Rooting for Ced (Updated)

by Nestor on Mar 28, 2006 2:17 PM PST in Basketball

UPDATE II(3/28) 5:15 pm:So I wrote the original post below back in November before the season got started. How cool is it to see now this kind of article from ESPN appreciating Ced popping up all over in the national websites:

not once has Bozeman complained. Not once has he headed home frustrated, tossed all his clothes into a few boxes and quit. Transferring, he said, "wasn't me." So he stayed in Westwood to see his career through. Saturday in Indianapolis, he'll get the ultimate reward, as his school returns to college basketball's grandest stage for the first time since Ed O'Bannon and Co. won the 1995 national title.

"Personally, it would be a great feeling, just to end my career on a good note," Bozeman said. "I've been through a lot of ups and downs. I've always been a team guy. Just to see this come to a place like this, it will be great and very special. I'll cherish it for the rest of my life."

One of the reasons I feel good about this Saturday is none other than no. 21. He brings good karma. Ced - simply one my favorite Bruins - EVER. GO BRUINS. -N

UPDATE I(12/15 8:50 am EST):Nice article in the LA Times today on Ced coming around without his brace. As I wrote here more than a month ago, I am pulling for this kid. And so far it looks like he is coming around rather nicely without his brace and meshing in well with Jordan, AA, and DC, while playing well at the 4 at times sharing time with Luc. And he is also alleviating the impact of the loss of Shipp during the early part of the season, and his return should make our team stronger. Goo story all around. Let's hope it continues. GO BRUINS.-N

Some encouraging news from the hoops team practice. Ced is now practicing without a brace:

Cedric Bozeman shed his knee brace at the request of Ben Howland and learned something critical: he could play worry-free basketball again.

Bozeman, who sat out last year with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, worked out and practiced with a knee brace the past two months but really didn't need it.

He might not be playing point guard for the Bruins anymore but he has a versatile role - being able to play three positions - and he played well in the team's exhibition game against Carleton University on Friday.

"I got so comfortable with (the brace)," Bozeman said. "I was so used to it but I knew it was time to let it go. I feel a lot lighter. I have a lot more freedom."

His most important contribution - especially with center Michael Fey still out with a groin injury - could be rebounding and he tied for a team-high eight in that category. Bozeman will play the 2-, 3- and 4-guard positions. He even worked on posting up in practice on Monday.

Now here is one person I am going to pulling for hard this basketball season. Nothing will make me happier if Ced can have Drew Olson like year in hoops in his last year at UCLA. Ced has taken a lot of heat from UCLA basketball fans during his injury plagued years. The kid's confidence was shot from the beginning when he was bamboozled by Steve Lavin's lack of coaching and managing the roster. If he can mesh in with Jordan, Afflalo, Shipp and co. and make pivotal contributions by playing lock up Howland D on opposition guards and get key rebounds, he just may be able to play an invaluable role in this year's team. The key for him is to stay healthy. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

Photo:CNNSI

This is a great kid who deserves to leave Westwood on a great note. Let's hope he turns out to be the feel good story of this year's hoops season. I am rooting for him. Go Bruins.

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Ced had a very efficient game against Carleton

2 of 2 from the field, 3 of 3 from the line(!). He was under control, handled the ball well, and provided stability. I don't see him having a season as good as Dijon Thompson's last year, but I think he will contribute a good deal this year.

by diomedes on Nov 9, 2005 9:20 AM PST 0 recs

I think FT shooting is going to be key

I am not going to get my hopes up yet but that 3 for 3 stat. was nice. I think Ced may be able to make a huge difference if he can take on opponent guards and slash to the hoop and get fouled. If we can feature a team playing tenacious D putting on double A, Josh and Ced on the court, while Jordan is lighting things up ... man ... it could be an exciting defensive team to watch.

by Nestor on Nov 9, 2005 9:50 AM PST up 0 recs

I hope he is getting better...

because I do remember when he played 2 years ago and made a habit of driving to the hoop with the possibility of either scoring on an open layup or maybe getting fouled, and he would throw the ball out to someone who couldn't hit from outside. I don't know if it was a lack of confidence or being afraid of contact, but whatever it was, it wasn't good. He wasn't a very good shooter, either. His ballhandling is decent, but now that we have 2 quality point guards, hopefully his shooting has improved.

by uclawarren on Nov 9, 2005 9:28 AM PST 0 recs

Sweet 16

This team has so much talent that anything less than a Sweet 16 appearance in March would be a major disappointment.

by ucla2k3 on Nov 9, 2005 10:18 AM PST 0 recs

I have to disagree

I don't see us any better than a 50-50 chance of getting to the Sweet 16. Our inside game is still a big question mark and we don't have a bona fide scorer like Dijon was last year. Most preseason polls have us in the 16-20 range, meaning almost nobody perceives us a lock to make the Sweet 16.

by diomedes on Nov 9, 2005 4:53 PM PST up 0 recs

Yeap

I think it is somewhat unrealistic to expect this team to go on a Sweet-16 run, considering how hit and miss the tourney is. What I am expectng though is for our basketball team to get better as the season goes, and end up winning 20 or more games during the reg. season, and then see where the chips fall in the tourney.

by Nestor on Nov 9, 2005 4:59 PM PST up 0 recs

I guess ...

Howland met your expectations?

by bluestreet on Mar 28, 2006 2:22 PM PST up 0 recs

Sweet 16 IF...

everyone gets back and stays healthy. This team definitely has the talent to get to the Sweet 16 and hopefully even further, but it will all depend on how we do once we get Shipp, Aboya, and Fey back at full speed. We may face a tough team in the Preseason NIT (if we beat NMSU, we would probably face Temple, not to mention that Duke and Alabama/Memphis would probably get far too), but other than that, we don't have any big tests to face (Nevada or Michigan maybe?) before Pac-10 season starts. Hopefully, everyone will be back and healthy by then.

by uclawarren on Nov 9, 2005 10:35 AM PST 0 recs

20-win season

We haven't had this in a while. Is it fair to expect the current squad to post at least 20 wins this season?

by ucla2k3 on Nov 9, 2005 11:07 AM PST 0 recs

Definitely!

Last year's team had 18 wins, I believe, and this team is far and away better than that one. We are much deeper, and instead of 3 freshmen on the perimeter, we will have 3 sophomores. We lose Dijon Thompson, but then again we will have more experience and more depth.

by uclawarren on Nov 9, 2005 11:37 AM PST up 0 recs

Yeap

I think it is very reasonable to expect 20 wins from this squad. That is where my expectations are. I will write something on it trying to come up with predictions on game by game.

by Nestor on Nov 9, 2005 11:48 AM PST up 0 recs

Strange...

I was actually planning to do something similar, going game by game...just a little too busy at work today.

by uclawarren on Nov 9, 2005 1:04 PM PST up 0 recs

If you want to do it ...

Go for it ... if you can beat me to ... I may do it tomorrow hopefully. This is a community driven site ... so everyone gets to chime in. As long as the posts are well thought out, articulated, and we mostly agree ... then of course it will get bumped on the home page. :)

by Nestor on Nov 9, 2005 1:16 PM PST up 0 recs

Work?

Wow, some of us actually work? I could've swore all we ever do is just blog away.

by ucla2k3 on Nov 9, 2005 1:29 PM PST 0 recs

That's why there are so many blogs by SC students

They either live off daddy's trust funds or only have to work 4 to 6-hour shifts at Mickey D's.

by uclawarren on Nov 10, 2005 7:27 AM PST up 0 recs

Ced's season

So far, he has been much better than I expected. He used to have no shot, and even when he got to the basket, he seemed afraid to take the shot and/or get fouled. He has started shooting 3s, and I'm glad he is rebounding as well. This is the player I expected to see in his freshman year, and even in Howland's first year, but I guess it is that sense of urgency (graduation) that has forced him to become more confident.

I would like to see him become our defensive "stopper," like Bruce Bowen, and commit himself to defense and rebounding (with the occasional shot here and there), because I think we have enough scorers. We could put him on the other team's best player as well, so that Farmar and Afflalo can take on the scoring load without worrying about shutting down the other team's superstar.

GO BRUINS. HOOK 'EM HORNS.

by uclawarren on Dec 15, 2005 9:18 AM PST 0 recs

I hate Andy Katz.

While I'm certainly glad ESPN gave some Ced some accolades, I also wanted to point out that Andy Katz is basically a piece of shit.

He has no problem saying it's unrealistic to compare LSU's old backcourt of Shaq and Roberts to Thomas and Davis, while having just written an article saying Coach K's 9 straight Sweet 16 appearances are the equivalent of Coach Wooden's 7 straight NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS. I was amused enough by this bit of hypocrisy to actually give Katz a piece of my mind.

by JT on Mar 28, 2006 2:57 PM PST 0 recs

Article was written by Wayne Drehs

The artcle was not written by Andy Katz. I don't link stuff from that Lavin loving piece of shit.

by Nestor on Mar 28, 2006 3:01 PM PST up 0 recs

lsu

i'm aware. i was referencing the article on lsu's front court.

by JT on Mar 28, 2006 8:35 PM PST up 0 recs

Gotcha ...

I think it would be easier for others to respond to you if you link the article you are commenting on in your post.

I don't even read Katz any more. He has the basketball IQ of ... Steve Lavin.

by Nestor on Mar 29, 2006 5:29 AM PST up 0 recs

lsu

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/ncaatourney06/columns/story?columnist=katz_andy&id=2387367&lpo s=spotlight&lid=tab2pos3

by JT on Mar 29, 2006 12:43 PM PST up 0 recs

Does anyone have

Andy Katz's e-mail address? I was looking all over the ESPN page and couldn't find it anywhere. I wanted to send him a note telling him what I thought of his Wooden-Coach Krackhead comparison. If anyone knows where to find it, could you please post it?

Thanks.

GO BRUINS. HOOK 'EM HORNS.

by uclawarren on Mar 29, 2006 7:29 AM PST up 0 recs