Ben Ball Roundup: Camp In Howlandwood & Other News/Notes

by Nestor on Jun 30, 2009 5:20 AM PDT in Basketball Comment 20 comments

Let's start our Tuesday's roundup with a little Ben Ball. Coach Howland recently held his summer camp at UCLA featuring some of the elite recruits from Southern California. Frank Burlison from the Long Beach Press-Telegram attended the camp on Sunday and put up the following post:

Coach Ben Howland's UCLA Advanced Skills Camp had a solid foundation of talent making up some of the better underclass basketball players in the West.

Among those competing in Pauley Pavilion were class 2010 guards Kendall Williams (Los Osos) and Tyler Lamb (Mater Dei), both of which are already verbally committed to the Bruins.

Others playing especially well Sunday included 6-foot-6 Yannick Atanga (Besant Hill in Ojai); 6-2 James Walker (Los Alamitos); 6-5 Ben Vozzola (Las Vegas Centennial); 6-7 1/2 Angelo Chol (San Diego Hoover); 6-7 Ryan Anderson (Poly); 6-3 Byron Wesley (Cajon); and 6-10 Robert Upshaw (Fresno Edison).

The camp wrapped up yesterday. Brian Dohn was there. He posted the following note on Inside UCLA:

Former Lakers great Jerry West gave an inspiring talk to the campers, and former Bruins guard Arron Afflalo took time from his workouts to speak with the campers and answer questions.
There was plenty of nice talent present, and I also got a chance to see members of UCLA's incoming freshmen class. However, Reeves Nelson and Tyler Honeycutt did not participate because of injuries, and UCLA commit Kendall Williams sat out the afternoon session with a sprained ankle.

Very cool to hear Mr. Logo helping out Coach Howland and UCLA basketball. As always it's awesome to see AA staying involved and doing whatever Coach Howland asks him to give back to the program.

Speaking of basketball, Brian Dohn had an intersting story on a new "point system" UCLA is supposed to be unveiling this week aboout the seating plan for renovated Pauley. Of course those who currently have season tickets and/or donate to "Campaign of Champions" will be racking up some points. Some of the other factors include:

Points will also be awarded for consecutive seasons as a season-ticket holder, lifetime donations to the school, being a UCLA alum, being a former UCLA student-athlete and for donations given to the campus.

That sounds reasonable to me. There is also the pricing plan. We haven't seen anything public yet. But here are some of the early details from Dohn:

The prime non-courtside seats between the baskets will require a $4,000 annual donation per seat, cost of the ticket, and likely another gift to the "Campaign of Champions," which would keep the point total high and give them a better chance to maintain or improve their seat locations, sources said.

For a pair of season-tickets courtside, a one-time $500,000 donation (split over five years) is needed. The price for two tickets is estimated at $34,000 annually now, but an increase in ticket prices is possible.

"If it's $300,000, $400,000, $500,000 or $600,000, if they can get it, I'm OK with that," said Chuck Winner, who has floor seats across from UCLA's bench and has endowed scholarships. "It's a privilege to sit there. I'm in favor of the process of a (renovated) stadium."

For season tickets in the corners and behind the baskets in mid-level of Pauley Pavilion, an annual donation of $550 to $800 will go with every seat, as well as the price of the tickets and a possible donation to the "Campaign of Champions," sources said.

For season seats in the upper level on the sideline, the annual donation could be as low as $125 per seat. The ticket holder will also have to pay for the cost of each ticket, according to sources. The upper level seats behind the baskets and in the corners will not require an annual donation, sources added.

I guess we will wait to see the details. It will be interesting to see the kind of response it generates from the UCLA basketball community in greater Southern California given the current economy of that state. I hope whatever the campaign plan (aka "Campaign of Champions") Morgan Center official has in place is well thought out strategically so that they can keep going to the donor base with a compelling case on a regular basis. The key IMHO will be to generate excitement and for that to happen they will need to provide a genuine level of transparency so that they can address questions and concerns of all those folks who will be making a financial investment (not just an emotional one) into the program.

GO BRUINS.

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recruits

does anybody know what recruits we are after for 2010?

by bruinbornandraised on Jun 30, 2009 6:44 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

http://ucla.scout.com/a.z?s=12&p=9&c=4&cfg=bb&yr=2010

The big one is Josh Smith. We have made relatively few offers to this class thus far though.

by Tydides on Jun 30, 2009 8:55 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I am very happy we will finally be charging market prices

for the best seats in Pauley. Many longterm ticket holders have a sense of entitlement that the seats belong to them, even though their contributions to the athletic department were relatively low.

The seats are there to support the athletic department, and they need to be used for that purpose. Nobody should feel they have the right to the best seats unless they are willing to provide a high level of benefit to the athletic department to earn them.

"when you've seen how big the world is, how can you make due with this?"

by silverlakebruin on Jun 30, 2009 8:51 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

"as low as $125"

!!!

I know it goes to help sustain UCLA Athletics, the renovated arena, and is competitive in the sports marketplace, but geez.

UCLA employees are facing a 8% pay cut. It would be nice if there was a Campaign of Champions to help offset those losses.

by Westwood Wizard on Jun 30, 2009 10:24 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

wider society is facing much worse than an 8% pay cut

I think its only fitting when govt employees have to share the pain of their employers (taxpayers in the state)

"when you've seen how big the world is, how can you make due with this?"

by silverlakebruin on Jun 30, 2009 12:05 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs

that sounded more callous than I meant

but I am not willing in this economy to pay more taxes unless there are pay cuts to share the pain.

"when you've seen how big the world is, how can you make due with this?"

by silverlakebruin on Jun 30, 2009 12:11 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Even if I lived in LA, I couldn't afford to go to games.

How can a recent grad who decides to be a teacher afford to go to games? I made a lot more than teachers (who doesn’t?) but I would have to pass with those prices. So what’s to be done to the avid fan who loses his exalted status as a student? He or she is shut out of Pauley. I don’t think this is right. Frankly, it reeks of just$c*, where kids go straight from being an undergrad to daddy’s country club, and money is not an issue.

by Fox 71 on Jun 30, 2009 11:29 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

there are plenty of seats that don't require additional donations

but this just shows how bad the renovation plan is. Half the seats in the 300s are still totally worthless even after the renovation.

"when you've seen how big the world is, how can you make due with this?"

by silverlakebruin on Jun 30, 2009 12:07 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Worthless how?

Unfortunately, the prices certainly don’t reflect that.

Regarding the UC pay cut, I don’t want to take this off into too far of a tangent, but the Pauley renovation is coming at a really bad time symbolically. We all know the facility needs to be updated and improved, and I know that the Morgan Center would argue that doing so now might cost less in terms of the cost of materials and construction demand than it would in a healthier economic climate, and that an improved facility would help pay for itself, but when you’ve got the state in such bad financial shape, and the UC system raising student tuition and cutting the pay of every career employee, undertaking a big construction project now just looks bad. It’s what political PR people call “bad optics.” I’m not saying I don’t want an updated Pauley, but at the staff meeting last week with Chancellor Block and other officials to discuss the pay cut options—which was at Pauley—someone in the audience brought up the renovation project as unnecessary spending, and that drew a lot of cheers. And when they try to reach out to alumni for donations for this, I expect they’ll get a rather chilly reception.

by Westwood Wizard on Jun 30, 2009 2:29 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I think they will get a chilly reception

because its an ill conceived project that does nothing to address the main problems with Pauley.

I don’t think alumni care about the “bad optics”. They care about 1) their own financial security to determine if and how much they can donate and 2) the value of the project. Certainly number 1 will hurt the project in today’s climate, but I sense number 2 will as well. As you can see above, they had to concentrate most of the additional revenue in a small fraction of the seats because the renovation will not be a significant improvement for most seatholders.

Most don’t know or care about state employees having to take a pay cut like most workers in the private sector have. Most don’t know or care about the meeting employees had with the chancellor. For folks on campus that probably seems like a big deal, but outside of campus, I don’t there are many who follow the story.

"when you've seen how big the world is, how can you make due with this?"

by silverlakebruin on Jun 30, 2009 5:38 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Pay cuts

This is off topic but I am having a hard time seeing how the “plight” of any state or unionized worker in this economic climate is any different than, like Silverlakebruin says, any of the rest of us. I have had a pay cut and didn’t complain because that is preferable to the alternative. My company wants us to take all of our vacation early so they can account for the expense in a more preferred manner. I have a good friend, 25 years with his employer, who is taking unpaid weeks off (not days).

“Bad optics” or not, I agree with SLB. Pauley needs to be razed and started again, or left as is, and take all the money and build another basketball only pavilion (my choice), somewhere else, maybe like in south campus.
Bill

BillSouthBay

by Mensgym on Jun 30, 2009 6:36 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree - there isn't a difference

In the sacrifices forced on a private employee versus a state employee.

But if your company asked for you to take a pay cut while they’re continuing with a voluntary construction project that’s slated to cost hundreds of millions of dollars…well, you’d probably be a little cheesed off, right?

slb:

Most don’t know or care about state employees having to take a pay cut like most workers in the private sector have. Most don’t know or care about the meeting employees had with the chancellor. For folks on campus that probably seems like a big deal, but outside of campus, I don’t there are many who follow the story.

That’s fine, but this is a blog for Bruins…although dedicated to UCLA athletics, I would hope some readers are concerned about UCLA as a whole, and not just the sports side of things, and this is part of that.

by Westwood Wizard on Jul 1, 2009 5:49 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

That happens in the private sector in good time and bad

I’m sure others who work in the private sector like I do can tell you stories of layoffs during record profitability for companies, stupid management decisions to squander money unwisely, salary freezes while dividends were paid to shareholders, etc. Happens all the time and employees have zero say in these decisions, they are usually made to bolster stock prices and please the market.

you are in a much better position because you have retirement security and you only have to deal with negative change during really bad economic times. Most people in the private sector do not have that benefit. So, I would look at the 8% pay cut relative to what everyone else is dealing with and put it in perspective, because most of the public just isn’t going to see it as any different than what they have to put up with and are experiencing. Its not that people outside campus don’t care , it’s that many on campus have a myopic view that somehow their experience with the economy is unique, or demands special attention, and most people outside of campus just see you as dealing with the same things we are all dealing with.

"when you've seen how big the world is, how can you make due with this?"

by silverlakebruin on Jul 1, 2009 6:52 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree, Silver

One thing that seems to have been swept under the rug is the lengthy criticism of the current plan by the former head of the committee or whatever it was. This looks like lipstick on a pig, for which you have to pay enough money to hire a decent, line-drive hitting middle infielder, and you still can’t see because the pig still looks like a pig, and the lipstick … (finish off analogy – my brain just went on strike.)

by Fox 71 on Jun 30, 2009 7:48 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

it's a bummer

I paid full price for season seats all through the Lavin years. I slugged it out through LA traffic, dealt with and paid for horrible parking, ate crappy rubber Pauley hot dogs and yet cheered my ass off for teams featuring the likes of Ryan Walcott.

My reward for such dedicated support? Give us a ton of money or f-you we’ll sell your seats to some fake LA bandwagon “fan” who doesn’t care half as much about the Bruins but has more money and wants to jump on the bandwagon now that we’re good.

I understand that I am chump and the athletic department is a whore but it still sucks.

by RealisticBruinFan on Jun 30, 2009 6:07 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I would view it that you paid under market value

for great seats to see three final four teams play.

Rather than complain that you don’t get them forever, you should be happy for the great seasons you were able to witness with great seats.

"when you've seen how big the world is, how can you make due with this?"

by silverlakebruin on Jun 30, 2009 7:17 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Tickets during the Lavin Era

were not as difficult to obtain as they are now.

Oh UCLA you sweet bitch, you've BRUINed me for anything else.

by bruin8uclap on Jun 30, 2009 7:38 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

That, plus the annual donation threshold (for season tickets) was lower at that time.

After graduating from UCLA and preparing to move east for law school, I had actually considered taking a chunk of my student loan $$ and becoming a donor + buying a pair of season tickets in the event that I returned to LA to practice, in order to take advantage of what then was a $550/year donation floor for donor basketball tickets.

by bruinhoo on Jul 1, 2009 8:27 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

how can it be under market value?

How could it be under market value when Pauley doesn’t sell half the time the past? If prices are so under market value, wouldn’t someone have snapped up all those empty seats?

I would argue that it was at market value. They charged a price and I paid it. I certainly don’t feel like I got such a great deal paying what I paid for games like Mercer and Humbolt State but those got evened-out by the Arizona and SC types of games so that’s fine.

And you know what? I agree that college basketball is a business and they should charge whatever they can and screw the loyal fans who stuck by the team during the down years. I’ll watch on TV.

by RealisticBruinFan on Jun 30, 2009 8:57 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

where the seats in your area unsold?

If so, those are most likely the seats that won’t see significant price increases because its not the seats in the lower concourse between the baskets that go unsold.

If they are the ones between the baskets and in the lower concourse, than yes, being grandfathered in you paid less for your seats then someone new would pay for the same seats, so you paid less than open market pricing.

"when you've seen how big the world is, how can you make due with this?"

by silverlakebruin on Jun 30, 2009 9:40 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs