Hoops Roundup: Howland Dismisses Morgan, Daniels Is Off To Gonzaga
by Nestor on Mar 30, 2010 2:00 PM PDT
in Basketball
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PrintWell two big news coming out of UCLA basketball program. The first one is not a surprise. We have heard the chatter of J'Mison Morgan transferring out of UCLA for a while. We got few emails yesterday about Morgan's post on his Facebook which made this a done deal but wanted to wait until we saw something in print. Well here it is directly from UCLA in a released entitled, 'J'mison Morgan Dismissed From UCLA Basketball Team":
UCLA men's basketball head coach Ben Howland announced today that 6-foot-10-inch sophomore center J'mison Morgan will not be returning next season. Morgan, from Dallas and South Oak Cliff High School will transfer to play his final years at another school.
Morgan will leave UCLA immediately and hasn't made a decision as to where he will transfer.
"I feel that it is in the best interest of this program and for J'mison Morgan that he no longer be a part of this team," Howland said. "We are supportive of him and his future in whatever direction he decides to go."
Morgan averaged 2.1 points and 1.1 rebounds per game while appearing in 40 contests without making a start during his career with the Bruins (2008-09 and 2009-10). He played in 280 minutes (7.0 minutes per game) while shooting 46.1 percent (35-for-76) from the field and 38.9 percent (14-for-36) from the free-throw line in his two seasons. He scored his personal-best of eight points in a home win over FIU on Nov. 29, 2008 and grabbed a career-high five rebounds this year in the home win over New Mexico State (Dec. 15, 2009).
Well we wish Bobo luck. I don't really feel like rehashing his stay at UCLA. It's too bad it didn't work out but writing was on the wall during that Oregon homestand when he barely got minutes (even though the pretty much the entire frontcourt was banged up). He subsequently was suspended for a game and never got much action rest of this season. Let's hope it works out for him wherever he ends up. Good luck Bobo. Morgan's dismissal is not the only news worthy nugget concerning UCLA basketball today.
Really interesting news concerning Coach Daniels from the LA Times:
Donny Daniels, a UCLA assistant coach for the last seven seasons, is being considered for a position at Gonzaga, a source familiar with the Bruins program said.
The source, who asked for anonymity because he was not authorized to speak, said that Daniels was "very close" to agreeing to join Gonzaga Coach Mark Few’s staff.
This is kind of a surprise since I always though Coach Daniels have been doing a good job at UCLA. He has been with Coach Howland from the very beginning. Among the current Howland assistants he was the only one with solid track record of developing big guys (such as RH, KL, PAA, and LMR). Perhaps Coach Daniels is looking for a fresh start and can't blame him for that. Hope it all works out for him.
As for UCLA Ben Howland now has an opportunity to go out and hire himself his number 1 assistant from outside the program who can come in with some fresh perspective and great recruiting ties. It will be interesting to see how Howland moves to fill this spot and whether there are more moves coming up concerning the UCLA coaching staff.
GO BRUINS.
UPDATE (N): Looks like it's all but official per Chris Foster in the LA Times. Daniels reportedly has "accepted" a position with Gonzaga. Good luck to Coach Daniels. We will mist him. As mentioned above, hope this allows Coach Howland to bring in a lead assistant with solid recruiting credentials. GO BRUINS.
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Losing Daniels is more suprising
If he were taking a head coaching job that would be one thing but to be on staff at Gonzaga? It seems like a downward move.
It's very interesting
It seems like Coach Daniels was looking on his own. He has always been a solid teacher. Didn’t know much about his recruiting abilities. I think this creates an opening for Howland to bring in a solid up and coming lead assistant/recruiter in the mold of a Kerry Keating or Jamie Dixon.
As a recruiter...
I don’t know how adept Coach Daniels is at scouting recruits (like Keating or Dixon), but I cannot imagine that he was not an effective recruiter with his personality. Also, we’ve had concerns about CBH’s ability to communicate with his payers, and I think that will be an even greater concern without Daniels.
All in all, Donny is a great guy, and regardless of coaching ability, losing him will be a great loss for the UCLA Athletic Community.
We're havin' too much fun today. We ain't thinkin' 'bout tomorrow.
Well, well.......
We made a mistake recruiting Morgan. He made a mistake coming to Pauley. Enough said.
Daniels did fine with us. So he wanted greener pastures, nothing wrong with that either.
What will be intersting, though as you put said, is who Howland hires and recruits for those two openings respectively. He flubbed the last one he hired, and the last recruiting class too.
Justin Hamilton
Rivals has a story about this 6-11 transfer. Think the stories are connected? Does anyone know anything about him?
I didnt want to say anything
because it is too upsetting but that is the FIRST thing that came to mind. What if Daniels takes that kid with him!? I can’t even think about it…
"The entire world that bleeds blue and gold ... they have been dying for this." - Coach Rick Neuheisel
Oh
I misunderstood what you said. I am concerned about Smith. Hamilton, I don’t know much about.
"The entire world that bleeds blue and gold ... they have been dying for this." - Coach Rick Neuheisel
hes a transfer from Iowa St.
considering LSU, UVA and UCLA I believe
William Doolittle at your service, a.k.a. will do.
I don't know much about him transferring
But he went to the high school that I’m graduating from this year. I might’ve heard someone say BYU to play with Haws (his high school teammate) but they might’ve been talking about his little brother, idk for sure though…
I'm lost
I thought Coach Daniels was looking for a HC job and not assistant. I wonder what the reasons for moving are. Well now I am really puzzled as to whats going on in Westwood. Is Coach Howland changing stuff around in response to last season’s debacle? I am really lost.
It is somewhat sad on Bobo
It makes sense though since as you wrote:
It’s too bad it didn’t work out but writing was on the wall during that Oregon homestand when he barely got minutes (even though the pretty much the entire frontcourt was banged up).
CBH took Drago at center over Bobo in those games. In a sense Bobo was our sixth string center. With Anthony Stover, Smith, and even BL and RN it is not like he was going to get minutes next year unless the injury bug hit hard again.
Still I am sad because I thought he was improving. However,even taking account the improvement, he never showed any ability to rebound so it is probably the best for all concerned. Good luck Bobo.
Yeah
I think the story around whole2008 freshman class has been stunningly sad. I became pretty frustrated with Ben Howland towards the end of the season re. Bobo’s PT. However, I have been thinking about it in recent days. There had to be stuff going on in the background which we just don’t know about. There has to be a rationale for Howland tolerating some of the nonsense we have heard re. Drago while suspending Bobo. Something must have went on in background with the class of 2008 (which was also compounded by Howland’s favorable treatment of Dragovic and JS).
Let’s see what happens in the coming weeks. I get the sense Howland has a plan in place. Let’s see how he executes it in the coming weeks/months.
I hope you're right N
Because history suggests otherwise. Don’t need to rehash the lack of planning around Holiday’s departure, or the inability to adapt this year. Granted we don’t know what goes on behind closed doors, all the departures from both staff and players in recent years don’t look good for the program on the surface. I hope recruits don’t get a negative impression of our program based on these events alone.
by Kerckhoff405 on Mar 30, 2010 3:40 PM PDT up reply actions
I think CBH is washing the slate clean of the 2008 class
JA and ML might be able to salvage something, but I just don’t think anyone in that class is a true UCLA Ben-Ball warrior. The 2009 class has much more potential in my mind, and their play has been much more indicative of a CBH-type class. Time will tell, but I think CBH really learned something about the recruiting game this past season or two. I think he’ll turn it around.
This is pretty much my view
There was a understandable tendency to consider the Dragodisaster a cause of all our problems, when it always seemed to me that it was more of a symptom — a symptom that was mistreated badly enough to become a cause of yet more problems. But still a symptom of problems stemming from that 2008 class. There is no way on earth Howland ever envisioned Dragovic playing center for his team.
My "man-crush"
Good-bye, Bobo! We’ll miss your smile but not your lack of foot speed. I hope you find a good fit and enjoy a nice last two years of eligibility.
Positive moves
I am not going to bash Morgan, but it was clear that he doesn’t have the heart or the feet to play Division 1 basketball. He will probably transfer to some mid major where he might average 8 point and 4 rebounds by his senior year. The bottom line is that he wasn’t going to get minutes next year here so it makes sense for him to leave and makes sense for CBH to get rid of someone who might poison the rest of the team. Plus it frees up a scholarship for CBH to use during the longest (and most critical) recruiting period he has ever had.
Daniels possibly leaving is a curious development but as N said, could be very positive. I’d much rather to see the other assistants leave as Daniels was the only person on the 20 person staff that I had respect for, but if he wants to go work for another top program where the coach is always rumored to be leaving, I cant blame him. I hope that CBH brings in a strong willed and offensive minded lead assistant to be the yin to CBH’s yang. If he ends up just promoting one of the other fools on staff I will be very dissappointed.
Agree
I hope Bobo is the only transfer from this team for now. The writing was on the wall. I’d like to see rest of this team stay intact.
Hope MM stays
I know I’ve said earlier that we wouldnt miss MM if he were to transfer, but I do hope he stays. He is incredibly raw, but there is potential there that I never say in Morgan. MM will be very critical as a backup to TH with no one else that can play small forward (currently) on the roster.
Yeah
Didn’t even want to bring up Moser’s name. I am actually kind of excited to see what kind of changes take place in coming weeks. I don’t know but I am just getting this feeling that Howland might be scrapping and clawing away to put this thing back together. Don’t have anything substantive to go on. Just a hunch. For now.
Astounded
That Nestor is positive. Losing Daniels could be easily characterized as a rat leaving a sinking ship. I am astounded that Nestor is optimistic and I feel dread with Daniels going. Nestor was right about Drago, so I’m going to turn around and be optimistic. Getting a big recruiting assistant and 3 great scholarship players would be awesome.
I hope so
But it’s becoming harder and harder to stay positive when someone like Bobo (who puts massive work into his body over the summer) gets little to no playing time even when CBH had his hand forced.
by bruinhopeful on Mar 30, 2010 4:55 PM PDT up reply actions
The notion that Bobo becoming somewhat reasonably shaped
As some kind of massive achievement is ridiculous. He couldn’t move in his freshmen year, and he could barely move in his sophomore year. Being able to move is a prerequisite for playing, a bare minimum — not some kind of major achievement. We have no idea how hard Bobo worked in practice or during the season.
I agree
He was in better shape this year than last, but that was a low bar. IIRC he has had injury issues that may have hampered him – maybe they thought he had a higher ceiling than he turns out to have had.
by britishbruin on Mar 30, 2010 6:56 PM PDT up reply actions
I'm talking body, not skill set
He was clearly unrefined offensively. But it’s impossible to say that he didn’t put massive amounts of work into his body which at minimum shows a lot of effort in the offseason. Yes, he had limited/no offensive tools, but that’s not my point. What I’m saying is that he put in quite a bit of time getting in shape and got absolutely no shot even when the roster depletion practically forced CBH’s hand.
by bruinhopeful on Mar 30, 2010 7:02 PM PDT up reply actions
How do you know he got no shot?
He was leapfrogged by a freshman, Nelson, who wasn’t even a center. He was then leapfrogged by Lane, another freshman with whom Howland was obviously not lenient. It’s not like he was stuck behind senior favorites, as opposed to some other players.
RN = generously 6’8
BL = 6’8
Drago = 6’9
JK = 6’8
When Gordon left and JK went down, CBH made the decision to keep Drago’s minutes constant (ie. undeservingly high) and someone had to fill 40 minutes at the 4/5. Going small, he chose to go with RN, but not until the end of the season did BL get any real playing time at all, meaning there were a quite a few backup minutes to go around between Bobo, BL, and RN, and this isn’t even considering the games that RN missed in which Bobo received:
OSU – 12 mins
Oregon – 2 mins
Zona – 0 mins
ASU – 15 mins
And if I recall correctly, Bobo had a good game against OSU with 2 blocks, meaning you would think he would have earned more playing time, especially with RN out, but instead was basically benched in the following game and then subsequently suspended for whatever issues arose.
And no, I don’t think he was given enough time to develop a low post game as it always takes big guys longer to get the polish needed to offensively contribute. And even with that, it could be said (and has been said here on BN on occasion) that Bobo may have been the best defensive fit in the 2-3 zone we were forced to run.
by bruinhopeful on Mar 30, 2010 7:19 PM PDT up reply actions
Bobo couldn't rebound
Your points on a good game against OSU and being best in zone are interesting. Yes he was a good shot blocker. With his size he was a potentially intimidating presence in the zone but I am not sure he could rebound or play defense.
The OSU game proves both points. He had 0 rebounds in that game. Joe Burton, a 6’7" backup center for OSU, had 6 Offense rebounds and dominated inside. Yes some of that was on Drago. But a 6’7" backup for a bad team should not destroy a 6’10" 5 star center on the boards and going to the basket.
Bobo should get more rebounds from his size and playing close to the basket. And a zone is harder to rebound in then M2M. Bobo was not a good fit in the zone because he couldn’t rebound and was very stationary.
That said, I thought Bobo was improving but the ultimate upside may have been the next Michael Fay.
We're all hoping
the same thing – rumors are a’flying!
See ya Daniels
I’m glad to see Daniels go. I was very surprised when Howland hired him. He’s way overrated, can’t develop talent and just can’t coach. He coached my cousin at Cal State Fullerton and the team complained about the stupid game strategy Daniels used.
Just heard on the local radio in LA
Steve Hartman (former Bruin) is just guessing that perhaps Coach Daniels is going to Gonzaga because he might end up as the head coach. He thinks that Oregon is going to make another push at Mark Few, and with Nike’s money, the Ducks can make him the highest paid coach in America.
CBH said he was on the recruiting trail even though they already have 3 recruits who have committed. I think he knew that Morgan was gone, does this open another scholarship? How many scholarships can still offer for the upcoming year?
Who will be axed first? Lavin at St. John’s or Timmeh at UTEP
by UCLA Championships Made Here on Mar 30, 2010 3:05 PM PDT reply actions
Howland wants to offer 3 more schollies in this class
"I can't believe I ate the whole thing" Homer Simpson
Scholarships
Assuming that MAH does not apply for his redshirt year, we have 10 players under scholarship for next season, leaving 3 open scholarships that can be offered. Keep in mind that we have no seniors on next year’s squad, so any additional scholarships for the fall 2011 class would have to come from further player attrition after next season.
formerly bruinhoo
Scholarship players next year
1. Malcolm Lee
2. Tyler Honeycutt
3. Jerime Anderson
4. Reeves Nelson
5. Mike Moser
6. Anthony Stover
7. Brendan Lane
Committed:
8. Josh Smith
9. Tyler Lamb
10. Lazeric Jones
We should have three more to play with. Arnet, Soo, Trapani and Schrempf are not scholarship players I believe.
wow so it's 3 on TOP of the incoming class?
Crazy
by bruinhopeful on Mar 30, 2010 4:56 PM PDT up reply actions
Don't know if I'm right, but I'm assuming he'll only take 3 if they're top flight guys.
If McCallum, Zeigler, and Jones all want to come to UCLA, then by all means, Howland will use up all of his schollies. But to me, it would seem dangerous to use all three up on role players and then have very little flexibility for the 2011 class.
Of course, if Honeycutt and Lee go pro after the 2010-11 season, Moser transfers, and a couple of the frosh are one and done, then there would suddenly be a ton of flexibility for the 2011 HS class.
Isn’t this era of college hoops chaos grand?
by insomniacslounge on Mar 30, 2010 5:01 PM PDT up reply actions
There are couple local guards
that it sounds like we might go after, like Deonte Burton. The problem with using all the scholarships is that with no seniors, there would be a lot of uncertainty about what’s available for 2011. Of course if we get 13 scholarship players for next year, a few won’t play and there could easily be a couple more transfers.
by SuperBruinMan on Mar 30, 2010 5:17 PM PDT up reply actions
And Howland wants to use them all
From Gold
With Bobo leaving, opens up another scholarship. How many do you want to use?
“I’d like to use all our scholarships up. That gives us three at least.”
This would CBH with no scholarships for the following season with no seniors next year. TH and possibly ML might leave after next season, but other than that, some underperforming players may be politely forced out to free up new scholarships. I fully endorse this strategy. Fill up on as much talent as possible and see who pans out.
Two open spots on the basketball staff?
Foster is also reporting that Joe Hillock, dir. of basketball operations, has applied to be the women’s coach at CSUN.
by insomniacslounge on Mar 30, 2010 3:24 PM PDT reply actions
Off-Topic/But this is Lavin's radio intro to NYC
Steve debuts to NYC with a 5:45 EST radio spot on WFAN. Much of the material is old stuff that he played on the his UCLA and ESPN tours, but there is some good new stuff on his “dreamteam,” his “mentors” and his wife.
http://www.wfan.com/topic/play_window.php?audioType=Episode&audioId=4523260
Hi I'm Steve Lavin
I hope you like my hair, NYC! You’re going to see a lot of it! I keep it super shiny for all the cameras that will be all around me!
I can’t wait to rebuild your program. I only destroyed them in the past, so I guess it’s time to try something new. Except hmm you haven’t just won a national title, or any title. This might be interesting. But I’ll do my best to keep my streak alive of turning McDonalds All Americans into future McDonalds employees.
Check out my wife. This was the best part of working in LA. And John Wooden. I can’t go through a sentence without name dropping. So John Wooden.
I hope to have a great time at St. Johns. I know you guys will appreciate getting to the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament as much as I do!
Go… what’s your mascot again?
So I obviously didn’t listen, but that’s what I would have heard anyways. =D
by freesia39 on Mar 30, 2010 3:48 PM PDT up reply actions 6 recs
I heard this on the radio
driving home. Someone should post it here, if possible. Hilarious!
I actually just fanshotted it
if anyone is interested and doesn’t know about the PMS show’s podcast
Thank you thank you
I wish I didn’t have all that vitriol, but like my favorite username here, LavinRuinedCollege.
I was looking back at my personal blog from around 2003 and 2004, and MAN I was angry! “All this talent being wasted! We’ll play hard one game and give up the next five!”
"I think I'm Pat Riley"
He reminds me of those hotel commercials…flying an airplane or something because he stayed at a …? Can’t remember the hotel name. Obviously, I didn’t stay at one!zz
Go Bruins!
i really hope
that Howland does a near-complete purge. it is the only way to regain credibility…
Coach Daniels and new staff
to Coach Daniels-thanks and good luck. Spokane is a beautiful place and Gonzaga a player. Now, Bruins it is time to get off your ass and get a new coach who can recruit. They are out there and a lot of them have strong ties to West Coast and other western states. Then you need a coach for the bigs who can develop their footwork and shooting abilityy. CBH can do all of the recruiting he wants but so far his biggest need is a recruiter who can sell UCLA
one correction
it’s not us Bruins who need to get of our ass but CBH who needs to bring in a great recruiter to replace Daniels.
The best thing you can do for your children is to love their mother. John Wooden
Just a thought
Who has a UCLA history? Who has an offensive mind? Who has the personality to challenge CBH and not be his “yes” man? Who has watched, critique, and know the program inside out for the last decade?
Don MacLean! Hmm? Just wondering about him being on CBH staff
by UCLA Championships Made Here on Mar 30, 2010 4:17 PM PDT reply actions
Interesting thought
Don McLean has trained players for pro workouts, so he does know a little about coaching. I’d be reluctant, however, to hire McLean if it leaves us with Duncan as our most experienced assistant and Garson as our #2. If we replace one of those guys, then maybe DMac would be a decent option.
Why does our replacement need a UCLA history or background?
I want a great recruiter and offensive mind, pretty much everything you mentioned. But, this search is by no means limited to the Bruin Family. A great coach is a great coach. And anybody that fits this criteria will learn to love UCLA and our tradition of success.
The best thing you can do for your children is to love their mother. John Wooden
Mixed Feelings
I am a Bobo fan. I just always liked the kid. I wish him well. Don’t blame him for leaving. For whatever reason, he was never given an opportunity to develop. No reason to plow that ground again.
As to Daniels — I thought he might be the one assistant we wanted to keep. Will CBH make other changes on the staff? From the analyses written here, it appeared that there were greater weaknesses at other levels on the staff.
And, this does not look like a change initiated by CBH.
I do think Oregon will go after Few hard, and maybe get him. Lots of money and a new facility. But, I don’t see Daniels being next in line.
I for one would love to see Donny Mac, Kareem and the Red Head considered.
This would not be “in breeding” because they played for different regimes. I’d love to have BW or KAJ because they bring Coach to the program in a way no one can.
sjh
I think we need an established recruiter, but if there are multiple spots open, I'd love for a former Bruin to be brought in
i have no idea if Donny Mac has any interest in coaching, but he certainly seems to have the analytical acumen for the job. And he certainly wouldn’t be a “yes” man.
Having KAJ working w/ the bigs seems great to me, and I would hope it would be a great draw for recruiting as well. This of course is first assuming that his CML is being managed well by medication.
I don’t think Bill Walton’s back would allow him to sit on the bench for hours at a time. I doubt that it is physically possible for him to be a coach at this point in his life. Perhaps he could be brought in as an occasional speaker?
by insomniacslounge on Mar 30, 2010 4:26 PM PDT up reply actions
Few not going to Oregon?
tWWL reporting that they’ve signed Tubby Smith from Minnesota. Minnesota and Oregon not conforming yet.
by redwhiteandbruin on Mar 30, 2010 4:49 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Possible rationale behind the "clean sweep"
Could it be that the AD is engaged in raising $$ for the remodel of PP, and some of the donors have been vocal about the Bruins lack of performance? That, along with the keen understanding the academic side of UCLA doesn’t know much about athletics except for winning basketball teams, might have created a “perfect storm”. The remodel is on a track and won’t stop while BH goes through some extended rebuilding…. the lease might be a bit shorter as a result.
Bill
Mensgym
I wish Bobo well
He was not cut out to play for a good Pac-10 team, so I hope he finds a mid-major or low-major where he can get playing time and grow as a player.
Beyond frustrating
Scout.com had Morgan as the #3 center in the country out of high school, assigning him a five-star rating and saying, “Made great strides early in his high school career; wide bodied player will convert inside and plays to his strength as a post man.” ESPN rated him as a 96 out of 100 on their prospect scale, saying, “Morgan has all the physical tools to be an impact center at the high major level. He has an impressive frame (extremely long arms), broad shoulders, and overall great length for the five spot.” It completely boggles my mind that he’s now leaving UCLA without making any kind of discernible impact. The entire saga is one big disappointment after another: Bobo showing up out of shape to start the ‘08-’09 season, CBH burying him, CBH not really giving him a chance in ‘09-’10, and finally CBH suspending him for a game for unknown reasons while giving Drago a pass all throughout the season, cementing the fact that Bobo was in CBH’s doghouse and basically confirming Bobo’s transfer. In the end, JMM went from being a highly touted center prospect that would grab the torch from RH and KL to being a cautionary tale for the Josh Smith era. What a shame.
To quote one of my favorite Bruins:" Total Victory or Total defeat."
These two departures, coupled with CBH’s statement that he will use all 3 scholies will make his next few decisions a career cementer? changer? How will this turn out?
I really don’t know. At first glance it doesn’t look good for our program, but if CBH lands a really good coach, one that will earn his respect as an equal and can put a positive imprint on this program that will be the crucial first step. If he picks up at least two good players, one instant impact frosh or JUCO plus another good project player, this will be a success.
He has 4 spots to fill. I think 3 out of 4 great choices are needed to really make this pay off. But, the coaching hire is the most important by far.
Now, 10 big Bruin points if you can name the Bruin I quoted. This quote is from a book that was published years ago.
The best thing you can do for your children is to love their mother. John Wooden
How about Byron Scott as an Assistamt Coach nominee?
Currently unemployed, local product (raised in Inglewood, played at Morningside HS), Pac-10 playing experience (ASU), “decent” NBA playing career, mixed results as NBA coach. Don’t have a clue regarding his recruiting capabilities but he does know how to coach an effective offensive system (if memory serves defense was a weakness of his NBA teams).
Byron was the HC on two NBA teams, including one that made the Finals with Jason Kidd
B would NEVER agree to be an asst. in Div. 1.
M
"In this program your passion bucket must be full to play SC." -- CRN, to Dan Patrick, 1/2008
Good luck BlowBlow
BlowBlow is gone, and the only interesting thing about this for UCLA bball is if he actually develops into a decent player somewhere else, it will be telling of whether his development was Howland’s fault, OR if he continues to be the same BlowBlow, Howland will look like a GENIUS for saving us a scholarship. My bet is on the latter… let’s make use of Blowblow’s scholy!
Good luck BlowBlow… may you salvage your career in D2.
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