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A Nice Start

Okay, I know these reports are just about as credible as those coming out of fall college football camp.  Everything is super.  The coach couldn't be happier.  Player A is going to be the next Player Y.

But, its still nice to hear that some until-recently Bruins are turning heads in the lower echelons of the NBA.  First, Jordan Farmar:

The Lakers draft pick showed the same poise he had in two seasons with UCLA and, an added bonus for Lakers followers, demonstrated some decent knowledge of the triangle offense Saturday in the Summer Pro League at the Pyramid of Long Beach.
...

"He as well as anybody has picked up the offense the quickest," said Lakers assistant coach Kurt Rambis, who is in charge of the summer league team. "He seemed like he came in and had been studying it or something. He knows what we're doing. He understands what we want him to do."

Farmar showed the ability to penetrate and took numerous trips to the free-throw line, making seven of nine from there. He also demonstrated the same on-court vocal command he had at UCLA.

Next, here is a nice piece about Ryan Hollins:

After completing a week-long mini-camp on Saturday, the Charlotte Bobcats are ready for the five-game Orlando Summer League that starts Monday.

And while there's little doubt much of the attention on the team will be directed toward recent No. 3 overall draft pick Adam Morrison, perhaps the biggest buzz surrounding this week's camp has been over the extraordinary athleticism of second-round draft pick Ryan Hollins.

"I think he's got a chance to be pretty good," said Bobcats assistant coach J.B. Bickerstaff, who will coach the organization's summer league entry.

(HT to UCLA Hoop Scoop)

Finally, even Michael Fey has garnered a few nice words, as reported by Bruin Basketball Report:

Another Bruin playing for the Lakers SPL squad was Michael Fey. Playing primarily as the back-up center to Andrew Bynum, he scored 5 points and was aggressive on both ends of the court.

Fey held his own while playing against Andreas Glyniadakis, a 7'1 Greek player, and Alexander Johnson a tough 6'9 player from Florida St. The former Bruin center showed no signs of the severe ankle injury which sidelined him for most of his senior year at UCLA.

Looks like these guys, at least so far, are doing UCLA proud.  And it reflects well on Ben Howland and the current program.  The message is clear: UCLA is a fine training ground for an NBA career, for both the most heralded players, and even guys who looked for most of their college days like they might have to fall back on their great educations after graduation.  Each are getting looks by teams on the next level.  Let's hope that Kevin Love and Kyle Singler are watching.

GO BRUINS.