UCLA's No. 1 class no guarantee of success

UCLA's No. 1 class no guarantee of success

By Diamond Leung
College Basketball Nation Blog
ESPN.com
September, 6, 2011 2:52 PM ET




UCLA coach Ben Howland told Andy Katz that guard Jerime Anderson will miss a few games after being arrested in July in connection with the theft of a laptop. While that means Anderson is expected to be sidelined for more than the team's regular-season opener, as had been previously announced, it also puts the senior on track for possible reinstatement by the time the Bruins leave for Hawaii to play in the championship round of the Maui Invitational and open with Chaminade.

That will be big for a team that is short on guards. But discussion of the suspension status of the last remaining member of the nation's top-ranked recruiting class of 2008 heading into the senior year was far from what was expected.

When UCLA brought in five top-50 recruits coming off a third straight Final Four appearance, there were expectations that more big-time success was on the way for Howland.

Thus far, those recruits have combined to win two NCAA tournament games, and the two McDonald's All-Americans in the group -- Jrue Holiday and Malcolm Lee -- ended up becoming NBA draft picks.

But Holiday left after one so-so season, and Lee perhaps bolted too early and became a second-round pick rather than bolster a Bruins roster for this coming season.

Drew Gordon clashed with Howland and left the program midseason before transferring to New Mexico. J'mison Morgan was dismissed from the team and went to Baylor.

Anderson had been a disappointment for UCLA because of his inability to hold a starting job, and it's his off-the-court incident that generated bad offseason headlines.

It was a long time ago when the five-player class looked so cheerful the day it posed for pictures for a feature story in UCLA Magazine called "Hoop Dreams."

When asked a serious question about team goals, however, all five freshmen adamantly agree: Nothing short of a Pac-10 championship, followed by an NCAA national championship, will do.

"That's the goal here at UCLA, period, for any sport to win the national championship, you know? It's not just us," Anderson says. "I want to see that happen for the seniors, who've been there three times in a row. Definitely, that's what I want to see."

Now it will be left up to Anderson, who after serving his suspension will get one final chance at achieving what the group originally set out to do.

Howland on UCLA: 'We have momentum'

Howland on UCLA: 'We have momentum'

Andy Katz Blog
ESPN.com
September, 6, 2011 2:07 PM ET



UCLA coach Ben Howland snuck away over the weekend for a fishing trip to Jackson Hole, Wyo., one last attempt to clear his mind before the grind of the season begins again.

Once back on campus this week, Howland can begin to prepare for one of the most unique seasons in program history.

The Bruins will be a nomadic bunch with Pauley Pavilion undergoing a thorough renovation that is expected to transform the historic facility into a much more modern entertainment venue. Pauley had become outdated, with very few perks for coaches, players or fans.

UCLA will be out of the building for practice and games, playing four games at Anaheim's Honda Center and 14 games at the Los Angeles Sports Arena, the former home of USC and the Clippers. The road slate stretches from competing in the loaded Maui Invitational to playing at St. John's in mid-February.

It'll be a challenge, but the Bruins do seem to be a more focused group, and at the very least, are more experienced.

Howland is as pumped for this season to begin as any since UCLA played in its last of three straight Final Fours in 2008.

"I'm really excited and I think this team has a chance to do something really good this year," Howland said. "And we're going to have to be tough without playing a true home game on campus. But I'm really looking forward to this."

The Bruins are two seasons removed from not making the NCAA tournament in 2010 with a stunningly pedestrian sub-.500 record overall (14-18) and in the Pac-10 (8-10).

While the talent influx didn't change dramatically a season ago, the mentality did, and the Bruins were able to finish second in the Pac-10 (13-5, 23-11 overall) and then knocked off Michigan State in the NCAA tournament before losing a tight one to Florida in Tampa.

The good vibes were stunted a bit in the offseason when two players who would have likely been studs this season (Tyler Honeycutt and Malcolm Lee) opted for the NBA draft -- and were both picked in the second round. Then in July, guard Jerime Anderson was arrested for computer theft. Howland said Anderson will miss a few games as a result.

Still, despite the departures of Honeycutt and Lee and Anderson's arrest, the Bruins are trending upward, according to Howland. So much so that the ninth-year coach fully expects them to be in the mix for the new Pac-12 title with Cal, Arizona and Washington (toss in dark horse Oregon if you'd like).

The reason is that the Bruins have their deepest and best frontcourt of the past three years, certainly since Kevin Love left for the NBA.

Potentially dominating low-post threat Josh Smith returns as a sophomore, and he'll have plenty of help inside with North Carolina transfers David and Travis Wear (a gritty pair of forwards), joining Reeves Nelson and Anthony Stover. Nelson doesn't mind hurling his body around, while Stover is more of a defensive presence.

Howland said he might play one of the Wear twins at the 3 to have a taller and even more frontcourt-oriented starting lineup.

"We will put the best five players on the floor and four of the best players [may be forwards]," Howland said. "[The Wears] are really good passers, good shooters, and Josh can really manage a lot of the attention and open up a lot of opportunities for the other players. The Wears are really improved, physically and athletically. They're going to be really good."

Had Honeycutt and Lee stayed, the Bruins would almost certainly have started the season in the top 10. Still, UCLA should be a fringe top-25 preseason team and will likely be in the mix shortly thereafter unless Maui turns out to be a disaster.

The backcourt will lean heavily on point guard Lazeric Jones to push tempo with Tyler Lamb, freshman Norman Powell and JC guard De'End Parker -- who will quite simply be asked to make shots -- as the four starting the season in the rotation. Anderson will factor in there once he's off a to-be-announced suspension.

Howland has former North Carolina point guard Larry Drew II sitting out this season and working out with the team. Drew II quit on the Tar Heels in February in the middle of the ACC season, but apparently he's been committed to UCLA since he arrived and has shown no signs of unhappiness.

"He's so glad to be home," Howland said of Drew II. "He's very quick and has great quickness. He's been well-coached and has been really good with our guys. I'm excited that he's here."

Of course, this is a lot of the same preseason talk we hear every year from all corners of the country. But the Bruins didn't have the same sort of mojo the past two seasons. The timing of the Pauley renovations should be fine for the Bruins because this roster is better-suited to handle the disruptions. A new tape room, weight room, floor, state-of-the-art scoreboard and refurbished concourse are much-needed and welcomed in Westwood.

UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero, keenly aware that UCLA fans don't like to travel much -- let alone down the 405 in traffic -- will at least alleviate some of the problems by offering bus service from Westwood to the games in Anaheim and downtown Los Angeles. The fans will still be in traffic, but at least they won't be in their own cars.

What they'll see on the court when they get there might not be a national-title contender, but it should be a squad that has the goods to contend for a Pac-12 title. And that's the first step toward building the Bruins back up after three straight trips to the Final Four were followed by a combined two NCAA tournament wins in the next three seasons.

"There's no question we have momentum," Howland said. "I'm really looking forward to this season."

Shabazz Muhammad DESTROYS Summer Competition; #1 Ranked Player In Nation! Summer Mixtape

Shabazz Muhammad DESTROYS Summer Competition; #1 Ranked Player In Nation! Summer Mixtape

Added by Arek Kissoyan
ballislife.com
September 3, 2011 at 5:19am


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Shabazz Muhammad Showing OUT at Boost Mobile Elite 24!

Shabazz Muhammad Showing OUT at Boost Mobile Elite 24!

Added by Arek Kissoyan
ballislife.com
August 29, 2011 at 2:24pm

shabazz/ballislife

Exclusive: Muhammad, Anderson Talking about Combining at UCLA

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Shabazz/hoopmixtape.com/youtube


Kyle/TheHoopGroup/youtube


Exclusive: Muhammad, Anderson Talking about Combining at UCLA

A pair of Five-Star rated 2012 standouts mull decision of becoming future teammates

By Adam Zagoria Special to Fivestarbasketball.com
August 26, 2011 2:47pm ET

Will superstars Kyle Anderson and Shabazz Muhammad combine forces at UCLA next fall?

Shabazz Muhammad and Kyle Anderson are together this weekend at the Boost Mobile Elite 24 game in Venice Beach, Calif.

And if you don't think the two elite prospects have talked about playing with one another in college, think again.

"We're thinking about it a lot," the 6-foot-8 Anderson from St. Anthony said Friday afternoon by phone from the event. "I mean, we're thinking about it. I don't know how far it will go, but there's a definitely a possibility it could happen."

Asked if UCLA was the only potential landing spot for both players, Anderson said, "Yes."

Muhammad, a 6-6 shooting guard from Las Vegas Bishop Gorman ranked No. 1 in the Class of 2012, also said the dynamic duo have developed a strong friendship and have discussed playing together with the Bruins.

"Kyle, me and him really want to play together in college," Muhammad said. "Just building a relationship with these guys, trying to build up a team for college. We need guys to go with me so our team can be a national championship contender."

Asked about the UCLA possibility, Muhammad added, "Yeah, I think it's an option. We've been really talking about that. Pretty much he's like my best friend now, so I'm always hanging around with him. We're just talking about UCLA, what other schools he likes, what other schools I like."

Anderson lists UCLA, Seton Hall, St. John's, Georgetown and Florida and is due to announce Sept. 20.

A source close to Anderson recently said that UCLA and St. John's "stand out" because of where they're situated.

"Yes, because of their location," the source said. "Both being in large media markets."

Still, publicly, Anderson won't give anything up.

"I don't have any favorites," he said Friday.

Anderon's older sister, Brittany, checked out the UCLA campus earlier this week en route to the Boost Mobile game, but Anderson himself did not go. He has already been there twice.

Muhammad and Anderson shared a recent visit to UCLA with 6-8 Shaq Goodwin of Atlanta and 6-5 UCLA pledge Jordan Adams of Oak Hill Academy.

UCLA coach Ben Howland has talked to the group about forming a potential monster 2012 recruiting class for the Bruins.

"Yeah, yeah, he does," Anderson said. "He definitely does. He tells us every time we come into the office. Just a great class we could have with us four and how the arena's going to be renovated by the time we're freshmen so he definitely talks about it a lot with us."

Muhammad echoed those sentiments from Howland.

"Yeah, he talks about it all the time," Muhammad said. "He talks about that all the time. Coach Howland's a great guy. He's trying to really get good players, and he's already got guys who are good already, Jordan Adams [and Findlay Prep point guard Dominic Artis]. He's gotten guys in there, he's working on more. He's a really good coach, and I really like UCLA and their program."

Still, Muhammad said as many as 13 or 14 schools are currently on his list, with USC, Arizona, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, Memphis, Texas and UNLV among those in the mix.

The only official visit he has set is to Kentucky for Big Blue Madness Oct. 15.

"I haven't cut it yet," Muhammad said of his list. "My list is pretty big. I'm probably going to cut it in a couple weeks, to seven."

Fact or Fiction: Darren Collison is the answer at PG for the Pacers

BDAsportsIntl/youtube


Will the Indiana Pacers break out?

ESPN.com and the TrueHoop Network
Originally Published: August 23, 2011

5-on-5: The Central's second-best team is looking to get in the postseason habit


Danny Granger's PER of 17.89 ranked 55th in the NBA last season, tops among the Indiana Pacers. Granger stands as the cornerstone of the Indiana Pacers franchise, even as his field goal percentage and PER again declined from his performance in the 2008-09 season.

Will the Pacers' complementary pieces improve, giving the Pacers hope for advancing past the first round for the first time since 2004-05?

We continue our Central Division tour with a look at the youthful Indiana Pacers, the No. 8 East playoff seed last April that impressed with a spirited effort in a five-game, first-round exit at the hands of the regular-season champ Chicago Bulls.


1. Fact or Fiction: Darren Collison is the answer at PG.

Tim Donahue, Eight Points, Nine Seconds: Fiction. Darren Collison may be an answer at the point, but not the answer. His offensive game suffered greatly from the lack of a quality pick-and-roll/pick-and-pop partner, but the permanent problems are his size and his defense. That being said, a Collison/George Hill combo is good enough to allow the Pacers to focus on other needs first.

John Hollinger, ESPN.com: Fact, sort of. Teams have won big with worse point guards, and I certainly wouldn't call him a liability. But Collison by himself isn't a difference-maker, even if the Pacers can convince him to convert some of those 22-foot 2s of which he's so fond into 3-pointers -- he's small and doesn't see the floor well.

Jonathan Santiago, Cowbell Kingdom: Fiction. If the Pacers were completely sold on Collison, would they have traded for George Hill? Probably not.

Danny Savitzky, Nets Are Scorching: Fact. Collison is a perfect complement to a rebuilding project like the Pacers. He's an excellent passer and can score to some degree, but he's unselfish enough that there isn't going to be any Russell Westbrook thing going on when he gets better. Playing under Chris Paul did him a world of good.

Jared Wade, Eight Points, Nine Seconds: Fiction. Collison struggled until Jim O'Brien was canned so I do expect improvement. But he is a young, quick point who should have flourished running a fast-paced offense for a team devoid of leadership. Instead, during his second season, he dropped off statistically in all the categories that matter and tallied double-digit assists in just four games.

To read the rest of this article, click here.

Locked-out NBA players pick it up at UCLA

Thanks to bruintennis for posting this on Bruin Zone.

Former UCLA players Jordan Farmar of the Nets and Jrue Holiday of the 76ers are spending the NBA lockout in different ways: Farmar is playing in Israel while Holiday is staying closer to home and working out at UCLA. (Jeanna Duerscherl / Associated Press)



Locked-out NBA players pick it up at UCLA

Games at Student Activities Center have been a hot summer draw for decades, and labor uncertainty has expanded their importance. Jrue Holiday and Carmelo Anthony, among others, have taken part.


By Lisa Dillman
The Los Angeles Times
8:00 PM PDT, August 29, 2011



Found: Evidence that a current NBA player is not talking about packing away his talent and taking it overseas if the league-imposed lockout should continue.

Jrue Holiday, pioneer.

Kidding aside — yes, there have been others willing to wait it out and not add to their frequent flier accounts — Holiday said Monday at UCLA that he has no interest in going elsewhere.

"I don't want to go overseas," he said. "I'm not going anywhere. That's pretty much it. I'm more of a homebody."

The benefits of being close to home were front and center for Philadelphia's point guard. Holiday, who played for the Bruins, was getting ready to play in one of the intense games going on in the afternoon on the second floor of UCLA's Student Activities Center.

"Really just chilling and trying to communicate with my teammates and see where we are at," Holiday said. "Just because when, if, the league comes back, we want to start off on a good foot. I know a lot of the guys on the team are out here right now."

This slice of hoop heaven has been a hot summer draw for decades for NBAers wanting to keep an edge and dates back to the Magic Johnson era. The ongoing NBA labor uncertainty has only helped expand the power base in Westwood.

Last week, the likes of Carmelo Anthony, J.R. Smith and Russell Westbrook were at UCLA, and there were enough NBA players on hand to hold a players' association meeting, according to Adam Mills, the long-time organizer of these games.

On Monday, Mills was busy putting games together on the fly with the air of an affable maitre d', accommodating the request of the eight-player 76ers' contingent to play on the same team. ("Most of the contract guys are here," Holiday said.)

Timberwolves draft pick Derrick Williams was a late arrival, meaning that Mills was doing some last-second adjusting to the lineups. The Clippers' Eric Bledsoe was back at the UCLA games for the second time and said he planned on returning in the future. Bledsoe said he worked out a bit with Clippers teammate and rookie of the year Blake Griffin.

"A lot of ball handling," Bledsoe said. "It was good working with him. Keep the team chemistry going."

Big man Louis Amundson of the Warriors has been coming to the gym at UCLA for the last few years. He played in Phoenix for two seasons before signing with Golden State almost a year ago.

"It's good. Sometimes it's hit or miss," Amundson said. "You come on better days than others. But I think for something that is more or less unorganized — guys just kind of show up — it is a pretty decent run. I try to get up here every day or at least three times a week."

Like many of his colleagues, Amundson is pondering his future.

"I'm just going to hope for the best and weigh my options as we get a little bit closer to the season and see how it's looking," he said. "There's nothing you can really do. All you can do is sit back, hope it gets taken care of and be prepared because once they do come to an agreement, it's going to start real quick."

Holiday is living with his parents, and Amundson said he has been fiscally prudent. Then again, he was that way even before the lockout.

"I don't really live beyond my means — I don't have four or five cars," he said, chuckling. "I'm not too worried about it affecting me. But I've been saving my money, making sure I have cash in the bank before this thing started."