Sean Farnham: "Bruins Have Their Work Cut Out for Them"

Bruins Have Their Work Cut Out for Them
By Sean Farnham
UCLA Bruin 1997-2000
FOX Sports West & PRIME TICKET
March 16, 2010

So the end has come to what has been a disappointing UCLA Men’s basketball season. And the eyes will immediately turn to the future of the Bruins and this program.

A quick look ahead:

1) Youth is now more experienced: This team is one of the youngest in the country with a roster full of sophomores and freshman. Another year under their belt should help them become more seasoned and more mature players. Specifically, at the point guard position, where Malcolm Lee and Jerime Anderson have logged enough minutes now to no longer have the excuse of being young. They will be veterans on this team and they must prove that they have learned from their experiences and become the leaders on and off the court that can help the Bruins get back in the NCAA Tournament.

2) Another talented crop of recruits will head to Westwood, meaning competition is on, once again. Depth was a concern at times this year for the Bruins…next year the freshman that didn’t play a lot this past season should be hungry for more minutes. Specifically, players like Mike Moser and Anthony Stover. How much time away from the coaches will the returning players put in, in order to get better? Players like Earl Watson, Aaron Afflalo, and Alfred Aboya put the time in to get better. They weren’t the only ones, but their work was not only done as a way to improve themselves, but to motivate and lead their teammates around them.

3) Players like Mike (sic - Tyler) Lamb and Josh Smith should be heading to Westwood with thoughts of returning this program back to the NCAA tournament and once again challenge for a Pac-10 and NCAA title. In order for that to happen, they need to commit to challenging themselves and not being complacent or buy into their stellar class ranking in high school because the division 1 level is a different beast.

4) Adopting the right mantra to play for Ben Howland. You need to be a tough player to fit into his system, both mentally and physically. The players that are, have flourished and propelled themselves and the Bruins’ program in recent years. I believe that with players like Reeves Nelson and JC Transfer point guard Lazeric Jones, that the days of competing and playing the Howland brand of basketball will return to Westwood quickly.

So often I have the chance to talk to coaches about what makes great players, great teams and the answer is all the same…WORK. It will never be a question of work from the coaching staff at UCLA, so now the players must look in the mirror and ask the question, “How bad do I want to make sure this feeling I had this season is never felt again?”

Side Note: This past week Pat Douglas was let go by UC Irvine. For most, maybe this story was a small caption in the newspaper that you glanced over. For me, it was a sad day to see a great teacher and mentor of young men, was no longer going to be on the sidelines of the Big West. I have a ton of respect for Coach Douglas and the way he lead his program and the success he had over the years and wish him the best of luck in the future…