Monday, August 18, 2014

Sunday, August 17, 2014

Four-star shooting guard verbally commits to UCLA


Aug 16, 2014, 5:25 PM EDT
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With point guard Aaron Holiday having already verbally committed to attend UCLA, head coach Steve Alford was in need of another guard with transfer Jon Octeus and Norman Powell both being seniors. Saturday afternoon the program landed a verbal commitment from one of the best shooting guards in the Class of 2015, as Prince Ali announced his decision to head west for college.
 
 
Ali, a four-star prospect ranked 27th in the Class of 2015 by Rivals.com, attends Sagemont School in Florida and was at one point in time a UConn commit.

However in late May Ali reopened his recruitment, and his play during the summer months resulted in offers from programs such as Louisville and Maryland. During Nike EYBL play Ali averaged 20.5 points and 4.9 rebounds per game for the Southern Stampede, shooting 45 percent from the field and 38 percent from three.

As a junior at Sagemont, Ali averaged 20 points and six rebounds per game on a team that finished the year with a Florida Class 3A state title and a 33-0 record. For his efforts Ali was named Small School Boys Basketball Player of the Year by the Sun-Sentinel.

With Ali on board UCLA still has a couple spots to fill recruiting-wise, with 2015 small forward Jaylen Brown and big man Carlton Bragg being two of the players they’re actively recruiting at the point in time. Who else Alford and his staff can reel in remains to be seen, but with Holiday and Ali in tow UCLA’s off to a solid start.


Thanks, MallibouAL, for posting this on BZ.

Prince Ali commits to UCLA



By Reggie Rankin | ESPN.com
Updated: August 16, 2014, 9:33 PM ET
Articko Linko


Shooting guard Prince Ali (Pembroke Pines, Florida/The Sagemont) School), ranked No. 44 in the ESPN 100, has committed to UCLA over finalists Louisville, Michigan, Georgia Tech, Maryland and Nebraska. Ali had committed to Connecticut last December before decommitting in May, which opened the door for a number of high-major programs to pursue him. That's exactly what happened.


UCLA has secured a commitment from Prince Ali (The Sagemont School; Pembroke Pines, Florida), one of the best playmakers in the Class of 2015.

The 6-foot-4, 180-pound wing is a versatile scorer and defender who can excel on the break and at both guard positions. Ali is an attacking guard that competes on both ends of the floor.

Shooting guard Prince Ali, ranked No. 44 in the ESPN 100, has committed to UCLA, and he calls the Bruins his perfect fit. Story

"Perfect fit both offensively and defensively. They will give me the chance to cover the opposing team's best player," said Ali, the No. 44 overall player in the ESPN 100. "I am competitive and look forward to that challenge.

"I like Coach [Steve] Alford because he is an up-front guy, he tells me what I do well and what I need to do better. He didn't sugarcoat anything in the process."

Ali selected the Bruins over Louisville, Michigan, Georgia Tech, Maryland and Nebraska after decommitting from Connecticut in May.

Ali played extremely well this spring and summer, which allowed the high-major floodgates to open after his change of heart with UConn.

"I am setting up my official visit tonight," Ali said.

The future of the Bruins' backcourt, meanwhile, looks very promising.

Ali joins point guard Aaron Holiday, a fellow ESPN 100 selection. In addition, Alford already has Class of 2016 point guard Lonzo Ball (No. 15 in the ESPN 60) in the fold and on Friday offered point guard Derryck Thornton (No. 32 in the ESPN 60), who is coming off a tremendous spring and summer performance.

"I am thrilled about the choice of Prince Ali to UCLA because it's a great match between style of play and coach personality," said Aaron Ross, Ali's coach at The Sagemont School. "UCLA plays a fast pace on offense, they spread the floor and allow their guards to attack with plenty of pick and roll action.

"Coach Alford has been around our program for a few years and a former successful guard himself, Prince and he hit it off."


ESPN RecruitingNation national recruiting director Paul Biancardi contributed to this report.

Thanks, bruinfan13, for posting this news first on BZ.

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

UCLA Announces Schedule for 2014-15 Men's Basketball Season

UCLA opens its season against Montana State on Nov. 14 in Pauley Pavilion
UCLA opens its season against Montana State on Nov. 14 in Pauley Pavilion

Courtesy: UCLA Athletics
Click on schedule to enlarge or Link to pdf

Courtesy: UCLA Athletics
Release: Tuesday 07/29/2014
Article Link

LOS ANGELES – The UCLA men’s basketball team will play 17 regular-season home games and one exhibition game in Pauley Pavilion next season, including a non-conference meeting against Gonzaga and nine games against Pac-12 Conference opponents.
UCLA’s complete Pac-12 schedule will not be finalized until the first week of September. The conference has finalized the pairings of opponents for each week but has not set specific game dates.
“Upgrading our program’s schedule has been a priority for us all along, and we believe this is a big step in the right direction,” UCLA head coach Steve Alford said. “When you factor in three games in an extremely competitive field at the Battle for Atlantis and three more games, all in a row, against Gonzaga, Kentucky and Alabama, we are confident that this schedule will prepare us for the Pac-12 grind and help position us for success in March. Our incoming freshmen and returning veterans have committed themselves to getting better each and every day this summer, and they can’t wait to get in front of our fans in Pauley Pavilion this fall.”
The Bruins will open their regular-season schedule against Montana State in Pauley Pavilion on Friday, Nov. 14. Other non-conference contests in November include meetings against Coastal Carolina (Nov. 16), Nicholls State (Nov. 20) and Big West foe Long Beach State (Nov. 23).
UCLA will compete in the Battle 4 Atlantis at Atlantis Resort in The Bahamas from Nov. 26-28, playing three games in as many days. While matchups for the tournament have not been finalized, UCLA is among eight teams in a competitive field that includes Alabama-Birmingham (UAB), Butler, Florida, Georgetown, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Wisconsin.
The Bruins will return home for a four-game stretch of home contests against Cal State Fullerton (Dec. 3), San Diego (Dec. 7), UC Riverside (Dec. 10) and Gonzaga (Dec. 13).
After fall quarter final exams, UCLA will face Kentucky at the United Center in Chicago in the first-ever CBS Sports Classic on Saturday, Dec. 20. The game will be nationally televised by CBS, set to begin at 12:30 p.m. (PT).
UCLA will conclude its non-conference schedule with a game at Alabama on Sunday, Dec. 28.
The Bruins’ Pac-12 home schedule will include visits from Stanford, California, Utah, Colorado, Oregon State, Oregon, Washington, Washington State and USC. UCLA will open its Pac-12 slate with five of its first seven games on the road at Utah, Colorado, USC, Oregon State and Oregon. UCLA’s remaining four Pac-12 road games include meetings against Stanford, California, Arizona State and Arizona.
UCLA will host an exhibition game against Azusa Pacific the evening of Friday, Oct. 31.
Single-game tickets for UCLA’s non-conference games will go on sale Wednesday, July 30. Single-game tickets for the Bruins’ Pac-12 games will go on sale on Wednesday, Oct. 1. Season tickets are already on sale and can be purchased by calling (310) 206-5991 or by clicking here.
UCLA’s Non-Conference Schedule
DayDateOpponentVenue
Fri.Oct. 31Azusa Pacific (exhibition)Pauley Pavilion
Fri.Nov. 14Montana StatePauley Pavilion
Sun.Nov. 16Coastal CarolinaPauley Pavilion
Thu.Nov. 20Nicholls StatePauley Pavilion
Sun.Nov. 23Long Beach StatePauley Pavilion
Wed.Nov. 26Battle 4 Atlantis ^Atlantis Resort (The Bahamas)
Thu.Nov. 27Battle 4 Atlantis ^Atlantis Resort (The Bahamas)
Fri.Nov. 28Battle 4 Atlantis ^Atlantis Resort (The Bahamas)
Wed.Dec. 3Cal State FullertonPauley Pavilion
Sun.Dec. 7San DiegoPauley Pavilion
Wed.Dec. 10UC RiversidePauley Pavilion
Sat.Dec. 13GonzagaPauley Pavilion
Sat.Dec. 20vs. KentuckyUnited Center (Chicago, Ill.)
Sun.Dec. 28at AlabamaColeman Coliseum (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
^ Battle 4 Atlantis schedule to be finalized at a later date
UCLA’s Pac-12 Pairings
The Bruins' complete Pac-12 schedule will not be finalized until the first week of September. The conference has finalized the pairings of opponents for each week but has not set specific game dates. The following description indicates a date range, typically spanning from Wednesday to Sunday.
Jan. 2-4 (at Utah, at Colorado) – UCLA will open its Pac-12 schedule with five of its first seven games on the road, including a two-game swing through Utah and Colorado. The Pac-12 will play all of its conference games on Friday through Sunday on the opening weekend to avoid conflict with the Jan. 1 holiday. UCLA has gone 1-1 at Utah the last two seasons and has posted a perfect 2-0 mark at Colorado since the Buffaloes joined the Pac-12 in the summer of 2012.
Jan. 7-11 (Stanford, California) – The Bruins will welcome Stanford and California to Pauley Pavilion, looking to extend their home record to 3-0 against each Bay Area school since UCLA re-opened renovated Pauley Pavilion in the fall of 2012.
Jan. 14-18 (at USC) – UCLA returns to USC’s Galen Center during a seven-game stretch that features five Pac-12 road games. The Bruins have posted a 6-2 all-time record at Galen Center since the building opened prior to the 2006-07 season. Last season, UCLA earned an 83-73 victory at USC.
Jan. 21-25 (at Oregon, at Oregon State) – The Bruins will play at Oregon and Oregon State for the second consecutive year, having gone 1-1 on that road trip in 2014. UCLA won at Oregon, 70-68, last season, before dropping a 71-67 decision at Oregon State three days later.
Jan. 28-Feb. 1 (Utah, Colorado) – UCLA will face Utah and Colorado for the second time in newly-renovated Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins have gone 2-0 in Los Angeles against these two schools since they joined the Pac-12 in the summer of 2012. UCLA defeated Utah and Colorado at the Los Angeles Sports Arena in 2012 and in Pauley Pavilion in 2014.
Feb. 4-8 (at Stanford, at California) – The Bruins have split both games on the Bay Area road trip the last two seasons. In 2014, UCLA won by 20 points at California (86-66) before losing to Stanford two days later, 83-74. Two years ago, the Bruins lost at California before defeating Stanford on the road.
Feb. 11-15 (Oregon State, Oregon) – UCLA will play five of its final seven regular-season games in Pauley Pavilion, including two games against Oregon State and Oregon. The Bruins went 1-1 at home against these programs last season, losing in double overtime to Oregon on a Thursday night before overcoming a 10-point halftime deficit to defeat Oregon State, 74-69, on “Senior Night” in the team’s final regular-season home game.
Feb. 18-22 (at Arizona State, at Arizona) – The team’s final Pac-12 road games will feature the Bruins’ first trip to Arizona State and Arizona since January 2013. UCLA did not play at either of these schools last season. In January 2013, the Bruins cruised past No. 6-ranked Arizona in Tucson, 84-73, before dropping a 78-60 decision at Arizona State two days later. UCLA will only face Arizona State and Arizona during this road series in 2014-15.
Feb. 25-March 1 (Washington, Washington State) – UCLA will only face Washington and Washington State in Pauley Pavilion in 2014-15, returning to play at both schools in Washington during the 2015-16 season. Last season, the Bruins only faced Washington and Washington State on the road. UCLA swept the home series against both schools when they last played in Pauley Pavilion (March 2013).
March 4-8 (USC) – The Bruins will close their 2014-15 regular season against crosstown rival USC at home. Last season, UCLA opened its Pac-12 schedule with a 107-73 win over USC in Pauley Pavilion, equaling the largest margin of victory for UCLA in the all-time series against the Trojans. The Bruins have won seven of their last eight games against USC.

2014 Battle 4 Atlantis Bracket Revealed


Courtesy: UCLA Athletics
Release: Tuesday 08/05/2014
Article Link

LOS ANGELES - The UCLA men’s basketball team will face Oklahoma in its first game of the 2014 Battle 4 Atlantis on Paradise Island near Nassau, Bahamas on Wednesday, Nov. 26.
UCLA’s game versus Oklahoma will be nationally televised by ESPN2, slated for tipoff at 11:30 a.m. (PT) inside the 3,900-seat Imperial Arena inside the Atlantis resort. The eight-team bracket was announced earlier Tuesday by ESPN.com.
The Bruins will face either Butler or North Carolina on Thursday, Nov. 27, the second day of the three-day tournament. The four teams on the opposite side of the bracket from UCLA include Alabama-Birmingham (UAB), Florida, Georgetown and Wisconsin. UCLA will play one of those four schools on Friday, Nov. 28.
The Bruins went 28-9 last season, winning the Pac-12 Tournament before advancing to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 for the first time since 2008. With head coach Steve Alford entering his second season at UCLA (his 24th year as a collegiate head coach), the Bruins will return eight letterwinners from last season’s team, highlighted by senior Norman Powell, junior Tony Parker and sophomore Bryce Alford.
UCLA has gone 3-0 all-time against Oklahoma, with the most recent victory taking place Jan. 4, 1975, in Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins won that game, 111-66, during the final season of head coach John Wooden’s career.
Oklahoma went 23-10 last year, including a 12-6 record in Big 12 Conference action. Oklahoma lost to North Dakota State in overtime, 80-75, in a second-round meeting of the 2014 NCAA Tournament. The Sooners are led by head coach Lon Kruger, entering his fourth season at the helm of Oklahoma’s basketball program.
All Battle 4 Atlantis games will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN2 or AXS TV. AXS TV is available nationally on AT&T U-verse (channel 1106), DirecTV (channel 340), Dish Network (channel 167), Verizon FiOS (channel 569) as well as Charter, Comcast/Xfinity, Suddenlink and other cable, satellite and telco providers. The network is also distributed in Canada, Mexico and the Carribean. Go to axs.tv/subscribe for local listings.
This will mark the fourth year of the Battle 4 Atlantis. Previous winners include Harvard in 2011, Duke in 2012 and Villanova in 2013.