Ben Ball News & Notes

by Nestor on Apr 7, 2008 3:55 AM PDT in Basketball Comment 64 comments

Let’s start the week with some straight talk from Gary Parrish at Sportsline.com:

All the Bruins need is more at-bats, more big swings, more huge cuts. Sooner or later, they'll connect. And when they do they'll cut the nets on the first Monday in April and then all the foolishness will stop, you know, the foolishness about whether Howland is too stubborn to win it all.

That's what I heard late Saturday night and early Sunday.

That Howland is too stubborn and set in his ways to achieve true greatness.

As proof, people pointed out how Howland kept playing Memphis man-to-man and kept making Kevin Love set screens in UCLA's 78-63 loss to the Tigers when what he should've been doing is making Memphis shoot jumpers and making sure the ball was thrown to Love on every possession. For the record, I agree with both theories, particularly the one about making Memphis shoot jumpers because it was clear early on that UCLA could not keep Derrick Rose off the rim. Consequently, the smart thing to do would've been to back off and make him shoot the ball. But UCLA never backed off. So Rose never had to shoot the ball, which is why he finished with 16 field goal attempts, none of which were 3-pointers. […]

[Y]es, it was a stubborn approach by Howland.

But you know who else was pretty damn stubborn in his day?

Bob Knight.

But he won some national titles, if I remember correctly.

So my advice to UCLA fans is to take a deep breath and relax and look at the big picture. Not long ago you had a program that was slipping under Steve Lavin, that had fallen behind Arizona and Stanford. Now, you've clearly got the best program in the Pac-10 and you've been to three straight Final Fours.

Pretty simple. Isn’t it? Don’t tell that to Brian Dohns of the world, who are already out there speculating whether Howland needs to change his "defense-oriented, methodical offense" to bring in the kind of players majoring in "Leisure Management" in the rosters of Memphis and Florida.

Anyway, as for the Bruins obviously the story for next few weeks is going to be centered around the Big-3: KL, DC, and RW. Pucin has a report today in the LAT which includes some interesting comments from scouts re KL’s Final4 performance and observations on DC’s so-so overall performance in the NCAA tournament:

His 12-point, nine-rebound performance against Memphis, in which he was bumped away from the basket by 6-9, 265-pound Joey Dorsey and knocked to the ground on a Chris Douglas-Roberts dunk, gave visual confirmation to one scout in attendance at the Alamodome that Love would benefit from a second college season.

"He needs to get stronger and in better shape," the scout said. "I would say he's not a lottery pick right now."

"A lot goes into that decision," said Love, who was often outmuscled for rebounds by Dorsey, a senior. "I have no idea what I'm going to do. As of right now I'm a UCLA Bruin and I will be in class Monday. I've got to step back, go home, talk to a few people, talk to my family."

Like Love, Collison also may have hurt his draft status. As a 6-foot, 160-pound point guard who had a knee injury this season, there was a wait-and-see attitude about his performance.

And Collison didn't sparkle in the NCAA tournament. He fouled out of two of the last three games after not doing so all season and was handled roughly by two point guards -- Memphis freshman Derrick Rose and lesser-known Tyrone Brazelton of Western Kentucky.

I wouldn’t get too hopeful about them staying after a bad Final-4. A bad Final-4 didn’t keep AA from going to the pros. Pucin has more on the futures of JS, AA2, and very encouraging comment from LRMAM:

Shipp's shot has abandoned him for most of the second half of the season, throwing his exit into doubt.

Mbah a Moute's progress with acquiring a reliable jump shot, which he would need to play small forward in the NBA, was hindered by the time he missed recovering from a concussion and then a sprained left ankle. So he may not declare and be evaluated.

"I want to be back and win a title," Mbah a Moute said Saturday.

Backup forward Alfred Aboya -- who is from Cameroon like Mbah a Moute and will earn his undergraduate degree this summer -- said he wouldn't say for certain he would return for a senior season.

"Right now I'm so disappointed," Aboya said, "that I just need to digest this loss and see what life has to offer."

AA2 sounds like a very smart man. My hunch is after its all said and done AA2 will be back. IIRC he is projected to finish his political science courses by this June. Since he wants to be "the President" of Cameroon someday, it makes a lot of sense for him to stick around for one more year, and do graduate studies next year at UCLA. IIRC that’s the course Donnie Edwards (the great Bruin LB from early 90s) did in his fourth year, and it worked out well for him.

It’s great to hear directly from LRMAM that he will come back though. He has been the glue to our defense all year. If comes back he will be the leader of this team and if he can stay healthy the entire season, he could really help his chances of potentially developing in a NBA draft talent by the end of his senior season. Even without KL (and DC and RW) if LRMAM comes back (along with AA2) that gives us a pretty decent starting line up of JH (1), ML/MR (2), JS(3), LRMAM (4), JK or AA2(5) (another view on the rotation from godblesstyus95 here). That’s a guard heavy lineup and it will not be a surprise to anyone if Coach Howland develops that team with even more of an attacking mentality (while remaining committed to steadfast defense) like he did with his teams at Northern Arizona.

As for RW Dohn has this:

Sophomore Russell Westbrook and his family will research his draft status, sources said Sunday, and he could leave if there is belief he will be a top-20 pick. Westbrook showed his athleticism and ability to score by driving to the basket against Memphis, but an inconsistent jumper could keep him at UCLA another year.

If RW comes back we will definitely have another shot to win the Pac-10 title and make another run in the Dance. But honestly with our without RW, DC or KL we are going to be all right.

I am already jazzed about a new core lineup of Ben Ball warriors learning and growing under the tutelage of Coach Howland and improving through the season.

GO BRUINS.

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Thank you

Heh Nestor: I just want to be another to thank you for this website. I originally came here, at the beginning of Howland's era, to find information on his recruiting . I knew he could coach, based on his record and attitude. But could he recruit? People forget that the base of Wooden's sucess was that he could always count on having the city player of the year and the CIF player of the year, if he wanted them. Howland is proving to be a terrific recruiter and judge of talent. And it seems to be getting better.

by oldgeezerUCSD77 on Apr 7, 2008 6:31 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Can we succeed with a stubborn coach?

According to the really, really smart MSM people, we can't. Coach Howland is just too darn stubborn. And you can't win with a coach who is like that.

You can't win with a coach who, for example, has his practices written out in detail on 3 x 5 cards, and has things choreographed down to the second. That doesn't let the players do their thing.

You can't win with a coach who insists on staying with a man-to-man defense. That doesn't exploit the benefits of the zone defense.

You can't win with a coach who never EVER scouted the opposition, but who insisted only on his players executing what they do well. That doesn't take advantage of the other team's weaknesses.

You can't win with a coach who is so detail oriented that he starts each season with instruction on how to put on shoes and socks. The next thing you know, a coach like that will put some sort of hokey "Pyramid of Success" on the wall.

We should get rid of a coach like that.

That's what the smart people in the MSM are saying. And if they're smart enough to write for an actual newspaper and get paid for what they write, then they must be smart.

But wait a second. I get paid for what I write. Maybe I'm as smart as they are. Maybe they are just print media blowhards who don't know half as much about basketball as the average denizen of the BN and who don't put in a tenth of the time that our hard core denizens put in to research what they're supposed to be writing about. And you know what else? Maybe they're really not as smart as they think, which explains why they're writing about basketball instead of coaching it.

by Fox 71 on Apr 7, 2008 6:33 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Love

Love sounded like he was ready to move after the game. Me and my girlfriend both thought that. But, you know, if enough scouts tell him that sort of thing it could sway him. Not every early entry is Carmelo Anthony or LeBron James.

by njbruin on Apr 7, 2008 6:33 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

addendum

Billy Packer I believe made an interesting point during the game, how Love's shot blocking abilities did not start to blossom until the tail end of the season. Clearly Love has a lot to learn about the game of basketball, and the NBA is tough enough for a seasoned pro in his prime. I think another year would really serve him well, compared to say, Beasley, where another year in college is just a waste of time.

by njbruin on Apr 7, 2008 6:37 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Love in HS...

would block about 5 shots a game (his words), as opposed to playing defense.

by kidro2001 on Apr 7, 2008 9:14 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

This is crap!

"Pretty simple. Isn't it? Don't tell that to Brian Dohns of the world, who are already out there speculating whether Howland needs to change his "defense-oriented, methodical offense" to bring in the kind of players majoring in "Leisure Management" in the rosters of Memphis and Florida."

..NOT your stuff, of course, Nestor, the Coca-Cola gas the Johnny-come-lately MSM people are eructing post-Bruin defeat. Had Howland locked down Memphis with stifling "D" then they would all have been ga-ga over the "new wave" in college roundball; the emphasis on defense.

They would have proclaimed it as the trend of the future just like they are all going nuts over Memphis's run-and-gun with the rent-a-bodies they have playing for them.

This has been said many times over here, but I'll repeat it: the Memphises (Memphii?) and Floridas (Floridae?) come and they go. Howland has remade UCLA into the program that will be back year after year after year.

Think I'm wrong? Where's Gonzaga? Where's LSU? Where's a lot of the other schools we beat the last two years? The MSM talks incessantly about KL's one-and-done when they should start talking about other programs' one-and-done.

God, it's great to be a Bruin!

by whp68 on Apr 7, 2008 6:37 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

No

If UCLA had locked down Memphis they would've been saying that the game was extremely ugly and not worth watching.

I do think, though, that it's fair to examine why this team keeps doing so well for about 95% of the season only to get destroyed in the Final Four. It might be an anomaly... it might just be bad luck in matchups. Or it might be something else. I think its just bad luck in matchups, after all you know, Duke hasn't won in forever but nobody is saying Coach K needs to change his matchups, but saying "hey UCLA has gotten a shit matchup 3 years in a row" doesn't sell papers.

by njbruin on Apr 7, 2008 6:42 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

err

nobody is saying Coach K needs to change his methods, I mean. Sorry.

by njbruin on Apr 7, 2008 6:43 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Interesting point..

..and I know they are commentating to the proverbial "American Idol" crowd (i.e., not as intimately familiar with UCLA and basketball as the average BN denizen), but they could be a little more two-sided. Mr Parrish's column (linked above) is very kind and still objective.

As for match-ups, well, that's the luck of the draw and you have to prepare yourself for all comers. It seemed to me like the Bruins just flat ran out of gas against a team that was peaking.

Remember, we slugged our way through the toughest conference in the land and tore through the conference tournament (with the help of the refs, of course).

Despite all of the commentary, good, bad, or otherwise, you know Ben Howland is thinking about how to go over the top. It is why he will win one day when the Memphis and Florida program will be a memory.

God, it's great to be a Bruin!

by whp68 on Apr 7, 2008 7:13 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

The thing is...

The Florida program is already history (at least short term). If Memphis is history then next year there will be someone else. There will always be someone else. I know I said "well Florida won't be around next year" after last year's ass kicking. For Ben Howland to get #12 he will have to be able to overcome these big boys no matter who they are.

I think the players should be very proud of what they accomplished, but I think this Memphis loss would hurt a lot more than the two Florida ones. I mean, this team was not supposed to go down that road again.

by njbruin on Apr 7, 2008 8:37 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

The Bruins did seem tired

To win it all you have to be lucky and good.

We were good. But lucky-not really. Where did we start to slip: with the outside 3 (DC, RW, and JS). Who played the most minutes? The outside 3. Why? Because we had no one else to play because of the Roll injury, the Keefe injury (which kept us from using one of the outside 3 to provide more rest for the other 2). Even the ND hernias may have played a roll: who would have believed last year he would shot so poorly this year?

Might be fair to say CBH should have developed someone else for the outside (CS being the obvious choice) even at the cost of some early games.

But we had key injuries that limited our flexibility.

To me it was a big factor late in the year with RW and JS's shooting slumps and DC's lack of consistency.

We peaked before these guys wore down.

And it clearly showed in the 2nd half against Memphis.

The BB fans around here kept telling me the lack of depth could be a problem for UCLA against NC, Kansas or Memphis. I think there was some validity to their argument.

The depth problem was partially a result of injuries.

I am still a believer. Have come to like watching defensive oriented teams. Love the team play.

But for us to win the breaks are going to have to go our way.

Go Team Go!

by bruins grad and dad on Apr 7, 2008 4:40 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Great Point

I think you make a great point here. There are only a handful of programs that will be at the top year in and year out: North Carolina, Duke, Kansas, UCLA. I remember a few years back when we were close, but we could never reach that elite level. I was in school during the transition from Harrick to Lavin (c/o '98). I witnessed Baron Davis's high-flying act. I saw how a bad coach got just lucky enough to reach a Sweet 16 and save his job for another year. I am so grateful to have CBH restoring order to the basketball universe. We know we'll be back next year. Where will K-State be without Beasely? The NIT? If they are lucky. Meanwhile, even if we lose KL we'll be back in the tourney for another deep run.

Go Bruins!

by Romo785 on Apr 7, 2008 7:20 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

There you go, whp68 !

Really, when Billy Packer harped so much about Florida & that Billy boy coach, where are they now ?

That girlie man can't do a darn thing in the NBA either. His team unanimously opted to bench him
( or her maybe ) even. Then Billy Donovan checkened out with Orlando too.

This time next year, Calipari and his players majoring in microwave cooking class might be touring Graceland just to cope with some spare time after the NIT Tournament.

by Htse005 on Apr 7, 2008 9:44 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

MSM trivializes 3 straight final four finishes..

..but fails to realize that you need to get to the final four to win the championship.

When Wooden did it with Hazzard & Co, in 1964, it was an aberration; Goodrich's 1965 team was an asterisk. But the ensuing years after SW Texas State, well, as Dick Enberg likes to say..

"..oh, my!

God, it's great to be a Bruin!

by whp68 on Apr 7, 2008 7:37 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

The 2006 final four - Where are they now?

Florida - 24-12 and loses in the NIT
George Mason - 23-11, and loses in the first round of the NCAA to ND
LSU - 13-18 and watches all post season on TV.
UCLA - Final Four again.

But still Coach Howland is stupid and the team has no heart. What am I missing?

by Fox 71 on Apr 7, 2008 2:51 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Nothing..

..I would love to see this recap same time next year -- especially after Calipari's boys flee the scene and he's left with squat.

God, it's great to be a Bruin!

by whp68 on Apr 8, 2008 6:39 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not to mention

That LSU is now looking for a new coach.

by Free the 16 on Apr 8, 2008 12:35 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed.

I agree with all of the posters so far. My question is this: If AA2 doesn't stay for another season (which is up in the air as far as I know), what bigs do we have on the horizon? Have you folks in LA heard anything? If AA2 does stay, he plays very physically and seems to get into foul trouble early on. Who may be brought in to support him? Haven't heard any rumors out here on the east coast yet.

by UclaZack2005 on Apr 7, 2008 7:42 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

BTW

The previous post assumes that KL leaves for the NBA (which would suck).

by UclaZack2005 on Apr 7, 2008 7:51 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

All or Nothing for Howland...

Interesting how the Sports pundits forget that UCLA had been in the dumps before Howland arrived. They make it seem like Howland has been at UCLA for almost a quarter of a century and hasn't been able to do much with the program. Last I saw, he got his boys to the final four in his third year, that there sounds like a good enough coach to me. I wonder if the media will rip on Memphis and Calipari should they not win a title. I'm guessing they might come out with something like, "their conference did not prepare them for a team like Kansas so their loss is ok". People need to relax and just let things play out. The Bruins will be back next year and the year after that...

by RScal on Apr 7, 2008 7:54 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

howland's been ucla's coach five years

we've made the final four three of those years. he must being doing something right.

i'm pretty sure if by the 5 percent chance that love comes back we'd be one of the favorites to win the title next year (even if RW and DC leave). Jrue Holiday looks like he'll be ready to impact the game on both sides of the ball.

Even if love, westbrook and collison leave, I think we could defend our pac10 title and do something in the tournament again. I think that a nucleus of holdiay, shipp, and mbah a moute would be really competitive. With great role players like keefe, aboya, roll, stanback, dragovic the other 3 freshman (who knows maybe one of them could be ready to contribute significantly).

look how much the rest of the pac10 is going to lose - Cal (harden, maybe Ryan Anderson), Stanford (lopez), USC (probably mayo, maybe gibson, jefferson), Oregon (taylor, hairston, leunen), Wash St (low, weaver)..

Arizona state and Washington might be brining back the most talent.

We'll have players with 3 years of final four experience and the number 1 recruiting class.

The feeling of losing at the end of the season again sucks right now, but not as much as it did from 1996-2003

by stephons on Apr 7, 2008 8:08 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I totally agree with

"The feeling of losing at the end of the season again sucks right now, but not as much as it did from 1996-2003"

I do not think of this Bruin team as a failure AT ALL! This was a successful season even though it didn't end the way we had hoped.

Born and raised a Bruin!

by ktbruin on Apr 7, 2008 8:39 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Second Guessing Howland

CBH knows the game inside and out and motivates his players to reach their greatest potential. For an outsider to criticize him is probably a silly exercise. He's a great coach.

Having said that, I can't stop myself. I agree that making changes when things don't work is CBH's greatest weakness. The Florida dunk a thon's over the two previous years and the Rose - Douglas Roberts show were all situations where we were getting killed, but made no significant changes (that I could see.)

It was clear that Collison had no chance to guard Rose, who was making some incredible shots. The same was true for Douglas-Roberts. I know I wanted a change in the defensive matchups, and was actually pleased when Collison went out with his four foul, hoping that the bigger lineup could put the clamps on Memphis down the stretch. (Of course, if Douglas Roberts started missing what looked like low percentage shots and we started hitting ours, CBH's approach would have been vindicated.) As an armchair coach, I would have tried something different. But perhaps belief in his system and steadfast adherence to the team's principles are CBN's greatest strengths.

No matter what the defense did, when the offense can't make a basket for 5 or 6 minutes down the stretch, we can't win. We had threes rattling out, over and over again. Not horrible shooting, but horrible point production killed any chance of a comeback.

I can't believe I agreed with Billy Packer ever, but it seemed that we needed to get the ball to Love who could have either fouled out their two centers, or scored when they let up because of foul trouble.

Ultimately, Memphis is probably the better team overall, which would win 7 out of 10 against us, no matter what we did. The best team won this time, but I still love my team and my coach.

If Love stays we'll make another deep NCAA run, and we may anyway. I can't imagine that Collison will be drafted high, after showing that he can't guard an NBA sized guard, so I think he'll be back and the team will be experienced at the point.

Holiday will add another NBA talent level guard, adding tremendous depth there, so we can look forward to next year and another great season. Go Bruins.

by 75NatChamps on Apr 7, 2008 8:37 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Right

Its hard to win your best or second best player is having the worst game of his career. And as I mentioned in another thread UCLA did have a chance to get within a few late in the game (when it was 59-52 and Memphis got cold for a few minutes, missed I think 6 FGs in a row). They just didn't deliver. The entire game it was this awful 5-11 point lead and the Bruins did nothing but trade baskets. Love kind of showed his age, Collison was terrible, the bench did nothing.

I think pinning this loss on Howland getting totally outcoached is wrong. If you want to see a really shitty coaching job look at the other game.

by njbruin on Apr 7, 2008 8:41 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

It wasn't age

KL was getting double-teamed without the ball, and DC couldn't pass by Rose. He actually couldn't do anything against Rose, his defense was underrated. Rose tore apart DC and DJ Augustin in back-to-back games. Memphis just had a great game plan and took UCLA out of its comfort zone. With four number 1 seeds going into the Final Four, really any one of those teams could have won it all.

I agree that UCLA was a better match-up against Memphis with DC on the bench, but how do you bench the guy who has lead this team all year? And I doubt CBH was telling his guys to shoot tons from the perimiter. Sometimes the game on the court can get away from the coach. What I didn't like was DC fouling out the way he did, just looked frustrated, like he quit.

On the other side...what bad coaching? Self had his team ready and they neutralized physcho-T with their athletic bigs. UNC had a good run to close within 4 but they had to expend to much energy to get there. In the end it was all KU because they had the hot hand. Should be a good game tonight.

by Romo785 on Apr 7, 2008 9:04 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Come on guys, give it a rest

I don't think the criticism of Coach Howland is warranted. I assume none of the critics and second-guessers actually attended practice. None of you were probably on the bench and talking to DC when he went back in with 4 fouls. Coach Howland knows more about the team and the players than any of us, which is why he is the Coach and why we aren't.

One Geezer parable. When Notre Dame beat us 89-82 in our last loss before "the streak," Austin Carr scored 46 or 48 points. We couldn't have guarded him without a tranquilizer dart, chains and a straight-jacket. Coach John R. Wooden (heard of him?) tried to cover him with all our starters. I remember vividly that he put in Rick Betchley (0.7 ppg scorer) to try to guard him without success. No one in the whole world would have taken a chance on using Betchley, but Coach did. I don't recall hearing the wise men in the media second-guessing Coach on that decision. If there had been a BN at that time, I am confident that the same snipers would have said that Coach lost it, and should think about retirement for trying to use Rick Betchley to guard Carr. (Then we had 88 wins in a row.)

I don't think we second-guess Coach Howland for giving us 97 wins in three years. I don't know if every move he made will be revealed in the Book of Life to be the best move, and I don't know if he will be exiled to permanent basketball damnation for the moves he made and didn't make. But neither does anyone else. I am confident that every move he made was well considered, and done with the same set of brain cells that got us the Pac-10 championship for the third straight time, the Pac-10 tournament championship, etc.

We've re-played this game enough. It's time to remember what we were all saying on Friday, to the effect that no matter what happens, we've had a great season. Well, the worst thing happened, but we still had a great season. Stop whining and stop griping. Let's move on, just like the 300 or so teams which didn't make the tournament are doing.

by Fox 71 on Apr 7, 2008 9:05 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Great quote

"We couldn't have guarded him without a tranquilizer dart, chains and a straight-jacket"

Jim Murray would have liked that.

greg in denver

by gbruin on Apr 7, 2008 10:01 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

No, we could'nt have

That's true. But someone could have called a team meeting. Then pass out refreshment drinks for these people a la JonesTown !

Boy oh boy. I can't deal with talks about these Memphis illiterates and future NBA rejects outplaying us and what we should have done, etc.

Maybe they will indeed do what I just said after tonight's win !!!

by Htse005 on Apr 7, 2008 10:18 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Bravo, Bravo ! Fox 71

You hold them all to their words ! Good for you !

As I said before, this time next year, those Tigers majoring in microwave cooking course may be milling around Graceland selling Elvis memorabilia and their coach, the blabbering Cal may yet pull a Donovan to the Grizzlies also.

" Well, Mr. General Manager, I know in my heart I can coach and help your team surmount everything and scale Mt. Rushmore if we had to.... But really I miss seeing my players on campus and finding out how they do with their microwave cooking.... "

by Htse005 on Apr 7, 2008 10:07 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thank You Fox

Once, more you nailed it.

Do you think that those of us who were around for Coach have a different perspective -- one that is less focused on banners and more focused on effort and character?

I want #12 but don't feel the pressure and angst so many others feel. Funny, even though we were hanging them, they did not seem quite as important.

One other thing that is really different. We were able to assume that our great players would play 3 years unless they flunked out -- which very few did.

There seems to be an urgency, in this era of 1 and outs, to win in the one year when a particular player is still here.

Just a note from the Geezer perspective.

sjh

by Class of 66 on Apr 7, 2008 10:42 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

On Memphis' "athleticism"

A friend of mine during the game commented how old Memphis' players are. So I looked it up. Here are the age comparisons:

Love 19 v. Dorsey 24: Who doesn't think that Love in 5 years would not dominate Dorsey? (Heck, how about in 1 to 2 years.) My point is that while Love did get out muscled in the second-half, all this talk about him not being a high draft pick because a guy 5 years older than him gave him a hard time is not thinking things through. You draft for potential in the NBA (otherwise no high schooler other than LaBron would get drafted because Joey Dorsey would have pushed around a lot of lottery picks when they were 19). Talent advantage: UCLA.
Westbrook 19 v. Douglas-Roberts 21: Again, who doesn't think in 2 years Westbrook would be comparable to Douglas-Roberts (if not now)? Talent advantage: Even.
Mbah a Moute 21 v. Dozier 22: LRMAM is younger and better than Dozier right now so this comparison needs no more discussion. Talent advantage: UCLA.
Shipp 22 v. Anderson 22: Admittedly, I don't know much about Anderson, but I don't see a clear athletic and talent gap here. Talent advantage: Even.
Collison 20 v. Rose 19: I agree with others that Rose is the more athletic and NBA-ready guard of the two. No doubt in my mind. Talent advantage: Memphis.

Therefore, if you take into account the age differences, I think all this talk about Memphis' clear cut talent advantage is crap. UCLA ran into a peaking team with two NBA-ready guards and a roster that has more mature players. UCLA did not run into a much more talented and athletic team. I'm not offering excuses for our loss. We lost. The better team won. Nonetheless, some people's "evaluation" of the loss and what we need to change in order to get over the hump is a classic case of myopic thinking. UCLA under Howland is doing a lot of things right. Let's remember that next time we talk about needing to change to a more dynamic offense (whatever that means) or recruit longer and more "athletic" players.

by Dienekes on Apr 7, 2008 8:55 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Chancellor Block Gets What the MSM Will Never Get

Since many of you won't be on the distribution list, you deserve to hear this. Since no place on the internets (on earth?) displays more Bruin Pride, you deserve a heads-up on this as we commiserate and begin to look forward.

Chancellor Block will be sending out an email this morning to all faculty, staff, and students, and the language of his message perfectly echoes what I've been reading here in the past several sobering but hopeful days.

If you folks want to see the message itself, I will post it shortly after it goes out. But I will tell you right now that Chancellor Block and those who help him compose these messages understand that this was "an amazing accomplishment" and that this is a team and university of champions.

Bruin For Life

by handyman on Apr 7, 2008 9:16 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Please

Please do post the message if and when you get the chance. I'd love to see it.

by Raisin on Apr 7, 2008 9:31 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

What Chancellor Block

has to enjoy this time every year, other chancellors for Florida, Memphis and who knows this time next year can only dream about.

by Htse005 on Apr 7, 2008 10:24 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

A deal most on Bruin Nation would take

Right when Love really began to take off, most felt if we won the title he would be gone. So, at that point I asked some of my Bruin friends the question I will ask now:

Would you take a heartbreaking loss in the Final Four if that meant you would get to see another year of Kevin Love and then win the Championship?

I would guess most if not all of the members of the Bruin Nation would say yes, they would take that deal.

While there is no guarantee that a) Kevin is coming back or b) we would win the title, at least for the moment, that "deal" is currently possible.

by Free the 16 on Apr 7, 2008 9:22 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

AA2 - I'm totally heartbroken guys...

I love the energy AA2 brings to the game, and it's a true joy to watch someone without traditional basketball skills throw people around at will. I never, never thought he would leave early; in fact, it never crossed my mind for a millisecond while dwelling on KL, DC, and RW's departures. Wow...all I can say is wow. Good for him, because he seems like a great, intelligent guy, but talk about coming out of left field. Wow...

by bruinhopeful on Apr 7, 2008 9:23 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Huh?

Whatchoo talkin bout Willis?

Go UCLA!

by madmaxucla on Apr 7, 2008 9:32 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

From N's original post:

Backup forward Alfred Aboya -- who is from Cameroon like Mbah a Moute and will earn his undergraduate degree this summer -- said he wouldn't say for certain he would return for a senior season.

"Right now I'm so disappointed," Aboya said, "that I just need to digest this loss and see what life has to offer."

by bruinhopeful on Apr 7, 2008 9:36 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

According to Dohn

It's greater than a 50/50 chance that he WILL leave. Ouch. I wasn't really prepared for that one.

by brewin05 on Apr 7, 2008 11:35 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

"If" one of the NBA prospects

Were not to leave...
Does this offer CBH the quick fix scholarship-wise that he may need? I believe a prior diary or comment somewhere mentioned that we have 11 scholarship players, with 4 incoming. That would leave us 1-2 short if anyone returns, no?
I absolutely do not mean to be coarse, because I love AA2 and everything he has brought to the team, but could this possibly have something to do with it?

by bruinhopeful on Apr 7, 2008 11:49 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Def hurts more than helps

Losing Aboya hurts far more than losing RW or DC, IMO, because that leaves only Keefe/Luc/Gooden for the 4/5 positions.

Aboya would most likely be the starting 5 next year if he came back, so his minutes/role are expected to increase and there is pretty much no way CBH would want him to go.

by kidro2001 on Apr 7, 2008 1:36 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I hear you, but completely disagree.

Westbrook and Collison are stars who can change a game. Aboya is a role player who cannot handle the ball and cannot score.

I hate to lose Aboya, because he is one of my favorite players (his energy is awesome). But losing Aboya is not even close to losing Westbrook or Collison. That's my opinion anyway.

by rfirpo on Apr 7, 2008 3:59 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

DC and RW are pretty much gone

I'd be ecstatic if we can convince AA2 to stick around persuade him to take up graduate programs (after convincing LRMAM to stick around another year). Let's not take anyone for granted.

by Nestor on Apr 7, 2008 6:20 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Oh mannnnnn....

If love leaves, you would think AA2 would start at center, but if he leaves.... Ohh mannnnn

Go UCLA!

by madmaxucla on Apr 7, 2008 9:42 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Keefe

I love AA2's aggressiveness as much as anyone and selfishly hope he stays another year. But if he doesn't (and KL goes), I think we will still be ok. JK played very well towards the end of the season and showed glimpses of his potential. If he is our starting forward next year (I doubt we will have a "center" and instead go with a 3 guard 2 forward lineup) I think he could average somewhere around 12 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks a game. The dude's arms are freakishly long and most of the blocks he had this season he didn't even have to jump for. The more playing time he gets, the better he will be.

Also Drew Gordon is a stud. I know recruiting services only have him in the 40-50 range, but I watched the CIF championship game that he played in (despite having broken his feet earlier in the season--gotta love a kid that is that tough) and he was great. I don't remember what his numbers were, but he definetly held his own against the taller Wear twins from Mater Dei. DG coming off the bench to replace JK could give us the great interior defense and rebounding that is critical to another run to the final four.

by uclaw2010 on Apr 7, 2008 10:10 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Agree on Keefe.

In my opinion, Keefe starts over Aboya next year in a second. Keefe has arrived. he will be huge for us next year--I think a breakout year.

His jumper will be solid, and his defense (which he showed at times in the Tourney) will be great. He is our Pyscho T next year (but not quite that good)

by rfirpo on Apr 7, 2008 4:01 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

The MSSM would have us believe

that in the space of two forty minute halves "PRESTO" CBH was turned into "Doofus of the Hardwood."

I think not.

I hope like crazy that Love will stay in paradise another year, same for Collison and Westbrook and Aboya. But in three straight years Howland's reached within shouting distance of the pinnacle, with a different roster configuration each time.

For those who will remember, Gene Bartow went 52-8 in two years in Westwood, including one final four; they named an arena after him at UAB, but "we" ran him outta town - solely because his two years immediately followed Coach Wooden's retirement.

Get the hell off Howland, and let him keep building the program.

The Mad Bruin

by lostnacfgop on Apr 7, 2008 10:23 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

How long did it take.......

Coach Wooden to win a championship? A lot longer than Coach Howland's five years.

I'm not worried. In Ben we trust!

I may work with the Waves, but I'm still a Bruin!

by HoozierDaddy on Apr 7, 2008 10:31 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Couldn't or wouldn't?

Comments were made during the telecast and later in the MSM about the Bruins "refusal" (I think I even heard "stubborn refusal") to get the ball into Love. I don't think this was planned strategy. To me (and I certainly do not pretend to be a basketball expert) it looked more like an inability for Love to get clear to receive a pass. There always seemed to be an opponent's hands and arms within a foot of Love's as he tried to establish position around the basket. There were other games in which this happened. Once Love got the ball, the opponent usually couldn't handle him. However, most teams have some player (regardless of talent level) who is as tall/taller than Love, and it doesn't take much talent IMO to "get in the way". Maybe there is a place in today's basketball for a tall, fast stringbean.

To those of you with more expertise: how do we solve this problem?

by Offside on Apr 7, 2008 10:33 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

True, this reasoning is a joke

KL was being fronted down low and rolled with off of every pick-and-roll. The only chance he had to score would be putbacks and mid-to-long range jumpers. He didn't hit his threes, but it happens.

by bruinhopeful on Apr 7, 2008 11:29 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Email from the chancellor:

UCLA Office of the Chancellor

--------------------------------------------------

April 7, 2008

To the UCLA Campus Community:

All of us can take great pride in our men's basketball team and their performance in the Final Four. Making it that far for the third consecutive year is an amazing accomplishment. I commend the dedication and focus of Coach Ben Howland and his entire staff; the talent, determination and exemplary sportsmanship of our student-athletes; and the spirited support extended by the entire UCLA community. Once again, we have demonstrated that all Bruins are champions.

Sincerely,

Gene D. Block
Chancellor

by freesia39 on Apr 7, 2008 11:00 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Sorry

Didn't see you beat me to it. Thanks!

Bruin For Life

by handyman on Apr 7, 2008 11:08 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

100% Class

Chancellor Block should be commended for standing behind his (nay, OUR) man.

by bruinhopeful on Apr 7, 2008 11:22 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

You should really diary this

by bluestreet on Apr 7, 2008 11:26 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Will do in just a second

wasn't sure if there was enough interest.

by freesia39 on Apr 7, 2008 12:07 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Final Four Congratulations from Chancellor Block

Below is the message from Chancellor Block that I mentioned would be going out this morning.

Fitting. Quotes from Block, using Block Quotes. Hope this helps us move forward.

UCLA Office of the Chancellor
----------------------------------

April 7, 2008

To the UCLA Campus Community:

All of us can take great pride in our men's basketball team and their performance in the Final Four. Making it that far for the third consecutive year is an amazing accomplishment.

I commend the dedication and focus of Coach Ben Howland and his entire staff; the talent, determination and exemplary sportsmanship of our student-athletes; and the spirited support extended by the entire UCLA community. Once again, we have demonstrated that all Bruins are champions.

Sincerely,

Gene D. Block
Chancellor

Bruin For Life

by handyman on Apr 7, 2008 11:07 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

One Bruin has to go for sure

We would have to assume CBH was assured by their respective families coming into this season that either KL or DC (or both) are going to leave. Otherwise, why would he offer four scholarships when doing so could put the team over the scholarship limit? There's no way he could have known RW would blossom so much so he must have gone into the season knowing someone was definitely leaving.

I suspect KL, DC and RW will declare for the draft; a telling sign will be which of them hires an agent. If all three leave as well as Aboya, the Bruins will be seriously rebuilding next season. Having said that, it would not surprise me to see Howland and his staff put the Bruins in position for another Final Four run.

richramus

by richramus on Apr 7, 2008 1:08 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

If all stay ---

someone who is not getting playing time and maybe buried deeper on the bench may choose to leave.

And, it's not unheard of for a player to give up a scholarship -- if he can afford to -- for the good of the team.

Didn't one of the WSU starters do that?

This is all so hypothetical we need not worry about it.

Having everyone back AND all the new guys is not a problem, it's a blessing.

sjh

by Class of 66 on Apr 7, 2008 1:56 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

stanback

i hope stanback gets some more minutes next year. if he does some heavy off-season work, he could be like russell westbrook this year. plus stanback may provide the offensive shooting threat that we need. i think he definitely has the weapons on offense, just remains to be seen whether he can improve his defense.

by eflyer on Apr 7, 2008 2:28 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

It would be nice for Stanback to deliver like RW.

However, I don't see it happening. RW had incredible moments during the end of his first year (Indiana game for one), and he got significant minutes. RW was ready. Stanback I don't think is ready to break out like RW. BUT, I think he will be improved, and will contribute in a big way. The question is, how will he mesh with the freshman guards--and how will he compare.

If the freshman are better than Stanback, then Stanback could be in for a tough career or a transfer. We'll see. I personally think Stanback will have a great year.

by rfirpo on Apr 7, 2008 4:07 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Stanback

will have to be ready, one way or another. And I am confident he will come through.

by Nestor on Apr 7, 2008 6:21 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Players seem to have moved on

I saw Lorenzo, Matt Lee, Deandre and Aboya at Wooden Center playing pickup ball..

by lildre on Apr 7, 2008 6:53 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Well, well, well - -

I thought Memphis would kill Kansas. There may be a lesson here: you can't judge everything by ONE GAME

by Offside on Apr 8, 2008 12:02 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Funny

I thought Kansas would kill Memphis. I'm just glad they won because Self has built/kept that program the right way. I would hate for Calamari and his slick ways to prevail, bringing in kids who can barely speak english. He makes a mockery of the "college" part of college basketball.

by tasser10 on Apr 8, 2008 10:57 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs