UCLA hoops going through rough chapter in storied history

UCLA hoops going through rough chapter in storied history

By David Leon Moore, USA TODAY
December 29, 2009

LOS ANGELES — New Orleans Saints fans once put paper bags on their heads and called their team the "Ain'ts."

This season, you would never guess which team's fans have adorned the headgear of futility.

Well, one fan did, anyway, wearing both a UCLA basketball jersey and a paper bag over his head a month ago when the Bruins, college basketball royalty, winners of 11 NCAA titles and participants in three of the last four Final Fours, were pounded by the University of Portland 74-47 in the 76 Classic at the Anaheim Convention Center.

The low point still was to come.

A little more than two weeks later, back in Anaheim in the Wooden Classic at the Honda Center, the Bruins were in ruins again, this time being drubbed by Mississippi State 72-54 and getting booed off the court. The debacle was witnessed by John Wooden himself, 99, who had made a rare public appearance to support the program he lifted to legendary status.


Ask coach Ben Howland, a shocking 5-7 heading into Pacific-10 conference play Thursday against Arizona State, how bad he felt watching his team perform so poorly in front of the beloved Wooden, and he's at a loss for words.

His pained expression speaks volumes, though.

"Very disappointing," he finally says.

Howland, 52, always has embraced the Wooden tradition at UCLA and loves talking to the Wizard of Westwood. But when his team stumbled through a five-game losing streak, he didn't look for advice from the man who won 10 national championships from 1964 to 1975.

"I don't think he has much experience going through what I'm going through," Howland says, managing a slight grin.

Wooden's worst season was 14-12 in 1959-60.

Howland hasn't had much experience with this lately, either. He's a program-builder, having turned things around at Northern Arizona, Pittsburgh and UCLA.

He arrived in Westwood in 2003, inheriting a team that had gone 10-19 in Steve Lavin's last season as coach. He was 11-17 in his first season, 18-11 in his second and then took three consecutive teams to the Final Four in 2006, '07 and '08.

It looked as if the building was over and another Bruins dynasty was in full swing.

Look again.

Final Four faces gone

Everybody knew the Pac-10 was down coming into this season, and everybody knew the Bruins would be relying on their highly recruited youngsters after losing so many players to the NBA the last two seasons. They were picked to finish third in the league, behind California and Washington.

But losses to Cal State-Fullerton and Long Beach State? A 27-point loss to Portland? A five-game losing streak?

"It makes you feel terrible," guard Michael Roll says. "Wearing those four letters across your chest is a pride thing."


Roll, a career role player, has been thrust into a leadership position on and off the court. Basically a spot-up jump shooter, Roll is second in minutes played (33.9 a game) and scoring (13.2 points a game). Sophomore guard Malcolm Lee leads in both (34.1 minutes, 14.5 points).

Roll, a fifth-year senior whose career scoring average was 4.9 coming into this season, was once surrounded by players such as Jordan Farmar, Arron Afflalo, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Darren Collison, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love and Jrue Holiday.

If those names sound familiar, it's because all of them except Holiday played in the Final Four and they're all in the NBA now.

All of them except Collison left for pro ball before using all of their college eligibility, and Love and Holiday left after one season.

Love's one-and-done career was no surprise. But Holiday's departure after a so-so freshman year last season caught Howland and staff by surprise.

His presence would make a big difference on a team that is short on athleticism.

"I thought we'd have Holiday for two years," Howland says. "But that's the deal. Guys go early. It's hard."

Not that anyone has too much sympathy for the Bruins. They have had highly rated recruiting classes the last two years.

"It's not an excuse," Howland says. "We've lost a lot of guys, but still, we should be doing better."

The incoming class last season was ranked No. 1 by most recruiting services. But arguably the two most impressive talents of that group are gone. Holiday now plays for the Philadelphia 76ers, and Drew Gordon, a 6-8 forward who was a starter and averaged 11.2 points, decided in early December to leave the team and seek a transfer.

"It was better for both parties for him to move on," Howland says tersely.

Another starter, senior forward Nikola Dragovic, was suspended and later reinstated after being arrested and charged with felony assault stemming from an altercation at a concert. He pleaded not guilty last week and faces a Feb. 1 court hearing. Dragovic also was arrested last season — for suspicion of misdemeanor battery — after a dispute with his former girlfriend. He was suspended for a game but not charged.

Even without those distractions, there was plenty to worry about because of a rash of preseason injuries that left the Bruins struggling merely to complete a drill, much less stage a full scrimmage.

Some of the players, including promising freshman wing Tyler Honeycutt, who had a stress fracture in his back, weren't ready to go when the season started. Sophomore point guard Jerime Anderson, of whom much is expected but who is averaging 6.2 points and 4.3 assists, had attended five practices with a strained groin before the opening loss at home to Cal State-Fullerton. Senior forward James Keefe, a Final Four veteran, continues to deal with a shoulder injury.

"Guys were in and out of the lineup so much," Anderson says. "We just haven't been able to put things together."

As the losses mounted, confidence plummeted and minds wandered.

"It's been real hard," says Honeycutt, who has provided a lift (6.0 points, 5.2 rebounds a game) off the bench since joining the rotation six games ago. "I didn't expect this. This has kind of set us in our place. It's let us know that we're not all that. We have a lot of things to improve."

'You have to be patient'

Whether the current players can improve enough to turn the season around is open to debate. Maybe it will take another recruiting class or two to put the Bruins back on top. Coming in next year will be one of the best prep centers in the country, 6-9 Josh Smith, along with 6-4 guard Tyler Lamb.

"They'll help us right away," Howland says. Not that he's giving up on 2010.

"Everybody acts like we're writing things off here, but it's very early," he says. "You have to be patient. The freshmen are getting thrown to the fire, but they're getting better."

Howland thinks the Bruins are getting better every day and will be competitive in the Pac-10. He sees Lee maturing into a consistent scorer. He sees Honeycutt hitting the offensive boards. He sees Anderson gaining confidence. He sees Keefe getting back on the court and beefing up the front line.

And, like everyone else, he sees freshman forward Reeves Nelson (10.1 points, 5.8 rebounds a game) showing his teammates how to fight back.

Nelson is a bruiser, a 6-8, 230-pounder who still is sporting a black eye from a serious poke in the eye in the loss to Kansas three weeks ago. Fans have taken to calling him Rocky.

"If I could be as tough as Rocky, that would be fine with me," he says. Well, is he?

"I'd like to think so," he says.

He looked like it at Pauley Pavilion on Sunday, when he led the Bruins to a 66-49 victory against Delaware State, scoring a season-high 21 points.

It was just Delaware State, which has lost five in a row, but this is a different kind of season in Westwood, and a win is a win.

And no one wore a paper bag.


HOWLAND'S 7-YEAR GLITCH

Season/Overall/Pac-10/Result

'03-04/11-17/7-11/Lost last six in a row

'04-05/18-11/11-7/Lost in NCAA first round

'05-06/32-7/14-4/Lost in national final

'06-07/30-6/15-3/Lost in national semifinal

'07-08/35-4/16-2/Lost in national semifinal

'08-09/26-9/13-5/Lost in NCAA second round

'09-10/5-7/0-0/Worst start since 2002