Video credit: foxsports.com on msn
Showing posts with label UCLA 2009-2010 outlook. Show all posts
Showing posts with label UCLA 2009-2010 outlook. Show all posts
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Coach Ben Howland previews upcoming season
Coach Howland speaks of the upcoming season..."the team will be growing througout the season"...expects sophies Drew Gordon and Jerime Anderson to be big contributors...praises freshmanReeves Nelson "he has the body to contribute right away"...Malcolm Lee, a budding star "he will be an NBA player. It is not a question of 'if', but a question of 'when'". When Coach Howland talks, we listen.
<br/><a href="http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-US&vid=a336a14c-a334-4221-8896-0fcb497de1a2" target="_new" title="UCLA embraces youth movement">Video: UCLA embraces youth movement</a>
Video credit: foxsports.com on msn
Video credit: foxsports.com on msn
Friday, October 16, 2009
USA Today on UCLA basketball 2009-2010
USA Today
Ucla - Team Notes
Posted 7h 6m ago
GETTING INSIDE
Darren Collison was 86-18 as a starting point guard during his UCLA career.
Gone.
Alfred Aboya and Josh Shipp combined with Collison to play in 424 games for the Bruins.
Also gone.
Even Jrue Holiday, after just one season in Westwood, is gone ... to the NBA.
The Bruins aren't exactly starting over in Coach Ben Howland's seventh season, but they are turning to a new chapter. Those three straight Final Four appearances from 2006 to 2008 are in the rear-view mirror. So are the 123 victories (and just 26 defeats) from the past four seasons.
The Bruins are rebuilding with an assortment of former high school All-Americans, but they are rebuilding. Nine freshmen and sophomores are among the scholarship players, and not one player who averaged double-figure scoring returns from a year ago.
UCLA has depth and options, and a potential star-in-waiting in sophomore guard Malcolm Lee, from whom much is expected. An upper-division finish in the Pac-10 seems likely.
Much will depend on the ability of the young players to embrace what Howland demands on the defensive end.
Sophomore Jerime Anderson will try to step into Collison's considerable shoes at the point, and sophomore Drew Gordon, at just 6-8, may have to play center, provided he stays healthy and out of foul trouble.
This team figures to be at its best late in the season, when it matters most.
NOTES, QUOTES
--Sophomore F Drew Gordon suffered an injury to the patellar tendon of his right knee at the USA Under-19 team trials last spring, but is healthy and ready to go. Gordon is likely to begin the season as the starting center because the Bruins have no else ready to handle that job.
--Senior F James Keefe, who averaged 3.0 points and 3.4 rebounds last season, was expected to miss 4-to-6 weeks, sidelining him until perhaps mid-November, after injuring his left shoulder. The injury is not as serious as the torn labrum he suffered to the same shoulder two years ago that forced him to miss the first 12 games of the season.
--UCLA's 123 victories the past four seasons exceeds by six wins the best four-year stretch of legendary Bruins coach John Wooden, who celebrated his 99th birthday on Oct. 14. Of course, Wooden's teams never played more than 31 games in any season.
LAST YEAR: 26-9 overall, 13-5 in Pac-10; lost in second round of the NCAA Tournament.
HEAD COACH: Ben Howland (career 320-153); seventh year at UCLA (152-54).
QUOTE TO NOTE: "You have to be really detailed and be very patient in terms of trying to teach the very basics. These freshmen have no idea. They really don't." -- UCLA coach Ben Howland on the state of his young squad.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
SCOUTING THE NEWCOMERS: Coach Ben Howland brought in a five-man recruiting class rated as the nation's ninth-best by Scout.com. Figure three or four of them will contribute almost from the start. Tyler Honeycutt, a wiry 6-9 forward, is given a good shot at finding a place in the starting lineup after being medically cleared following a spinal stress fracture he sustained last April in an all-star game. PF Reeves Nelson should earn playing time simply because he is an excellent rebounder and the Bruins need that skill. Meanwhile, 6-8 Mike Moser hopes to create opportunity at one of the two forward spots. PF Brendan Lane, at 6-9, 205, and C Anthony Stover, a 6-10, 225-pounder, may contribute somewhat less at the start.
KEY EARLY-SEASON GAMES: The Bruins are part of a strong eight-team field in the 76 Classic at Anaheim, where they better not sleep on a Nov. 26 opener vs. much-improved Portland. A second-round matchup (Nov. 27) looms with Butler or Minnesota, and the other side of the bracket features West Virginia and Clemson. But the two headliners on UCLA's non-conference slate are a Dec. 6 home matchup with likely No. 1 Kansas, then a Dec. 19 visit to Notre Dame with All-America senior Luke Harangody. A fairly challenging schedule for a young Bruins squad.
PROGRAM DIRECTION: This is a matter of perspective, because coach Ben Howland has created such high expectations at Westwood. The Bruins aren't likely to make their fourth trip to the Final Four in five seasons and are regarded as no better than a third-place team in the Pac-10 this season. Given their recent history, that's a comedown. But this is generally a young team, and if the freshmen and sophomores deliver, as expected, UCLA should be an NCAA Tournament team with the promise of bigger things in the immediate future.
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUP: PG Jerime Anderson, SG Malcolm Lee, SF Michael Roll, SF Nikola Dragovic, C Drew Gordon.
ROSTER REPORT:
--Sophomore G Malcolm Lee, expected to blossom into a productive scorer, averaged just 3.2 points a year ago. He scored 27 points in 14 regular-season Pac-10 games.
--Senior F Michael Roll led the Pac-10 in 3-point accuracy last season at 51.5 percent.
--Senior F Nikola Dragovic is the team's top returning scorer (9.4 ppg) and rebounder (4.3 rpg) and he also led the Bruins with 60 3-point baskets.
--UCLA's only commitment to its 2010 recruit class, as of mid-October, was Tyler Lamb, a four-star shooting guard from Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, Calif.
Ucla - Team Notes
Posted 7h 6m ago
GETTING INSIDE
Darren Collison was 86-18 as a starting point guard during his UCLA career.
Gone.
Alfred Aboya and Josh Shipp combined with Collison to play in 424 games for the Bruins.
Also gone.
Even Jrue Holiday, after just one season in Westwood, is gone ... to the NBA.
The Bruins aren't exactly starting over in Coach Ben Howland's seventh season, but they are turning to a new chapter. Those three straight Final Four appearances from 2006 to 2008 are in the rear-view mirror. So are the 123 victories (and just 26 defeats) from the past four seasons.
The Bruins are rebuilding with an assortment of former high school All-Americans, but they are rebuilding. Nine freshmen and sophomores are among the scholarship players, and not one player who averaged double-figure scoring returns from a year ago.
UCLA has depth and options, and a potential star-in-waiting in sophomore guard Malcolm Lee, from whom much is expected. An upper-division finish in the Pac-10 seems likely.
Much will depend on the ability of the young players to embrace what Howland demands on the defensive end.
Sophomore Jerime Anderson will try to step into Collison's considerable shoes at the point, and sophomore Drew Gordon, at just 6-8, may have to play center, provided he stays healthy and out of foul trouble.
This team figures to be at its best late in the season, when it matters most.
NOTES, QUOTES
--Sophomore F Drew Gordon suffered an injury to the patellar tendon of his right knee at the USA Under-19 team trials last spring, but is healthy and ready to go. Gordon is likely to begin the season as the starting center because the Bruins have no else ready to handle that job.
--Senior F James Keefe, who averaged 3.0 points and 3.4 rebounds last season, was expected to miss 4-to-6 weeks, sidelining him until perhaps mid-November, after injuring his left shoulder. The injury is not as serious as the torn labrum he suffered to the same shoulder two years ago that forced him to miss the first 12 games of the season.
--UCLA's 123 victories the past four seasons exceeds by six wins the best four-year stretch of legendary Bruins coach John Wooden, who celebrated his 99th birthday on Oct. 14. Of course, Wooden's teams never played more than 31 games in any season.
LAST YEAR: 26-9 overall, 13-5 in Pac-10; lost in second round of the NCAA Tournament.
HEAD COACH: Ben Howland (career 320-153); seventh year at UCLA (152-54).
QUOTE TO NOTE: "You have to be really detailed and be very patient in terms of trying to teach the very basics. These freshmen have no idea. They really don't." -- UCLA coach Ben Howland on the state of his young squad.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
SCOUTING THE NEWCOMERS: Coach Ben Howland brought in a five-man recruiting class rated as the nation's ninth-best by Scout.com. Figure three or four of them will contribute almost from the start. Tyler Honeycutt, a wiry 6-9 forward, is given a good shot at finding a place in the starting lineup after being medically cleared following a spinal stress fracture he sustained last April in an all-star game. PF Reeves Nelson should earn playing time simply because he is an excellent rebounder and the Bruins need that skill. Meanwhile, 6-8 Mike Moser hopes to create opportunity at one of the two forward spots. PF Brendan Lane, at 6-9, 205, and C Anthony Stover, a 6-10, 225-pounder, may contribute somewhat less at the start.
KEY EARLY-SEASON GAMES: The Bruins are part of a strong eight-team field in the 76 Classic at Anaheim, where they better not sleep on a Nov. 26 opener vs. much-improved Portland. A second-round matchup (Nov. 27) looms with Butler or Minnesota, and the other side of the bracket features West Virginia and Clemson. But the two headliners on UCLA's non-conference slate are a Dec. 6 home matchup with likely No. 1 Kansas, then a Dec. 19 visit to Notre Dame with All-America senior Luke Harangody. A fairly challenging schedule for a young Bruins squad.
PROGRAM DIRECTION: This is a matter of perspective, because coach Ben Howland has created such high expectations at Westwood. The Bruins aren't likely to make their fourth trip to the Final Four in five seasons and are regarded as no better than a third-place team in the Pac-10 this season. Given their recent history, that's a comedown. But this is generally a young team, and if the freshmen and sophomores deliver, as expected, UCLA should be an NCAA Tournament team with the promise of bigger things in the immediate future.
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUP: PG Jerime Anderson, SG Malcolm Lee, SF Michael Roll, SF Nikola Dragovic, C Drew Gordon.
ROSTER REPORT:
--Sophomore G Malcolm Lee, expected to blossom into a productive scorer, averaged just 3.2 points a year ago. He scored 27 points in 14 regular-season Pac-10 games.
--Senior F Michael Roll led the Pac-10 in 3-point accuracy last season at 51.5 percent.
--Senior F Nikola Dragovic is the team's top returning scorer (9.4 ppg) and rebounder (4.3 rpg) and he also led the Bruins with 60 3-point baskets.
--UCLA's only commitment to its 2010 recruit class, as of mid-October, was Tyler Lamb, a four-star shooting guard from Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, Calif.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
UCLA Coach Ben Howland hits the reset button
UCLA Coach Ben Howland hits the reset button
Expectations are lower this season for the Bruins, who lost almost every key player from last season. Even another stellar recruiting class may not be enough to keep them in the top 25.
By David Wharton
The Los Angeles Times
October 15, 2009 | 5:45 p.m.
As the UCLA basketball team gathered at Pauley Pavilion for a recent workout, Malcolm Lee looked from player to player, trying to single out a preordained leader.
"Could be anybody," the sophomore guard said. "We're basically starting from the ground up."
Well, it might seem like that for the Bruins, but as official practice for the 2009-10 college basketball season begins Friday, USC is the team in town that is really starting over.
UCLA lost four of five starters from last season, with seniors Alfred Aboya, Josh Shipp and Darren Collison moving on and freshman Jrue Holiday jumping early to the NBA. But USC also has only one starter back, its three best players having left school early. Plus, the Trojans have a new coach, Kevin O'Neill, and an almost entirely new recruiting class after several top prospects left in the wake of former coach Tim Floyd's resignation. Early projections have the Bruins near the bottom of the national top 25 at best, chasing California and Washington for the Pacific 10 Conference title. USC is expected to chase just about everyone.
A look at each team's five most pressing issues as they begin practice:
Who's the boss?
After three seasons with Collison in the starting lineup, the door swings open for Jerime Anderson at point guard.
Anderson expected to be a factor last season but got boxed out by Collison's decision to remain in school one more year. As a result, he played only 8.6 minutes a game.
The sophomore is eager to make up for lost time. "I definitely know how to run a team," he said. "This year, I'm going to be allowed to do that."
Crucial summer
Players often show their most dramatic improvement in the summer after their freshman season. That seems to be the case with Lee, who could be a breakout star this winter.
Expected to start at shooting guard and back up Anderson at the point, he has impressed coaches and teammates the last few months.
At least one online publication projects him as an all-conference first-teamer.
"He's our best defensive player," Howland said. "He's really worked hard to get stronger and he's improved his shooting." (Continue reading at The Los Angeles Times)
Expectations are lower this season for the Bruins, who lost almost every key player from last season. Even another stellar recruiting class may not be enough to keep them in the top 25.
By David Wharton
The Los Angeles Times
October 15, 2009 | 5:45 p.m.
As the UCLA basketball team gathered at Pauley Pavilion for a recent workout, Malcolm Lee looked from player to player, trying to single out a preordained leader.
"Could be anybody," the sophomore guard said. "We're basically starting from the ground up."
Well, it might seem like that for the Bruins, but as official practice for the 2009-10 college basketball season begins Friday, USC is the team in town that is really starting over.
UCLA lost four of five starters from last season, with seniors Alfred Aboya, Josh Shipp and Darren Collison moving on and freshman Jrue Holiday jumping early to the NBA. But USC also has only one starter back, its three best players having left school early. Plus, the Trojans have a new coach, Kevin O'Neill, and an almost entirely new recruiting class after several top prospects left in the wake of former coach Tim Floyd's resignation. Early projections have the Bruins near the bottom of the national top 25 at best, chasing California and Washington for the Pacific 10 Conference title. USC is expected to chase just about everyone.
A look at each team's five most pressing issues as they begin practice:
Who's the boss?
After three seasons with Collison in the starting lineup, the door swings open for Jerime Anderson at point guard.
Anderson expected to be a factor last season but got boxed out by Collison's decision to remain in school one more year. As a result, he played only 8.6 minutes a game.
The sophomore is eager to make up for lost time. "I definitely know how to run a team," he said. "This year, I'm going to be allowed to do that."
Crucial summer
Players often show their most dramatic improvement in the summer after their freshman season. That seems to be the case with Lee, who could be a breakout star this winter.
Expected to start at shooting guard and back up Anderson at the point, he has impressed coaches and teammates the last few months.
At least one online publication projects him as an all-conference first-teamer.
"He's our best defensive player," Howland said. "He's really worked hard to get stronger and he's improved his shooting." (Continue reading at The Los Angeles Times)
UCLA looking to recover from loss of four starters with incoming freshmen
UCLA looking to recover from loss of four starters with incoming freshmen
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (CP) – 1 day ago
LOS ANGELES — UCLA fans will need to check their programs this season. With four starters gone from last season's team that finished 26-9, the Bruins have plenty of new faces.
Freshman forward Tyler Honeycutt has been cleared to participate when the team holds its first official practice on Friday night. He was diagnosed with a lower back stress fracture in July. After eight weeks of rest, he spent the rest of the summer rehabbing.
"Tyler being healthy and able to play is important because we're counting on him," coach Ben Howland said Wednesday at the team's media day.
The six-foot-nine Honeycutt is part of the Bruins' heralded freshman class that features five players 6-8 or taller.
Howland said senior forward James Keefe has progressed rapidly since injuring his left shoulder last week. Keefe's MRI was negative, but he was initially expected to be restricted from full contact for four to six weeks.
"Yesterday we were doing one-on-one shooting and he was able to go through it, follow missed shots, dunk it," Howland said. "I think he's a lot better off than maybe was first feared."
With so many new players, it was a slimmed down one who garnered the most attention.
Sophomore centre J'mison Morgan shed about 25 pounds and re-sculpted his body during the off-season.
"Nobody had to tell me, I could definitely feel that I needed to work on my body to play college basketball," said Morgan, who averaged 2.3 points and 1.0 rebounds last season. "Not only was I out of shape, I wasn't as strong as I needed to be."
Howland estimates that Morgan, who is listed at 6-10, 248 pounds, had about 17 per cent body fat last season and quipped that he was jealous Morgan is now down to seven per cent. (Continue reading at The Canadian Press)
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (CP) – 1 day ago
LOS ANGELES — UCLA fans will need to check their programs this season. With four starters gone from last season's team that finished 26-9, the Bruins have plenty of new faces.
Freshman forward Tyler Honeycutt has been cleared to participate when the team holds its first official practice on Friday night. He was diagnosed with a lower back stress fracture in July. After eight weeks of rest, he spent the rest of the summer rehabbing.
"Tyler being healthy and able to play is important because we're counting on him," coach Ben Howland said Wednesday at the team's media day.
The six-foot-nine Honeycutt is part of the Bruins' heralded freshman class that features five players 6-8 or taller.
Howland said senior forward James Keefe has progressed rapidly since injuring his left shoulder last week. Keefe's MRI was negative, but he was initially expected to be restricted from full contact for four to six weeks.
"Yesterday we were doing one-on-one shooting and he was able to go through it, follow missed shots, dunk it," Howland said. "I think he's a lot better off than maybe was first feared."
With so many new players, it was a slimmed down one who garnered the most attention.
Sophomore centre J'mison Morgan shed about 25 pounds and re-sculpted his body during the off-season.
"Nobody had to tell me, I could definitely feel that I needed to work on my body to play college basketball," said Morgan, who averaged 2.3 points and 1.0 rebounds last season. "Not only was I out of shape, I wasn't as strong as I needed to be."
Howland estimates that Morgan, who is listed at 6-10, 248 pounds, had about 17 per cent body fat last season and quipped that he was jealous Morgan is now down to seven per cent. (Continue reading at The Canadian Press)
UCLA basketball flying under the radar with young squad
UCLA basketball flying under the radar with young squad
Men's team has just one returning starter.
By Jon Gold Staff Writer
Long Beach Press-Telegram
Posted: 10/15/2009 12:00:00 AM PDT
What happened to that familiar feeling around Westwood?
That inevitable sense of impending success, borne out of three straight Final Fours and countless NCAA Tournament appearances, seems to have dissipated.
Left in its wake, only a young team, stripped to its bare bones, a UCLA men's basketball squad that doesn't have the weight of the basketball world on its shoulders.
Now the Bruins enter a season with diminished expectations after a 26-9 season, their worst since 2004-05.
Only here's the catch.
They kinda like being under the radar for the first time in years.
"This is good for us, it kind of knocks us down a little bit," sophomore forward Drew Gordon said at the team's media day Wednesday at Pauley Pavilion. "I guess they were trying to put us on that pedestal after back-to-back-to-back Final Fours. When you get knocked down, the target kind of gets lifted off our backs. It's not us any more. It's good, because we're a sleeper team - we're a lot better than people give us credit for.
"Just because we're young doesn't mean we're not dangerous."
He has one thing right: The Bruins certainly are young.
UCLA enters the season with just one returning starter, senior forward Nikola Dragovic. Dragovic averaged 9.4 points and 4.3 rebounds for the Bruins last season and will be expected to carry a large share of the scoring burden.
With Darren Collison, Josh Shipp and Jrue Holliday departed, where the rest comes from is anyone's guess.
That's just how sophomore center J'mison Morgan wants it.
"It makes it a lot easier - we don't have to just look for 'that' guy," Morgan said, after the team serenaded legendary coach John Wooden on video, celebrating his 99th birthday. "Last year it was, 'We're in trouble, we need to go to Darren, we need to go to Jrue, we need to go to Josh.' Now I feel like we can go to anybody on the team and they can take care of business."
The Bruins know one thing for sure: They'll have to go to their underclassmen.
(Continue reading at The Long Beach Press-Telegram)
Men's team has just one returning starter.
By Jon Gold Staff Writer
Long Beach Press-Telegram
Posted: 10/15/2009 12:00:00 AM PDT
What happened to that familiar feeling around Westwood?
That inevitable sense of impending success, borne out of three straight Final Fours and countless NCAA Tournament appearances, seems to have dissipated.
Left in its wake, only a young team, stripped to its bare bones, a UCLA men's basketball squad that doesn't have the weight of the basketball world on its shoulders.
Now the Bruins enter a season with diminished expectations after a 26-9 season, their worst since 2004-05.
Only here's the catch.
They kinda like being under the radar for the first time in years.
"This is good for us, it kind of knocks us down a little bit," sophomore forward Drew Gordon said at the team's media day Wednesday at Pauley Pavilion. "I guess they were trying to put us on that pedestal after back-to-back-to-back Final Fours. When you get knocked down, the target kind of gets lifted off our backs. It's not us any more. It's good, because we're a sleeper team - we're a lot better than people give us credit for.
"Just because we're young doesn't mean we're not dangerous."
He has one thing right: The Bruins certainly are young.
UCLA enters the season with just one returning starter, senior forward Nikola Dragovic. Dragovic averaged 9.4 points and 4.3 rebounds for the Bruins last season and will be expected to carry a large share of the scoring burden.
With Darren Collison, Josh Shipp and Jrue Holliday departed, where the rest comes from is anyone's guess.
That's just how sophomore center J'mison Morgan wants it.
"It makes it a lot easier - we don't have to just look for 'that' guy," Morgan said, after the team serenaded legendary coach John Wooden on video, celebrating his 99th birthday. "Last year it was, 'We're in trouble, we need to go to Darren, we need to go to Jrue, we need to go to Josh.' Now I feel like we can go to anybody on the team and they can take care of business."
The Bruins know one thing for sure: They'll have to go to their underclassmen.
(Continue reading at The Long Beach Press-Telegram)
UCLA basketball reloads (for 2009-2010)
UCLA basketball reloads
Smith column: The Bruins open basketball practice with a lot to replace.
Marcia C. Smith
Columnist
The Orange County Register
masmith@ocregister.com
Wed Oct 14 2009
LOS ANGELES - UCLA guard Jrue Holiday sends his regards … from Philadelphia, where the former Pac-10 All Freshman Team guard is now working his way into the Sixers rotation.
“UCLA has got some players coming back -- well, not a lot of starters, but a lot of talent,” said Holiday, a one-and-done starter who left Westwood to be the Sixers’ first-round selection (17th overall) and took with him one bag and his freshman contributions 8.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.
“Coach (Ben Howland) will make sure they’re ready.”
From the other side of the country, you could expect UCLA’s season outlook to appear blurry in the distance. But even up close, as in Pauley Pavilion, where the Bruins held Media Day on Wednesday, the forecast for the 2009-10 season seems too cloudy to call.
The Bruins have lost four of five starters and four of their five leading scorers who were on the court for a combined average of 28.8 minutes a game. The departed starters – senior point guard Darren Collison, freshman wing guard Holiday, senior forward Josh Shipp and senior center Alfred Aboya -- accounted for 62 percent of the scoring, 47 percent of the rebounding, 68 percent of the assists and 65 percent of the steals.
Success this season will be determined by how well the very young and slightly experienced Bruins make up for the veteran players who guided them to a 26-9 record (13-5 Pac-10, second), a trip into the second round of the NCAA tournament and a No. 18 final ranking in the Associated Press poll.
“We’re out to prove the world wrong,” said sophomore and projected starting guard Malcolm Lee. “People think that we’re not going to do much this season because so many players left. We still have a lot of good players here.”
There’s no doubt the Bruins will be competitive. Barring significant injuries, they will have a winning record, likely finish in the upper half of the Pac-10 and potentially contend for an at-large NCAA tournament berth.
But at first blush, the Bruins, who begin practice Thursday, barely resemble the teams that before last season had made three consecutive Final Four appearances. Howland works with a roster of seven sophomores and five incoming scholarship freshmen.
“We’ve got a lot of new players and young players who will compete for minutes,” said Howland. “We came back from losing this much before 08-09 and did well but I haven’t had this young a team since I was at Northern Arizona.”
Howland does, however, return three seniors in guard/forward Michael Roll and forward Nikola Dragovic and center/forward James Keefe. All three logged more than 14 minutes a game last season, and are projected to start.
Speedy and skilled Lee and point guard Jerime Anderson averaged 10.7 and 8.6 minutes per game, respectively, and will round out the starting five.
But there’s good news and bad news with almost every place on the Bruin floor.
(Continue reading at OCregister.com)
Smith column: The Bruins open basketball practice with a lot to replace.
Marcia C. Smith
Columnist
The Orange County Register
masmith@ocregister.com
Wed Oct 14 2009
LOS ANGELES - UCLA guard Jrue Holiday sends his regards … from Philadelphia, where the former Pac-10 All Freshman Team guard is now working his way into the Sixers rotation.
“UCLA has got some players coming back -- well, not a lot of starters, but a lot of talent,” said Holiday, a one-and-done starter who left Westwood to be the Sixers’ first-round selection (17th overall) and took with him one bag and his freshman contributions 8.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.
“Coach (Ben Howland) will make sure they’re ready.”
From the other side of the country, you could expect UCLA’s season outlook to appear blurry in the distance. But even up close, as in Pauley Pavilion, where the Bruins held Media Day on Wednesday, the forecast for the 2009-10 season seems too cloudy to call.
The Bruins have lost four of five starters and four of their five leading scorers who were on the court for a combined average of 28.8 minutes a game. The departed starters – senior point guard Darren Collison, freshman wing guard Holiday, senior forward Josh Shipp and senior center Alfred Aboya -- accounted for 62 percent of the scoring, 47 percent of the rebounding, 68 percent of the assists and 65 percent of the steals.
Success this season will be determined by how well the very young and slightly experienced Bruins make up for the veteran players who guided them to a 26-9 record (13-5 Pac-10, second), a trip into the second round of the NCAA tournament and a No. 18 final ranking in the Associated Press poll.
“We’re out to prove the world wrong,” said sophomore and projected starting guard Malcolm Lee. “People think that we’re not going to do much this season because so many players left. We still have a lot of good players here.”
There’s no doubt the Bruins will be competitive. Barring significant injuries, they will have a winning record, likely finish in the upper half of the Pac-10 and potentially contend for an at-large NCAA tournament berth.
But at first blush, the Bruins, who begin practice Thursday, barely resemble the teams that before last season had made three consecutive Final Four appearances. Howland works with a roster of seven sophomores and five incoming scholarship freshmen.
“We’ve got a lot of new players and young players who will compete for minutes,” said Howland. “We came back from losing this much before 08-09 and did well but I haven’t had this young a team since I was at Northern Arizona.”
Howland does, however, return three seniors in guard/forward Michael Roll and forward Nikola Dragovic and center/forward James Keefe. All three logged more than 14 minutes a game last season, and are projected to start.
Speedy and skilled Lee and point guard Jerime Anderson averaged 10.7 and 8.6 minutes per game, respectively, and will round out the starting five.
But there’s good news and bad news with almost every place on the Bruin floor.
(Continue reading at OCregister.com)
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
ESPN.com: UCLA 2009-2010 outlook
Recently, Andy Katz did a great preview of the Pac-10 Conference at espn.com (updated August 31, 2009):
Pac-10 ShootAround: Three new head coaches arrive as conference rebuilds
The whole piece was a great read and it touched on (among other things) the turmoil at SC, Sean Miller going to Zona and then gutting out the Trojans, and of course, Malcolm Lee's impressive summer. But I chose to slice and dice what really counts, the UCLA stuff. So, here goes.
Things To Know From The Offseason
Lee blossoms during the summer
Photo:Jim McIsaac/Getty Images
Malcolm Lee came to UCLA with plenty of hype, but there was a logjam last season with Darren Collison returning and Jrue Holiday taking up plenty of minutes as a star freshman. Lee averaged 10.7 minutes in 29 games, putting up a modest 3.2 points and 0.6 assists a game. But the UCLA staff is giddy over reports that Lee became a workaholic this summer. He needed to and had to, because he'll be the Bruins' featured perimeter player. Lee increased his shooting range, and the expectation is he'll make a major jump from his freshman to sophomore seasons.
Key Players
Photo: Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times
Nikola Dragovic
Dragovic is the Bruins' top returning scorer (9.4 points per game), and he made 38.2 percent of his 3s last season. But more will be expected as a senior. Dragovic isn't a star. He's a complementary player. But he still can do more if he gets the touches. Dragovic can play facing the basket and, if need be, use his body a bit more in the post. He can be a difficult matchup if he gets his shot off from deep. But he must make himself more of a factor, especially on the defensive end.
Freshmen We Can't Wait To See
Photo: Olivia Bucks, The OregonianMike Moser, PF, UCLA: Offensively, Moser is a jump shot away from being an all-conference candidate. Defensively, he has the physical attributes to guard all three perimeter positions.
Photo:Phil Klein
Tyler Honeycutt, WF, UCLA: He may be headed for a redshirt year if his lower back doesn't heal in time. Nonetheless, this late-blooming wing type has a bevy of upside. He can stroke the 3-point shot and pass with the best of them. And his shot-blocking ability is impressive.
Nonconference Games We Can't Wait To See
* Kansas at UCLA, Dec. 6: The Bruins will be searching for a marquee win in nonconference play, something that eluded them last season. This game against Kansas will come on the heels of the 76 Classic in Anaheim. If the Bruins can't pick up quality wins in that event, the KU matchup at Pauley Pavilion will hold even more meaning.
* UCLA versus Mississippi State, Dec. 12 (Wooden Classic): The Bruins picked up a challenging opponent for their short trip to Anaheim. Getting Mississippi State early in the season should challenge UCLA's frontcourt more than any game besides KU. This game will come a week after UCLA plays the Jayhawks, so it may be in desperation mode for a quality win. And if Renardo Sidney is eligible, it will be interesting to see how he performs against the program he originally appeared to be leaning toward.
One potential matchup …
* UCLA versus Butler, Nov. 27 (76 Classic): If UCLA beats Portland and if Butler takes out Minnesota, the Bruins will have one of their most challenging games of the season against the Bulldogs. Playing Butler would be a stingy defensive affair. The Bulldogs have been known to keep the games in the 50s or low 60s, and UCLA doesn't mind playing in that range, either.
Team Analysis
Andy Katz
This is a whole new era for coach Ben Howland. The Bruins don't have Alfred Aboya, Josh Shipp or Darren Collison for the first time in four years. The three-year Final Four run now seems like distant history. The Bruins will be leaning heavily on potential stud Malcolm Lee as well as Drew Gordon, Nikola Dragovic, Michael Roll, Jerime Anderson, James Keefe and J'mison Morgan -- not exactly national names. But the competition at every position should be as intense as it has been under Howland. He will be searching for an identity for this squad early and often in fall practices. Lee might hold the only lock on a position, while the rest clearly are open. UCLA has a challenging nonconference slate, but the talent should carry this squad toward the top of the Pac-10, getting the Bruins enough wins to make another NCAA tournament appearance.
Doug Gottlieb
Talentwise, the Bruins are down. That's just a fact. But Ben Howland will win games with his defense and the team's cohesion more so than when Kevin Love and Darren Collison were bailing them out. Malcolm Lee has to be the type of on-the-ball defender Darren Collison was the past three years, and Mike Moser and Tyler Honeycutt must contribute right away. Otherwise, how will the Bruins score?
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