UCLA Bamboozle: After Pauley Renovation Debacle Guerrero Begs for More Money for New Hoops Facilities

By all account UCLA's renovation of Pauley Pavilion under Dan Guerrero was a complete clusteryouknowwhat.  Guerrero and his cronies justified spending somewhere around $140 million to put up glass around a stale-looking multi-purpose gym with terrible sightlines.

But Guerrero isn't done. Today his keystone cops Morgan Center out a press release looking for more money - as in $40 million to build a private practice court:

UCLA Athletic Director Dan Guerrero announced today a campaign to raise private funds for a comprehensive basketball practice facility to be located near Pauley Pavilion at the south end of the Los Angeles Tennis Center. The planned state-of-the-art facility would support the UCLA men's and women's basketball programs and contain both men's and women's practice gyms, locker rooms and a training area, among other ancillary spaces and amenities.

The project, estimated to cost between $30 and $40 million, will be funded by private donations. A feasibility study analyzed the site conditions, and the university has elected to move the project forward with a request for proposal to select an architect. The selected firm will work directly with Guerrero, men's head basketball coach Steve Alford, women's head basketball coach Cori Close, the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics and the university to develop the size, layout and renderings of the proposed facility. As funding thresholds are achieved, project construction will begin.

The obvious question here was why wasn't this incorporated in the original plan for Pauley renovation? We get that there is a facilities "arms race" going on in the conference. Even Oregon State has a basketball only practice facility. But why wasn't this incorporated in a comprehensive Pauley renovation projection that already cost $40 million.

The sheer level of utter stupidity, poor planning and incompetence is mind-boggling. Guerrero is hoping there are enough dumb UCLA basketball alums he can shake down to collect $40 million, while the Balfords are leading the Bruins somewhere in between second round exit in the Big Dance to the dumps of the NIT. Heckuva job Danny.

Who is stupid enough to give millions more to Dan Guerrero? Who wants to give millions more to the same guy who locked UCLA into the current Alford hell turning him into the seventh highest paid coach in America?