trevor Ariza's presence on the court. As a little talked about UCLA alum, he is representing our school in great fashion. Although he "only" had 14 pts, he seemed to be everywhere and has apparently made solid contributions all season long. So it's no wonder that players like Moser and Honeycutt are lining up to bear the four letters.
At times 30% of last night's game had and I'm sure many, many more will in the future.
This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of BruinsNation's (BN) editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of BN's editors.
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Ariza
is probably a “little talked about UCLA alum” because he is not actually an alum and most people do not associate him with UCLA because he really did nothing to distinguish himself at UCLA in the little time he was there like Love and Farmar did.
He wasn’t KLove spectacular but I seem to remember him being an all-Pac 10 freshman, no? But I get your meaning… But I think that a definition for alum(ni) is also a former student of an institution, not necessarily a graduate…. Please correct me if I’m wrong.
The Alumni Association
Says that you are Alums before you even take a class. That is what I was told during orientation anyway.
Ariza had/has a ton of talent and was on a crappy team that didn’t fully buy into the CBH philosophy. It is said that he did not like to go to class. However, he has my support because he’s a Bruin, and because shunning him also means turning my back on other guys like Baron Davis who also left early and didn’t have much postseason success (thanks to Lavin).
Ariza
I’m ok with him. As far as I know, he only went to one school and he hasn’t bad-mouthed that school. Apparently, he didn’t like attending class and so he left early for the NBA payoff. If I had his talent, I probably would have bailed, too, if given the chance. Unfortunately, no one was beating down my door offering to pay me large amounts of money to leave school and begin practicing the high art of political science.
And good point about Baron Davis. The guy is a Bruin all the way, whether or not he qualifies officially as an “alum.”
The bigger point, of course, is how incredible Bruins are doing in the NBA right now. The L.A. soon-to-be-ancient-history Times is in love with OJ Mayo (who is, in fairness, doing very well), but the number of Bruins in the league who are contributing significant and strong minutes on a nightly basis is simply amazing. Westbrook, in particular, has been lights out this year. He obviously was ready for the NBA.
Exactly, it's a
testament to the skill of both Howland as a coach, but also as a recruiter. Of course, as we add more and more ex-Bruins to the rosters of various NBA teams, the UCLA name will come up with greater frequency. And that, in turn, will mean more exposure of the UCLA brand of basketball. It’s all a deliciously wonderful cycle that in the end means an overall better UCLA team.
The way I remember it
is that a lot of people thought it was a huge mistake for Ariza to be jumping to the NBA after one season and that most people were surprised he was drafted so I don’t know how many people were banging down his door with a lot of money to offer. But I guess if the guy didn’t want to be at school playing for a coach that didn’t recruit him then he wasn’t going to do that. I do find it ironic that what he is best known for in the NBA now is also what UCLA has thrived doing while under Ben Howland. Maybe had he stayed a year or two more in college (and taken it more seriously) his development could have progressed a lot quicker once he made it to the NBA.
Ariza may not have bought into CBH's style
but the way he’s playing for the Lakers one would think he played four years under Howland. He’s just all about hustle, energy, and defense – exactly what CBH preaches. I think once he matured in the league he realized that he has special gifts in terms of athleticism and quicks, and not necessarily on offense. I haven’t been able to watch many Laker games back here but I love watching him play whenever I get a chance. He reminds me of Afflalo without the scoring knack. He’s just that kind of player – intensity and defense.
by bucknellbruin on Dec 17, 2008 10:04 AM PST up reply actions
Did Ariza not buy into CBH's style?
I guess I just don’t recall that being an issue.
I do remember two things, though:
1) He had always talked about being a one-and-done player, and
2) He had a spontaneous pneumothorax lung issue. This caused him to be out of shape and miss the first three games of the season. I recall this issue making it very difficult for him to play as aggressively on defense as CBH wanted.
by bornagainbruin on Dec 17, 2008 10:39 AM PST up reply actions
i honestly don't remember
if he bought into his style or not. I think the combination of his lung issue and the fact that he was one-and-done when he clearly wasn’t a finished product made people think he clashed with CBH
by bucknellbruin on Dec 17, 2008 3:20 PM PST up reply actions
An alumni is
just someone who was a student at a given school. Since Ariza was, much like Love, a student at UCLA for one year, I referred to him as an UCLA alum.
From what I gather, he is not typically linked to UCLA. That, however, may change if he keeps up his improved play for the Lakers and becomes an overall more publicized player in general. And from what I’ve seen, he’ll represent us gracefully if he does.
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