Spaulding Roundup: Good Luck To Hasiak & Welcome Back ATV

by Nestor on Jan 13, 2009 10:00 PM PST in Football Comment 9 comments

I know folks are justifiably a little bummed about the news of Hasiak decommitting today. It wasn't a surprise even though coaches were confident about holding on to him for the stretch run. I always thought it was going to be difficult to fend off Cal given all the recent success that program has had in producing NFL caliber OL. Also, as we already noted in the comment threads by all accounts Hasiak is fully qualified. So please don't disparage this kid for reaching any decisions now (or on the final one signing day) by resorting to the automated academic excuse whenever there is a Cal-UCLA recruit blowup. We have had a lot of discussion about it on BN and we have yet to see definitive proof that UCLA does have a higher standard than Cal Bears (if anyone has it or can make a convincing argument about it would love to hear those thoughts in a separate post). For now we should wish this kid good luck in whatever his final decision turns out to be. If it is Cal so be it. Here is to him having a successful career Berkeley.

In any event, we are still few weeks away from the signing day and given the energy and effort we have seen from Neuheisel and his staff it's a good bet they are going to be fighting away till the very end. We just have to deal with today's short term set back just like we dealt following the setbacks on the recruiting front this past summer. Recruiting is always a roller coaster. We just have to be even keeled about it.

Meanwhile wanted to make sure this bit of big news IMHO didn't go unnoticed. ATV made it official:

UCLA cornerback Alterraun Verner said today he will return for his senior season, making the decision official two days before the NFL deadline to declare for the draft.

Verner said he reached the decision after speaking with his family this weekend.

"It was close," Verner said. "I said before I was 50-50, and I really was. I felt I was partly ready to go to the next level, but I'm coming back."

Verner, who led the nation in passes defended at 1.67 per game, said feedback from the NFL led to his return

Having ATV along with Reggier Carter (who announced over the weekend that he was returing as well) will be a huge boost for our defense next year. Their senior leadership will be invaluable in anchoring a young defense that really developed towards the end of the season.

GO BRUINS.

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I believe Brian Dohn posted GPA and SAT averages over several years that demonstrated UCLA's stricter academic requirements for football players.

In fact, UCLA was second only to Stanford in this arena and $UC and the Arizona schools were, as expected, towards the bottom.

by PeterUCLA on Jan 14, 2009 2:43 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Yeah we have blogged about that

It didn’t prove much. If you think it did please look it up and lay out your arguments on how it did.

by Nestor on Jan 14, 2009 4:12 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Forget Haskiak

I have to be honest, and I don’t want to disparage a kid……….but Hasiak went over the line in the Daily News. My feeling was that I was disappointed that he de-committed, but that I would wish him well because he has every right to pick whichever school he feels most comfortable. However, after reading his quotes in today’s LA Daily News, I am not a big fan of his. He seems like a “me first” athlete. If I was CRN, I would post today’s article in the paper for all of the incoming freshman to see, as well as the veteran’s…….especially before the Cal game next year. Most times when recruits pick other schools, they never put down the program or the players coming into it. However, at least to me, he did. Please let me know, am I overreacting to this, or did anyone else feel the same way after reading the article? I was very discouraged about it, but now after seeing his “me-first” attitude, this is the type of player we don’t want wearing the blue and gold.

by muircoach on Jan 14, 2009 7:22 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

How did he put down UCLA?

If you’ve got quotes as proof then I’ll eat crow. Otherwise all I can see is that he really liked Cal’s history with the O-line, liked Cal’s new O-line coach (I don’t know who he is.. rumors are the Brown’s coach), liked what he saw Cal is doing with the new SAHPC, him and his family really got along with Cal’s coaches, etc.

He also said that he preferred the UCLA buildings to Cal, found Neuhisel (what’s up this CRN stuff?) and co to be a great group (but apparently not enough to keep commitment), etc. AFAIK he did not bad mouth UCLA but instead found Cal better.

Again show proof to the contrary and I’ll eat crow

In other words, Go Bears!

by royrules22 on Jan 14, 2009 9:20 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

It wasn't a put-down

It was more a lack of faith, though not unreasonable either. He just doesn’t think that UCLA will be a Pac-10 contender for at least 3 years. I can’t really argue with that, I think at best it would take us another 2 years.

What I would counter with is the fact that Cal has actually underachieved for the most part and haven’t really been Pac-10 contenders since Tedford has been there, save maybe for one year. So in that sense, I think Hasiak is a bit misguided.

However, he is correct in his assessment of Cal’s history with the O-line, and when thinking about his own career he may be doing the right thing, even if it is a bit selfish. Sure he sounds a bit arrogant (“I’m not a backup”), but that’s what you want in the trenches: someone mean who takes it personally. It’s not a glamorous position. Besides, I loved his knock on U$C, another recruit clearly saying that U$C uses dirty tactics and puts down other schools.

Here is my question though: will his skill and talent be more noticed by joining an already good O-line or by joining a bad O-line and making it good and eventually great? Where would he have the most impact? To me, it is quite clear that he would have a bigger impact at UCLA and would make a serious name for himself here. That is how I am hoping CRN will approach him in the next month. And if I were him, I would have Jonathan Ogden give the kid a call…if that’s allowed.

But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.

by tasser10 on Jan 14, 2009 9:55 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Well of course it’s selfish. It’s a career decision. When you went to college (which I assume was UCLA) did you say “I should go to UCLA because their education gives me a leg up in the real world and allows me to compete for a job that will pay dividends in the end whereas USC while still a good school would not provide me with the same benefits or as good of a benefit as UCLA would”. Or did you say “I should go to USC over UCLA because USC would look better if they had me a student and that I’m selfish if I went to UCLA because it’s better for me in the end”? I’d daresay most of us thought the former not the latter.

Also if we were to pick a school for let’s say pre-med you would be better served by picking UCLA over let’s say Cal because UCLA offers a better pre-med program over Cal (which has none… sort of).

It’s the same way with Hasaik. Historically Cal’s O-line has been great, and most if not all of Cal’s O-line has gone on to play on Sundays. I cannot say the same with UCLA. So yes it’s “selfish” but why would you have it any other way. I understand you are frustrated but to call Hasaik selfish for picking a school that as of know presents the best opportunity for him to improve and showcase his talents so that he ends up in a better position when a he graduates, is selfish in of itself.

In other words, Go Bears!

by royrules22 on Jan 14, 2009 10:56 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I think you’re just reading too much into it. Me first? How else should he act? To put UCLA first? Why? He doesn’t owe us anything. He happens to think he’d be better served by going to Cal for reasons that are important to him, and I can’t really disagree with him on that.

Regarding our incoming kids: "some of them were good, and some of them were all right."

… but.. they are. I don’t see that as a put down, it’s more like.. the truth. It doesn’t mean I’m not excited to see what CRN/Chow will do with them.

by pxcasey on Jan 14, 2009 11:47 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

To me this is disrespectful

to the players being recruited. One of his quotes in the Daily News was

“Honestly, I looked at the caliber of players they were checking out and some of them were good, and some of them were all right.”

You may disagree, but to me, if he would have kept it at the other stuff I would have had no problem. But when you start putting down the type of players that they are recruiting, then I have a problem with that. He is from Hawaii. Was he putting down Hilliard? Toma? Who knows. If you are one of the guys who have signed with the Bruins, you might wonder if he was saying he was too good to play with you or to play at the university. It could be taken many ways, and I took it as a serious dig at our incoming players. You may take it any way you like, but that is how I did.

by muircoach on Jan 14, 2009 10:05 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

How's our O-Line looking for

2009? ‘08 was an unmitigated joke – quite possibly the worst in UCLA’s entire post WWII history.

Will we be deep enough so as not to play any true freshman? I remember hearing several JUCO transfers coming in to add depth and possibly start. That was one of the knocks on KD’s regime – that he wouldn’t ever have any depth at OL and then would play true freshmen thus robbing us of having 5th year O-linemen.

by Seanny Rotten on Jan 28, 2009 3:29 PM PST reply actions 0 recs