Taking it one game at a time; Jerime Anderson getting the hang of it?

UCLA victories have never been sweeter
By Jon Gold, Staff Writer
The Los Angeles Daily News
Updated: 12/23/2009 10:46:32 PM PST


The sweet taste of victory is even sweeter when it follows bitter defeat.

So often in the recent past, the UCLA men's basketball team has had only dessert.

This year, though, with seven losses in 11 games - after just nine in 35 games last season - the Bruins have become used to that sour, rancid, pungent aftertaste. That made Tuesday's 75-63 victory over Colorado State at Pauley Pavilion all the more decadent.

"We expect to win every game, but right now it feels really good to get a win," point guard Jerime Anderson said with a weary smile after the game. "It should always feel really good to get a win, but there's a little extra right now."

Jerime Anderson, Official UCLA Men's Basketball website

The much-maligned point guard, who came into the game averaging just 5.8 points per game and 3.8assists on 38 percent shooting, had 12 points, seven assists and four rebounds in the win.

"I felt a lot more comfortable out there," Anderson said. "I'm starting to feel more comfortable every game. I was just trying to do my thing, and that happened. Right now is the best time for me to come out and play as confident as I can and try to put pressure on other guards."

Forget other guards. Anderson would best serve the team by taking some pressure off his Bruins backcourt mates. Sophomore Malcolm Lee and senior Michael Roll are shouldering the scoring burden - averaging 15.2 and 14.2 points per game, respectively - while playing the most minutes on the team. Lee played 39 minutes against the Rams and scored 16 points, a far cry from his 29-point outburst in an 84-73 loss to Notre Dame on Saturday.

"The more players get the scoring opportunities, the more their confidence will come up," Lee said.

"That's going to help in game situations like this. If they're not scoring, they're hesitant to take a clutch shot."

Taking their lumps

As the baby Bruins start to come of age - UCLA has seven underclassmen averaging more than six minutes per game - they're starting to realize they might just have to learn as they go.

"You just have to really put yourself into games and learn on the run," said UCLA freshman forward Reeves Nelson, who had 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting and six rebounds against Colorado State. "This is not a time to get babied along ... . You kind of have to take your lumps and learn when you can."

The fourth season

Forget the standard three mini-seasons within a season - non-conference, conference and postseason play - the Bruins are looking at this two-game stretch, which began with Colorado State and ends with Delaware State on Sunday, as a micro-season.

With a win over the Hornets, now 4-5 after a loss to Ohio State on Dec. 19, the Bruins can even their record with asweep of Arizona State and Arizona to begin Pac-10Conference play.

"We want to go into Pac-10 season with two more wins," freshman forward Tyler Honeycutt said before Tuesday's game. "We look at (our losses) like, `Yeah, we lost them, but it's the toughest schedule since (Coach Ben) Howland has been here.' ... It's not like we're playing mediocre teams and are going into conference season unprepared."

Lazeric Jones visits UCLA

photo credit: BRO.com

UCLA basketball: Lazeric Jones visits Westwood
By David Wharton
The Los Angeles Times
December 22, 2009 | 7:31 pm

Lazeric Jones, a junior college point guard from Illinois, is in attendance at the UCLA-Colorado State game at Pauley Pavilion tonight.

The Bruins, badly in need of backcourt depth, have offered Jones a scholarship. He said that he would fly home Wednesday and talk it over with his parents before deciding when to commit.

The 6-1, 200-pound player hails from the same high school as Derrick Rose and is considered strong and quick for the position.
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From chicagohoops.com back in November:

"Former Chicago Simeon star Lazeric Jones of John A. Logan College is seeing his recruiting stock flying high on the heels of a strong summer, and a very strong jamboree run this fall. Jones has now established himself as one of the top junior college prospects in the country.

Jones, a 6'2", 200-pound point guard, is a superb floor leader who excels both with his ability to score, and also with his ball-distribution skills. Jones has a strong frame which allows him to absorb contact, and to then easily finish off his drives with buckets."

To read more, see earlier Lazeric Jones posts by clicking here.

UCLA butts Colorado State 75-63

Slowly but surely, UCLA appears to be flickering on all cylinders.

From a Los Angeles downtown court to the basketball court, Nikola Dragovic, the ballplayer, shows up and leads the team in scoring with 17 points.

The Bruins handle the Rams with balanced scoring. All five starters score in double figures:

Reeves Nelson 15 pts
Nikola Dragovic 17 pts
Malcolm Lee 16 pts
Jerime Anderson 12 pts, 7 assists (5 turnovers)
Michael Roll 11 pts

Brendan Lane scores all of the bench's 4 points as Mustafa Absul-Hamid, J'mison Morgan and Tyler Honeycutt collectively muster a big fat ZERO the whole time they were on the floor.

 

Nikola Dragovic comes to Bruins' rescue

Forward finds a hot hand to lead a big rally in the second half and finishes with a game-high 17 points.

By David Wharton
The Los Angeles Times
December 23, 2009

Another day in court still awaits Nikola Dragovic, about a month or so down the line.

The UCLA forward still must answer to a felony charge stemming from a recent fight at a Hollywood concert.

But the mere act of standing in front of a judge this week, pleading not guilty, seems to have done wonders for Dragovic on another type of court.

"Just by not having to deal with lawyers, not going to meetings, just even think about it, I'm able to put more time into basketball," Dragovic said.



UCLA forward Nikola Dragovic, center, of Serbia, penetrates the double coverage from Colorado State forward Travis Busch (10) and guard Jesse Carr, right, during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2009, in Los Angeles. UCLA won 75-63.
GUS RUELAS, AP

On Tuesday night, that translated into a scoring outburst in the second half for the long-slumping senior, a flurry of points that helped the Bruins to a 75-63 victory over Colorado State at Pauley Pavilion.

The win was equally meaningful for his coach and teammates, sending them home for the holidays with smiles on their faces.

"It would have been a really, really miserable Christmas coming off a loss," Coach Ben Howland said.

This game was supposed to come gift-wrapped, Colorado State (8-4) offered up as a badly needed victory after a tough loss at Notre Dame over the weekend.

It turned out to be a much bumpier road for UCLA (4-7), requiring Dragovic's contribution and a comeback, because of some persistent struggles.

The Bruins committed too many turnovers. At the defensive end of the court, they left too many shooters open.

The game started out well enough, with guard Malcolm Lee continuing his hot streak, scoring on a three-point basket and a drive, to give his team the lead.



UCLA guard Malcolm Lee (3) attempts to get over Colorado State forward Mame Bocar Ba, right, of Senegal, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2009, in Los Angeles.
GUS RUELAS, AP

Reeves Nelson also looked good, on his way to 15 points and six rebounds.

But then the Bruins stalled.

Guard Jerime Anderson jumped into the air with nowhere to pass, letting the ball drift away for a turnover. Wide-open Bruins looked hesitant, passing up shots.

Colorado State responded with an 8-3 run and the score was tied, 34-34, at halftime, scattered boos drizzling down from the crowd of 6,755.

Inconsistency has worried Howland, especially with the start of the conference schedule barely a week away.

"We have to improve," he said. "It's going to be a whole new season when you get to Pac-10 play."

The coach could not have been happy with what he saw in the opening minutes of the second half.

Colorado State looked to be a team on the rise, relying less and less on perimeter shots, pushing inside and drawing fouls to open a lead that held up through much of the second half.

Then Dragovic caught fire, finding the best way to break a drought that had him shooting 27% this season. Forcing his way into the lane, he scored from short range and got two more points on free throws.

Just that quickly, he found a rhythm and was on his way to a game-high 17 points.

"I just had a shorter man on me," he said. "I told Jerime to look inside and he did."

At the same time, the Bruins were slowing down and cutting down on the turnovers while turning the defense up a notch or two.

The Rams' top scorers -- center Andy Ogide finished with 14 points and forward Travis Franklin with 13 -- no longer found open shots or wide lanes to the basket.

"We just got out-toughed the last eight to nine minutes," Coach Tim Miles said. "We didn't get the right type of stops. I think when we look at the film, our guys will realize that trying is not good enough."

It all added up to a 27-9 run for UCLA in the final nine minutes or so, turning all those boos into cheers, a nail-biter transformed into a victory going away.

Consider it an early Christmas at Pauley Pavilion, the best kind of present for a team on the ropes.

For Dragovic, it was welcome respite from any thoughts about his next day in court, a hearing Feb. 1 to set a date for his preliminary hearing.

"It means a lot," he said.

For a player with much on his mind recently, it meant something to smile about.
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Dragovic plays like his old self, helps Bruins outlast Colorado State
By Jon Gold Staff Writer
The Los Angeles Daily News
dailybreeze.com
Posted: 12/23/2009 12:03:52 AM PST

UCLA BASKETBALL: Forward leads rally, finishes with team-high 17 points..

Nikola Dragovic made one thing clear on Tuesday night: The weight is over.

Bogged down by felony assault charges for more than a month, Dragovic finally made it past the second stage of the process Monday, pleading not guilty in a Los Angeles court. The conversations with lawyers and interviews with investigators were like an albatross around his shoulders, dragging him down even as he tried to lift UCLA.

With all that behind him, Dragovic turned his full attention to the Bruins' contest Tuesday against Colorado State, and it showed in UCLA's 75-63 victory at Pauley Pavilion.

After a middling first half, Dragovic scored 14 of his team-high 17 points in the second, taking over just when UCLA (4-7) needed it most. With less than 12minutes left, Dragovic made an inside shot, two free throws and a 3-pointer to help trim the Rams' lead to two points.

Then, with less than seven minutes left and Colorado State up four, Dragovic was fouled on a 3-pointer and converted all three shots.

Freshman forward Reeves Nelson came back on the next possession and made two more free throws to put the Bruins up one, and they never trailed again.

"Just by not having to deal with lawyers, having to go to meetings, even think about it, I'm able to put more time into basketball," said Dragovic, who made 5 of 8 shots and all five free throws. "At practice, I don't have any problems. I think it's always been there. I just have to keep working."

Early in the game, nothing was working for the Bruins.

In a two-minute stretch midway through the first half, Colorado State (8-4) went from down three to up five, as UCLA committed turnover after turnover, 12 in total at the half.

"We had a lot of careless mistakes, especially in transition," said sophomore guard Malcolm Lee, who 16 points and seven rebounds in a game-high 39 minutes. We should have had more patience with the ball and capitalized.

"But we learned in the second half and adjusted pretty well."

Late in the second half, the Bruins discovered a gaping hole in the undersized Rams' inside defense, and responded with a 17-4 run to close the game.

With the 6-foot-9 Dragovic working in the post against Colorado State's 6-4 forward Travis Busch, UCLA started to take advantage in the key, scoring 16 second-half points in the paint.

"I just had a shorter man on me, and I told (point guard Jerime Anderson) to look inside," said Dragovic, who entered the game shooting just 27 percent from the field.

"I was able to kind of shoot over him. People usually tell me I don't have that inside game with my back to the rim, but that's why I worked on it this summer.

"Most of the teams try to play small against us, and it's a good thing we can fight back."
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UCLA wins 75-63 over Colorado State
The Associated Press
from The Silicon Valley Mercury News
Posted: 12/22/2009 11:10:32 PM PST
Updated: 12/22/2009 11:10:32 PM PST

LOS ANGELES—Nikola Dragovic led UCLA with 17 points as the Bruins went on to defeat Colorado State 75-63 on Tuesday night

UCLA (4-7) didn't take the lead in the second half until Reeves Nelson hit a pair of free throws with 6:21 left. UCLA went on a 29-9 run after falling behind, 54-46, with 11:45 left.

"That might have been the first time we fought back after being down all season," Dragovic said. "It would have been a terrible next three days."

"We showed the poise to come back," UCLA coach Ben Howland said. "We were down by eight and won by 12."

All five starters finished in double figures. Malcolm Lee had 16 and Nelson finished with 15. Michael Roll, fighting off the flu, added 11 as did Jerime Anderson.

Colorado State was led by Adam Ogide's 14 points with Travis Franklin adding 13 and Adam Nigon 10.

"I think they just out-toughed us the last eight-nine minutes," Rams coach Tim Miles said. "They shot the three, which is something that this year UCLA is not that good at doing."

UCLA had to overcome a dozen turnovers before intermission that allowed Colorado State to stay tied 34-34 at half, before the Bruins pulled away in the second.

With senior James Keefe out with a separated shoulder, UCLA at times showed an all-freshmen front line with Brendan Lane and Tyler Honeycutt on the floor with Nelson.

The most noticeable area of improvement for UCLA was the Bruins' shooting, as they hit 51.1 percent from the field (24 of 47), 60.0 percent from three-point range (9 of 15)and 78.3 percent from the free throw line (18 of 23).
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Sloppy Bruins right ship at end
By AL BALDERAS
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
December 22, 2009 10:57 PM

LOS ANGELES - UCLA's basketball team found a way to win in spite of itself.

The Bruins committed 19 turnovers and looked like a team that was thinking more about Christmas than basketball in a Tuesday-night nonconference showdown with Colorado State.

UCLA got things right late in the second half, using a 20-2 run to beat the Rams, 75-63, at Pauley Pavilion.

"I think that was the best part of the game because it was the first time we fought back after being down by eight," said Nikola Dragovic, who led the Bruins with 17 points.

Malcolm Lee, held under 20 points for the first time in his last three games, scored 16. Lee's points came in handy, considering he had four of the Bruins' 12 turnovers in the first half.

"I'm glad we got the win," UCLA coach Ben Howland said. "That was a very shaky first half with the turnovers. We've been pretty good the last few games at not turning the ball over. There were a lot of poor passes."

Despite all of the mistakes, the Bruins went into halftime locked in a 34-34 tie. The Rams took their biggest lead of the game, 54-46, with 11:44 left in the game but that was when the Bruins' offense started to respond.

The Bruins cut the lead to two points when Dragovic hit a 3-point shot from the right wing, with 9:36 on the clock. A couple of free throws by Greg Smith made it a four-point game again.

Jerime Anderson (12 points) scored on a short jump shot to push the Rams' lead back to two points, but Andy Ogide, who scored a team-high 14 points for Colorado State, broke through Dragovic and Reeves Nelson to score on a layup.

Ogide's basket gave the Rams a 59-55 lead with 7:47 remaining. The Rams scored four points the rest of the way, with two coming on the game's final basket.

"We just got out-toughed in the last eight-nine minutes of the game," Colorado State coach Tim Miles said. "We didn't get the right type of stops."

The key basket during the Bruins' 20-2 run was scored by Michael Roll, who hit a 3-pointer from the left corner with 4:23 on the clock. Roll's basket turned a two-point UCLA lead into a five-point advantage.

"Mike hit that big shot in the corner that was really the key juncture of the game against their zone," Howland said.

Roll missed practice on Monday because he had the stomach flu. Howland tried to limit Roll's minutes, especially when Roll picked up his third foul early in the second half.

The Bruins (4-7) are hoping to use the come-from-behind victory as a lesson learned. They're expecting to be involved in a lot of close games when Pac-10 play begins at the end of the month.

"This was a really good test for us," Lee said. "We really needed something like this just to show the ability that we can come back. We gained that much more experience. At the end, I think this is better for us.

"There are going to be games like this later down the road where we're going to be down. We're going to have to show our character and our passion to come back and keep fighting."

Nelson finished with 15 points while Roll had 11.
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UCLA gets lift from Dragovic in victory over Colorado State
By Jon Gold Staff Writer
The Los Angeles Daily News
Updated: 12/22/2009 11:36:44 PM PST


Nikola Dragovic made one thing clear on Tuesday night: The weight is over.

Bogged down by felony assault charges for more than a month, Dragovic finally made it past the second stage of the process Monday, pleading not guilty in a Los Angeles court. The conversations with lawyers and interviews with investigators were like an albatross around his shoulders, dragging him down even as he tried to lift UCLA.

With all that behind him, Dragovic turned his full attention to the Bruins' contest Tuesday against Colorado State, and it showed in UCLA's 75-63 victory at Pauley Pavilion.

After a middling first half, Dragovic scored 14 of his team-high 17 points in the second, taking over just when UCLA (4-7) needed it most. With less than 12 minutes left, Dragovic made an inside shot, two free throws and a 3-pointer to help trim the Rams' lead to two points.

Then, with less than seven minutes left and Colorado State up four, Dragovic was fouled on a 3-pointer and converted all three shots.

Freshman forward Reeves Nelson came back on the next possession and made two more free throws to put the Bruins up one, and they never trailed again.

"Just by not having to deal with lawyers, having to go to meetings, even think about it, I'm able to put more time into basketball," said Dragovic, who made 5 of 8 shots and all five free throws. "At practice, I don't have any problems. I think it's always been there. I just have to keep working."

Early in the game, nothing was working for the Bruins.

In a two-minute stretch midway through the first half, Colorado State (8-4) went from down three to up five, as UCLA committed turnover after turnover, 12 in total at the half.

"We had a lot of careless mistakes, especially in transition," said sophomore guard Malcolm Lee, who 16 points and seven rebounds in a game-high 39 minutes. We should have had more patience with the ball and capitalized.

"But we learned in the second half and adjusted pretty well."

Late in the second half, the Bruins discovered a gaping hole in the undersized Rams' inside defense, and responded with a 17-4 run to close the game.

With the 6-foot-9 Dragovic working in the post against Colorado State's 6-4 forward Travis Busch, UCLA started to take advantage in the key, scoring 16 second-half points in the paint.

"I just had a shorter man on me, and I told (point guard Jerime Anderson) to look inside," said Dragovic, who entered the game shooting just 27 percent from the field.

"I was able to kind of shoot over him. People usually tell me I don't have that inside game with my back to the rim, but that's why I worked on it this summer.

"Most of the teams try to play small against us, and it's a good thing we can fight back."

For what seems like ages, the Bruins were indeed able to claw their way back from a large deficit.

After the game, the players did not seem proud as much as relieved, simply to get the monkey off their back.

None more so than Dragovic, even if his teammates did not see the off-court issues affect him on the court.

"Nikola's a shooter and he doesn't really let things get into his head," said point guard Jerime Anderson, who had 12 points, seven assists and four rebounds. "He just shoots, and he continues to shoot, and he should always do that. The best thing for him to do is keep shooting, he did tonight and he made the shots we needed."
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Second-half run bails out Bruins

UCLA 75 COLORADO STATE 63 Trailing by eight, they outscore the Rams, 29-9.

The Associated Press
The Press-Enterprise
10:00 PM PST on Tuesday, December 22, 2009

LOS ANGELES - Trailing for most of the night, the UCLA Bruins put on a spirited second-half rally to beat Colorado State, 75-63, Tuesday night at Pauley Pavilion.

Down 54-46 with 11:45 left, the Bruins went on a 29-9 run to surge into the lead and held on. They didn't take the lead for the first time in the second half until freshman Reeves Nelson (15 points) hit two free throws with 6:21 left.

Senior Nikola Dragovic led UCLA with 17 points, and sophomore Malcolm Lee had 16. Lee, who starred at Riverside North, had 29 points in his previous game against Notre Dame. Michael Roll, fighting off the flu, and point guard Jerime Anderson had 11 points each.

"I think they just out-toughed us the last eight-nine minutes," Colorado State coach Tim Miles said. "They shot the three, which is something that this year UCLA is not that good at doing."

The most noticeable area of improvement for UCLA was the Bruins' shooting, as they hit 51.1 percent from the field (24 of 47), 60 percent from three-point range (9 of 15)and 78.3 percent from the free throw line (18 of 23).

The Bruins committed 12 turnovers in the first half, which ended in a 34-34 tie.

UCLA at times used an all-freshman front line of Brendan Lane, Tyler Honeycutt and Nelson.

Colorado State (8-4) was led by Adam Ogide's 14 points. Travis Franklin contributed 13 and Adam Nigon 10.
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COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Bruins find their rhythm late
By Jon Gold, Staff Writer
The San Gabriel Valley Tribune
Posted: 12/22/2009 10:45:35 PM PST


LOS ANGELES - Every once in a while, the UCLA men's basketball team will get into a fast break, start moving the ball, hit the passing lanes and cap it off with a simple layup. Fans will cheer, head coach Ben Howland will nod and all is right in the world.
And then they'll follow that up with a turnover, as they did often against Colorado State on Tuesday and, once again, Bruins boosters will hang their heads.

But as the second half wore on and UCLA started to find some offensive rhythm with six minutes left, Howland and the fans - and even the players - were reminded there is talent lurking in Westwood, even if it has been inconsistent.

UCLA defeated Colorado State 75-63 at Pauley Pavilion despite committing 12 first-half turnovers and 18 for the game.

Sure, there are moments - often created by leading scorer Malcolm Lee, who had 16 points and three 3-pointers - but with such a young team, the good is followed by the bad.

Such is life with six underclassmen in the rotation.

"You just have to really put yourself into games and learn on the run," said UCLA freshman forward Reeves Nelson, who had 15 points and six rebounds for the 4-7 Bruins. "There's not a time to get babied along, especially with the quality of teams we've been playing. You kind of have to take your lumps and learn when you can."

The baby Bruins have had to come to grips with Howland's intense defense and structured offense. Too often, they've lost that grip.

Early in the second half against the Rams, UCLA got into a fast break and Lee appeared headed for an easy bucket. But he lost the ball, the Bruins lost an opportunity to cut into Colorado State's 44-40 lead and the crowd let out a collective groan.
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Men's basketball recap: Bruins rally past Rams, 75-63

Rams' four-game streak snapped at Pauley Pavilion

By Danny Mattie
Athletic Media Relations
The Official CSU Rams Men's Basketball website
Dec. 23, 2009

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The Colorado State men’s basketball team had its four-game win streak snapped Tuesday night, as the UCLA Bruins stormed back from an eight-point second-half deficit, and outscored the Rams 20-4 over the final 7 minutes of the game to defeat CSU, 75-63, in front of 6,755 fans at Pauley Pavilion.

“I thought we played well tonight,” said Head Coach Tim Miles. “We just got out-toughed the last 8-9 minutes of the game. I have to give UCLA credit, we did a lot of things right, but they shot the three well – which is something that they haven’t done this year.”

The Rams used a strong defensive effort and hustle early in the contest to force the Bruins into 19 turnovers. Following an 8-0 run between the 13:51 and 11:45 marks of the second half, the Rams held a 54-46 advantage on the road over one of the top programs in NCAA history.

However, senior F Nikola Dragovic tallied 14 of his game- and season-high 17 points in the final 11:27 to lead the Bruins (4-7) to just their second victory in the past eight contests. The loss moved the Rams to 8-4 with two games left on their non-conference slate.

Junior F Andy Ogide led the Rams with 14 points and six rebounds in the contest, adding two quick scores on back-to-back offensive rebounds to cap that Rams’ 8-0 run. Overall, the Rams were outrebounded 34-26 in the contest, but CSU recorded eight offensive rebounds, three each by Ogide and freshman F Pierce Hornung.

Hornung also added a team-leading four assists in the contest, but fouled out late in the second half with just two points to go along with his four total rebounds.

After coming out of halftime tied, 34-34, junior F Travis Franklin played a key role in the Rams’ run, scoring five of his 13 points in the first 3:12 of the closing stanza. Junior F Adam Nigon also finished in double-figures for the Rams, tallying 10 points.

The Bruins didn’t regain their final lead until the 6:21 mark of the second half, after leading by just one point for only 25 seconds over the first 13 minutes of the second half.

Overall the Rams shot 41 percent for the field, while the Bruins connected on 51 percent of their shots, including a 60 percent (9-for-15) clip from beyond the arc. CSU connected on 5-of-13 attempts from long range, but was just 1-for-4 in the second half.

UCLA hosts Colorado State Rams today; WATCH FREE ON UCLA ALL-ACCESS!

HEADLINES
UCLA Hosts Colorado State On Dec. 22
Next Two Home Games Available On UCLABruins.com

UCLA Hosts Colorado State On Dec. 22

The Bruins are 3-3 all-time against Colorado State, 3-1 against the Rams in Los Angeles and 2-0 in Pauley Pavilion.

Dec. 21, 2009
The Official UCLA Men's Basketball website

GAMEDAY CENTRAL
DATE: Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2009
SITE: Pauley Pavilion (12,819)
TIP-OFF: 7:30 p.m.
TELEVISION: Online only (UCLA All-Access)
RADIO: AM 570 KLAC
SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO: Channel 91
TALENT: Chris Roberts (play-by-play) and Don MacLean (analyst)


BRUIN INJURY REPORT
UCLA senior forward James Keefe suffered a dislocated left shoulder midway through the first half of the Bruins' 100-68 home win over New Mexico State on Dec. 15. His X-rays were negative, but he is slated to be out 2-3 weeks for strengthening and rehabilitation. It is the same shoulder that Keefe had surgery on in August of 2007 to repair a torn labrum that cost him to miss the first 12 games of the 2007-08 season.

SERIES VERSUS COLORADO STATE
This is the 7th meeting between the Colorado State Rams and UCLA with the series tied at 3-3. The Bruins are 3-1 all-time against the Rams in Los Angeles and 2-0 in Pauley Pavilion. Colorado State won the last meeting, coincidentally on Dec. 22, upsetting 18th-ranked UCLA 55-54 in 1999 in the semifinals of the Pearl Harbor Invitational in Laie, Hawaii. The last time Colorado State visited Pauley Pavilion was also coincidentally on Dec. 22, 1979 when the 14th-ranked Bruins defeated an unranked CSU squad, 86-63. UCLA Head Coach Ben Howland has never faced Colorado State.

NEXT TWO GAMES ON UCLA ALL-ACCESS
UCLA All-Access, UCLA Athletics' online multimedia platform, will carry exclusive online video broadcasts of the next two UCLA men's basketball games. There is no telecast for either contest.

The games against Colorado State this Tuesday, December 22 at 7:30 pm and against Delaware State this Sunday, December 27 at 1 pm will be available exclusively on UCLA All-Access. Tuesday's game will be free to everyone while Sunday's game will be part of the subscription package ($9.95 per month).

UCLA All-Access also has live audio coverage all UCLA men's basketball games, along with video from head coach Ben Howland's press conferences.

Click on UCLA All-Access on the front of UCLABruins.com and then click on "Live Events."
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Trip to UCLA a treat for CSU men's basketball team
BY KELLY LYELL
coloradoan.com, The Fort Collins Coloradoan
December 22, 2009

This has been a rough season so far for the UCLA men's basketball team, with coach Ben Howland scrambling to fill holes left by the early departure of six players for the NBA in the past four seasons and the decision by another key player to transfer earlier this month.

The Bruins (3-7) have lost six of their past seven games and are not even in the top 250 teams in the various versions of the Ratings Percentage Index found online, let alone in their usual spot among the nation's Top 25 teams.

"We've got a very young team, so part of our issue is just growing," Howland said Monday. "Our freshmen are getting to play a lot, but they're still getting used to the different level. It's a big jump when you go from high school to major college."

Still, it's UCLA at Pauley Pavilion, and CSU's players can't wait to see how they stack up against a program that has won a record 11 NCAA championships, 10 of them under legendary coach John Wooden, and made three consecutive trips to the Final Four from 2006-08.

"UCLA is somebody we've always grown up looking at,'' Colorado State University freshman forward Greg Smith said Sunday night after the Rams (8-3) defeated Northern Arizona. "We see John Wooden on TV all the time, we see all their championships. They're still a team of prestige."

And even though they're not in the Top 25, as CSU coach Tim Miles predicted they would be when he scheduled this game last spring, they're not a pushover.
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Game notes: CSU basketball travels to UCLA for Tuesday tilt

Rams, Bruins meet for first time in a decade

from The Official Colorado State Rams Men's Basketball website
Dec. 21, 2009

Game 12: Colorado State at UCLA
Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2009 | 7:30 p.m. MT | Los Angeles, Calif. | Pauley Pavilion
(12,819)

Up next
The Colorado State men’s basketball team travels to Los Angeles, Calif., to face off against perennial power UCLA on Tuesday evening at Pauley Pavilion. It is Colorado State’s first game away from the Centennial State since Nov. 20 at Indiana State.

Colorado State (8-3) is coming off of a 64-56 home victory over Northern Arizona on Sunday evening. The win capped a four-game homestand for Colorado State, and pushed CSU’s home win streak to 6-0 to begin the season. Overall, the Rams have won four straight, and six of seven dating back to their loss at Indiana State.

UCLA enters Tuesday’s matchup with an overall record of 3-7, and is coming off of an 84-73 loss at Notre Dame on Saturday afternoon. Overall the Bruins have lost six of their last seven dating back to a Nov. 23 home victory over Pepperdine.

Tipoff between the Rams and the Bruins is set for 8:30 p.m. MT historic Pauley Pavilion.

Fans can listen to the action live on the Colorado State Sports Network. Jerry Schemmel will call all the action courtside. The game will be carried on flagship KLZ (560 AM) in Denver and on KCOL (600 AM), locally. Rams fans worldwide can listen to the action live streaming on CSURams.com/allaccess.

Live statistics are available by clicking the “GameTracker” logo on the men’s basketball “Schedule/Results” page on CSURams.com.

Streaming video will also be available, free of charge. Fans can view the video stream by clicking on the “All-Access” button on the front page of UCLABruins.com, and selecting the contest from the “Live Events” tab.

About the Bruins
UCLA enters Tuesday’s contest with an overall record of 3-7 record, but the Bruins are 3-2 at the Pauley Pavilion on the seasons. On Saturday, the Bruins fell at Notre Dame, 84-73, their sixth loss in the past seven games. Despite the poor start, however, UCLA remains one of the most storied programs in NCAA history, winning more national championships than any other team.

Head Coach Ben Howland enters Tuesday with a 155-61 record in his seven seasons in Los Angeles. The Bruins have 10 players back from last year’s squad, who made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and finished the season ranked No. 18 in both the AP and USA Today polls.

Still, Howland leads a young team made up of just two juniors and three seniors on the 18-player roster. Sophomore Malcolm Lee leads the Bruins with 15.1 points per game. Following Lee is senior Michael Roll (14.5 points). UCLA’s top three point scorers are all shooting better than 45 percent from the floor, including Reeves Nelson (60.7 percent).

Series vs. UCLA
The Rams and Bruins will meet for the first time in exactly a decade. The teams have each won three games in the series, with CSU winning the most recent, a 55-54 victory at the Pearl Harbor Classic on Dec. 22, 1999. The Rams are 1-3 playing in Los Angeles, with their only win, a 69-68 decision, coming in during the 1961-62 season against legendary coach John Wooden. UCLA reached the Final 4 that season, losing to eventual champion Cincinnati in the national semifinals.

Strong at home
With a win Sunday against Northern Arizona, the Rams improved to 6-0 at Moby Arena to start the season. The Rams won just six home games all last season, and just three the season before.

Through the years, however, Moby Arena has been a tough environment for opposing teams. CSU has won 70 percent (435-188) of its games at Moby Arena. Since the 2002-03 season, the Rams have had several winning streaks to start their home season: 2002-03, 13 consecutive; 2004-05, 9; 2005-06, 8; and 2006-07, 6.

Hot start
Coach Miles has led the Rams to an 8-3 start to open the 2009-10 season, the best start for CSU through 11 games since the 2006-07 season (9-2). The Rams are now just one win shy of their entire win total from the 2008-09 season.

Rams win streaks
With Colorado State’s 64-56 victory Sunday night against Northern Arizona, the Rams established a new high for consecutive wins in the Tim Miles era (four straight) and improved to 6-0 at home to start the season. The Rams’ four consecutive victories are the most by a CSU squad since the 2006-07 team rattled off nine straight victories. During that stretch, the Rams have picked up home victories against Denver (64-59), Colorado (77-62), Montana (62-61) and NAU. CSU’s home win streak also includes victories over Mayville State (79-42) and San Francisco (91-75, 2ot).

Rams on the road
Colorado State visits UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion in search of the Rams’ first non-conference road victory since a 74-58 victory over host Hawaii on Dec. 27, 2008, in the Rainbow Classic. The Rams have lost their last two non-conference road games, falling at Oregon (68-55) in the BTI Tip-off tournament championship on Nov. 15, and at Indiana State (65-60) in the MWC/MVC challenge on Nov. 20. CSU’s last overall road victory came last season at Air Force, a 71-66 triumph, on Feb. 21, 2009.

CSU Rams Freshman G Dorian Green (photo from CSU Rams Men's Basketball website)

Standing out during the streak
During Colorado State’s four-game winning streak no players have stood out more for the Rams than freshman G Dorian Green, junior F Travis Franklin, and junior G Adam Nigon. Green had led the team in scoring at 16.5 points per game, while averaging 3.8 rebounds per contest. Franklin ranks right behind Green, pouring in 15.5 points per game. He leads the team in rebounding at 5.8 per contest. The duo has combined to hit 48 of 66 attempts from the free-throw line during that stretch. Nigon, who entered this season with a career scoring average of 2.9 ppg., is also in double-figures scoring at a clip of 10.3 points per game during the Rams’ winning streak. He is leading the Rams in three-point shooting, hitting 8-of-17 attempts for a .471 percentage. Green is the only other player to hit a trey for the Rams during that stretch, hitting 40 percent (8-for-20) from beyond the arc. Nigon also leads the Rams in assists during CSU’s streak, dishing out 12 helpers, more than double any other player on the team.

To continue reading the Rams' game notes, click here.
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Rams have date at Pauley Pavilion vs. UCLA
By Natalie Meisler
The Denver Post
Posted: 12/22/2009 01:00:00 AM MST

FORT COLLINS — Considering that Adam Nigon spent his freshman year on the Colorado State intramurals courts, venues don't get any bigger than tonight's game at UCLA's fabled Pauley Pavilion.

That's against 3-7 UCLA, by the way, owner of the worst nonleague record in the Pac-10. The Bruins are struggling after losing two players to the NBA last spring and another, center Drew Gordon, who recently quit the team. Never mind that UCLA won 26 games last season and appeared in the previous three Final Fours.

These aren't exactly John Wooden's Bruins. Still, it's Pauley Pavilion, where 11 national championship banners hang.

"It's great. I'm excited," said Nigon, a senior from Broomfield. "That's like basketball heaven, where it all began. At the same time I can't get in awe of everything. We have to come out and compete."

This is Nigon's kind of game. It isn't his job to fill it up. All he has to do is scrap for every loose ball, steal and rebound. That is how the former walk-on earned a scholarship and a spot in CSU's starting lineup.

"We know it's a tough game," Nigon said, "but they are beatable if we come out and play like we did against Colorado, with the same energy."

The Rams (8-3) defeated UCLA the last time the teams met — 10 years ago today at a tournament in Hawaii. How-ever, CSU's only win in an opponent's gym during the coach Tim Miles era came late last season at Air Force.

Besides understandable losses to Notre Dame and Kansas, UCLA has lost to Cal State Fullerton, Portland, Long Beach State and Butler. The Bruins showed glimpses of the UCLA teams of old, venting frustration with a 100-68 walloping of New Mexico State.

"UCLA is still UCLA," said CSU forward Travis Franklin, who is showing signs of a breakout season. "They still have a great coach (Ben Howland) and team."

Added Miles, "It should be a great experience for us."

Coach Ben: Having to rebuild twice in the same school

Strange days, indeed, for Howland
Ramona Shelburne, Writer and Columnist
ESPN Los Angeles
Updated: December 21, 2009, 2:56 PM ET

He has been here before: the losing, the booing, the whispers as soon as he leaves the room.

But this place is usually the beginning. The bottom rung of a new ladder he has been hired to climb, not seven years in and not after one of the most successful three-season runs in modern college basketball.

So this place is weird for UCLA basketball coach Ben Howland. This 3-7 start, this recently ended five-game losing streak, this getting booed off the court with John Wooden sitting along the sidelines -- this is weird.

Frustrating and uncomfortable and strange. And yet on this mid-December afternoon, he seemed more relaxed than I've seen him in years.

"It's frustrating to lose. It's hard. It's against what our expectations are at UCLA," Howland said, leaning back on the leather couch inside his office overlooking Pauley Pavilion.

"But at the same time I'm trying to be positive with our players and keep working hard to improve," he said. "It's tough on the players to lose. They hear about it from everybody, from their friends. They don't need me to beat them up. We just need to get better and to work harder.

"My big thing is to know that every day we're doing our best when we're in there on the floor, focusing on preparation for the game."

Howland, of course, is always prepared. By the Monday of a week during Pacific-10 play, he can quote off the top of his head the statistics and scouting reports for every opposing player UCLA will face that weekend.

Within hours of every game he has already watched it on the flat-screen television in his office and made notes to give the team in the morning.

Most nights after games he gets home late, several hours after his wife, Kim, has gone to bed. Every once in a while, she'll wait up and make him something to eat.

The other night, after UCLA routed New Mexico State 100-68 to snap an awful five-game losing streak, Howland called home after watching the first half of the game and told his wife he'd be there in 10 minutes. She was still up, so she cooked him some eggs.

"She normally goes to sleep early," he said. "She doesn't always wait up."

This is not a normal season, though. And a win over a team the likes of New Mexico State isn't normally such a big deal.

After winning three straight Pac-10 titles and advancing to three straight Final Fours, the toll of having future first-round NBA draft picks Jordan Farmar, Arron Afflalo, Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook and Jrue Holiday leave school early has caught up to the Bruins.

The early-season transfer of sophomore center Drew Gordon, the arrest of senior guard Nikola Dragovic, a rash of injuries in the preseason and some underperforming upperclassmen made what was already going to be a rebuilding year into a salvage project.

Which Howland has done before. At Northern Arizona, his first head coaching stop, he took the Lumberjacks from 16-35 in his first two seasons to three straight 20-plus-win seasons and an NCAA tournament appearance. At Pittsburgh, he took the Panthers from 13-15 in his first season (1999-2000) to back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances in 2002 and 2003. Those successes, and his Southern California roots, got him the job at UCLA in 2003. Howland went 11-17 in his first season, then took off. By his third season, UCLA was back in the Final Four. By his fourth season, people were talking about a new Bruins dynasty. By his fifth season, everyone was spoiled.

In today's one-and-done era of college hoops, that kind of run seemed next to impossible. But for three straight years Howland got the Bruins to the Final Four by playing the kind of hard-nosed, rugged brand of ball normally associated with the Big East. Each season the stars changed; each season UCLA kept winning. Which made you think it could keep happening as long as the stars kept coming to Westwood, no matter how many of them left early.

It's hard to say exactly how that system broke down this season. Whether it's as simple as too many players leaving too early, or the stars recruited to replace them not actually turning out to be stars.

UCLA's 2008 recruiting class of Holiday, Gordon, Jerime Anderson, Malcolm Lee and J'Mison Morgan was ranked No. 1 in the country by most recruiting services. This season's freshmen -- Tyler Honeycutt, Reeves Nelson, Brendan Lane, Anthony Stover and Mike Moser -- have generally been regarded as a top-five class.

But outside of Holiday -- who left after one season and was drafted 17th overall by the Philadelphia 76ers -- none of those players has distinguished himself yet.

"It definitely surprised us," said Honeycutt, a rangy 6-foot-7 forward who missed the entire preseason and the first six games with a stress reaction in his shin and a sore back. "We knew we were going to come into this season being young, but also very athletic and long. We definitely didn't think we were going to go on a five-game losing streak. That was disappointing. We thought we were better than this, because in practice we have great practices. It just wasn't clicking."

Though it's early in the season, the losing has not set well with UCLA's rabid fan base. During losses to Portland, Butler and Long Beach State at the 76 Classic in Anaheim, things got bad quickly.

"I couldn't believe it," Honeycutt said. "I look up in the stands and see this guy with a UCLA jersey on and he had a trash bag on his head. I was like, 'Wow & a trash bag? That was quick.'"

It got even worse at the Wooden Classic in Anaheim two weeks later. With the legendary UCLA coach, now 99 years old, making a rare public appearance, the Bruins were booed off the court after a 72-54 loss to Mississippi State.

Howland grimaced but kept his composure. Deep down, he knows his players are still young, that he must have patience, that if he can just persuade them to stay positive and "do their very best" every time they take the floor, things will eventually turn around.

"I understand it," he said. "People love UCLA, they love UCLA basketball, the highest expectations are here and when they're not being met, it's hard.

"It's not fun to be booed by your own fans. But it is what it is. The way we played in the first half against Mississippi State, we probably deserved to be booed because we played poorly. That's kinda how I look at it."

Howland said he never really sleeps that well. Six or seven hours most nights, and never very soundly. Falling asleep is the hardest part, so he reads the paper or watches TV for a while before trying to relax enough to let the day go.

Winning usually helps that process, but not always, and not this season -- yet.

Even after a win, even after his wife has stayed up to make him eggs at midnight, even after his team -- for one night at least -- showed the potential to turn this season around, sleep came reluctantly for Howland on Tuesday.

"You never leave it as a coach," he said. "Everything is going on in your head.

"We have a lot of young kids, so you have to be patient. It's hard, but sometimes you have to go through this. I've done it before, usually at the beginning of a job, not in the seventh year. There's a multitude of reasons why we are where we are, but at the end of the day we've got to be better than we've been playing."

Eventually, Howland drifts off to sleep. The solutions are not yet ready to reveal themselves.

Another night, perhaps.

Patience has always been one of his underrated virtues.

For this article and a video of slavin commenting on UCLA basketball on ESPN Los Angeles, click here.

Drago pleads not guilty

UCLA basketball player Nikola Dragovic pleads not guilty to assault charge

By WIRE SERVICES
The Los Angeles Independent
Story Published: Dec 21, 2009 at 12:37 PM PST
Story Updated: Dec 21, 2009 at 12:38 PM PST

UCLA basketball player Nikola Dragovic -- who is accused of knocking a man into a glass display case after a concert in Hollywood -- pleaded not guilty Monday to a felony assault charge.

Dragovic, 22, and a 21-year-old friend, Aleksandar Stanisic, were each charged last month with one count of each assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury.

Dragovic -- a 6-foot-9-inch forward from Serbia, additionally faces an allegation of personal infliction of great bodily injury.

Stanisic allegedly got into a dispute with another man and his girlfriend during an Oct. 24 concert at the Henry Fonda Theater in Hollywood, and Dragovic is accused of rushing the victim and knocking him into a glass display after the concert.

The glass shattered on the man, lacerating his Achilles tendon, according to the District Attorney's Office, which alleges that Stanisic then began punching the man until security officers and bystanders broke up the fight.

But Dragovic's attorney, Jon Artz, told reporters outside court, "The evidence is mounting in the case that the alleged victim was the aggressor.''

The defense lawyer alleged the man confronted Stanisic and slapped him on the face, and said a witness reported that the alleged victim threatened Dragovic and Stanisic in Serbian before the basketball player and his friend decided to leave.

The final confrontation occurred downstairs after the alleged victim showed up at the front door while Dragovic and his friend were waiting for their car, according to Artz.

"It's clearly a case of self-defense,'' Dragovic's attorney said, maintaining that he is confident that the charges will either be dismissed or that the two will be acquitted if the case goes to trial.

Both men, who are free on bail, are due back at the downtown Los Angeles courthouse on Feb. 1. A date is scheduled to be set then for a hearing to determine if there is enough evidence to require them to stand trial.

Josh Smith: "I'm playing next week"

Smith believes he will be ready to play for his high school team, the Kentwood HS Conquerors, in the T-Mobile Invitational in Birmingham, Ala next week. Although Coach Michael Angelidis was not as confident:

(from second article below)

"Kentwood (2-3, 2-3 SPSL North) has now lost two of the three games it has played without Smith, a 6-foot-10 UCLA recruit.

Smith – who served as team water boy during timeouts – said that he plans to resume basketball activities on Monday.

Kentwood coach Michael Angelidis was noncommittal.

“We don’t know. I’m not a doctor,” Angelidis said. “Different people heal faster.”"

Don't rush it, Josh! It's a young season! We need you next year at UCLA! (Did I say we need you at UCLA?)


video credit ballislife.com

Josh Smith says he's available next week
Posted by Sandy Ringer
High School Sports Blog
The Seattle Times
December 18, 2009 at 7:31 PM

I'm here at Kentwood, where the eighth-ranked Conquerors will be taking on No. 7 Kentridge in a few minutes.

Josh Smith, Kentwood's 6-foot-10 star who has signed with UCLA, will not play. He's been standing under the Kentwood basket in sweats and a letterman's jacket, walking with a stiff right leg -- apparently in a knee brace. He suffered what is believed to be a partially torn patellar tendon a week and a half ago.

I asked Smith when he would be ready to go and he said, "Next week."

That means he should be ready to play in the T-Mobile Invitational Dec. 29-30 in Birmingham, Ala. The Conquerors don't have another game before then.

Kentwood struggled mightily without Smith on Tuesday, falling 65-37 to Jefferson. That same night, Kentridge lost to Auburn Riverside in double-overtime, 93-82 -- despite 55 points by junior guard Gary Bell, a South Puget Sound League record.

It will be interesting to see how Bell follows up that performance tonight.
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Rasmussen’s hot hand lifts Kentridge

PREPS: Senior’s 3-point barrage helps Chargers pull out 65-57 win at Kentwood

By MIKE CURTO
For The News Tribune
12/19/09 12:05 am

Even with the West Coast’s best big man on the bench with a knee injury, Kentridge vs. Kentwood lived up to the hype.

With Kentwood’s Josh Smith in street clothes and Kentridge’s Gary Bell “held” to 23 points after scoring 55 on Tuesday, it was Kentridge senior Craig Rasmussen who led the Chargers to a 65-57 victory on Friday night at Kentwood High.

Rasmussen scored 14 of his career-high 20 points in the fourth quarter, draining four 3-pointers during a three-minute span as Kentridge pulled away.

“I’d been in a slump the last few games, but I caught fire tonight,” Rasmussen said. “I’ve been staying after practice for another half hour.”

The extra work paid off. Rasmussen was 6-for-7 on 3-pointers, and he finished 1-of-2 from inside the arc to go a combined 7-for-9 from the floor.

It was a great feeling for the 6-foot-3 senior.

“You get pumped. All the crowd is yelling for you – you get sky-high,” Rasmussen said.

Kentridge coach Dave Jamison had seen it all before.

“Once he feels it, they’re going in – and all of those were right in the middle (of the rim),” Jamison said. “He can do that. He’s done that since he came into the program. When he was a sophomore on JV, he’d have games where he’d just go nuts.”

Rasmussen’s hot hand was a nice sight for Kentridge fans who saw top shooting guard recruit Gary Bell score a league-record 55 points on Tuesday in a loss to Auburn-Riverside.

Jamison called a team meeting after Tuesday’s game.

“We’ve got other kids who can play,” Jamison said. “I wanted to make sure there wasn’t any doubt about where we were headed and how we felt about each other as a team.”

Against Kentwood, Bell scored 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting. He also pulled down six rebounds and dished out five assists.

Bell is being recruited by most Pacific-10 Conference schools, plus Portland.

California assistant coach Jay John was in attendance Friday.

Kentwood (2-3, 2-3 SPSL North) has now lost two of the three games it has played without Smith, a 6-foot-10 UCLA recruit.

Smith – who served as team water boy during timeouts – said that he plans to resume basketball activities on Monday.

Kentwood coach Michael Angelidis was noncommittal.

“We don’t know. I’m not a doctor,” Angelidis said. “Different people heal faster.”

Smith’s questionable status made preparation difficult for Kentridge (4-2 overall, 4-2 SPSL North).

“We weren’t exactly sure he wasn’t going to play,” Jamison said. “I thought he was going to pull a Willis Reed on us and run out there and start playing.

“We didn’t really know how to prepare for them without Josh,” he added. “They ran a few plays tonight that we’ve never seen before.”

Kentwood senior Tre Tyler picked up the scoring slack, pouring in 18 points.

Junior forward Jason Boyce added 15 points, and Mikell Everette scored 11.

“I thought we played 27 minutes of great basketball and then in a span of three minutes, we just didn’t defend as well, and they hit some really big shots,” Angelidis said.

Kentridge led 44-43 when Rasmussen connected from the left corner with 5 minutes, 7 seconds to play.

Rasmussen hit three more treys during an 16-6 scoring spurt that saw Kentridge take a 62-49 lead.