One Fan's UCLA Basketball Blog

Huge Game at Pauley Today

2011-02-26T12:34:00.000-08:00

Today's game at Pauley Pavilion is perhaps as big a game the Bruins have had in the last three seasons. UCLA will take on the Arizona Wildcats with first place on the line. If the Bruins want to have any chance to win the regular season conference championship (something that was unfathomable early in the year), they will need to pull out a win today.

Beyond just the game itself, today is also important because this will be the last time the Bruins men's team plays in Pauley before its renovation. The team will spend next season playing "home" games at different venues, and then the new Pauley is set to reopen in Fall 2012. Hopefully, the Bruins can close out "old" Pauley with a good win this afternoon.

I expect Pauley to be full of energy today, which I hope will translate to a 40-minute effort from our Bruins. Anything less than this will make a victory against a tough Arizona team extremely difficult. I'm looking forward to the game!

Go Bruins!

RIP Coach Wooden

2010-06-04T23:48:00.000-07:00

Coach John Wooden passed away at 6:45 pm today. He made this world a better place while he was here, and he will be missed. My condolences go out to his family.

UCLA has a huge media release and tribute page with biographical information, quotes by him and about him, and video.

Here are some of my favorite videos:

Coach John Wooden’s legacy in pictures, with his voice and those of his athletes and fans. Includes Coach Wooden reciting Swen Nater's poem "Yonder" at the end (words to the poem are below):

Yonder

Once I was afraid of dying,
Terrified of ever-lying,
Petrified of leaving family, home and friends.
Thoughts of absence from my dear ones,
Drew a melancholy tear once,
And a lonely, dreadful fear of when life ends.

But those days are long behind me;
Fear of leaving does not bind me,
And departure does not host a single care.
Peace does comfort as I ponder,
A reunion in the Yonder,
With my dearest who are waiting over there.

Vin Scully speaking about meeting Coach Wooden for the first time. This clip is from a ceremony for the unveiling of a commemorative plaque for Coach in the L.A. Coliseum Court of Honor:

Coach Wooden speaking at the same ceremony at which Vin Scully spoke:

Ben Howland on ESPN talking about Coach Wooden's passing:

ESPN has plenty of additional stories and videos as well.

Three Features on Arron Afflalo

2010-05-10T19:27:00.000-07:00

The season has ended for the Denver Nuggets, but I want to highlight three different articles about one of my favorite Bruins, Arron Afflalo. He found himself a role during his first season with Denver, as he finished the year as a member of the starting lineup. Always known for his defense, he also shot 43.4% from 3-point range in 2009-10, good for the eighth best percentage in the league.

Q&A with Nuggets fans, in which he talks about his basketball idol, camaraderie with teammates, and other subjects.

A comprehensive piece about Afflalo that touches on his work ethic, his contributions to the Nuggets, his decision to go to UCLA, and his ping-pong game. Also see the accompanying video embedded below.

A feature on Afflalo from a couple of months ago focused on his three-point shooting and move into the starting lineup.

Tyus Edney Radio Interview and Career Round-up

2010-03-24T23:58:00.000-07:00

Tyus Edney recently made an appearance on the Petros & Money Show on local Los Angeles radio station AM 570 KLAC. The hosts of the show, Petros Papadakis and Matt "Money" Smith, asked the former UCLA star about his current activities, his career in Europe, and other related topics.

Highlights of the interview include:

Tyus has retired and is living back in the U.S.
He is interested in coaching, and he has been involved in basketball clinics and related activities.
While asking Edney about his famous shot against Missouri in 1995, Petros did his best Jim Harrick impression, which Edney found entertaining.
Tyus went through the 1995 shot and what he saw as the play unfolded.
Edney still keeps in touch with other Bruin teammates, including Ed O'Bannon, Kris Johnson, Toby Bailey, and Bob Myers. Tyus finds it easier to see everyone now that he is back in the states.
In one of the funnier moments of the interview, Tyus shared that while playing in a championship game for the Greek club Olympiakos, his coach got hit with an unusual food item during a team huddle on the sideline.

Here is a media player that should allow you to listen to the interview. If it doesn't work, click here to access the mp3 directly (right-click the link to download).

If you didn't follow Edney's career in Europe, he spent most of his years in Italy with clubs like Benetton Treviso, Lottomatica Roma, and Climamio Bologna. His teams won a lot of games, and his individual honors include the Euroleague Final Four MVP in 1999. He was considered by many to be the best point guard in Europe during his prime. According to Jerry Crowe, Edney is now living in Las Vegas with his wife and three children. For more on his life and career in Europe, see this 4-page LA Times article, this UCLA Magazine piece, and his Euroleague web page.

And of course, this always puts me in a good mood:

(Tyus Edney of the UCLA Bruins goes the length of the floor in 4.8 seconds to make the game-winning shot against the Missouri Tigers in the 1995 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament)

Reeves Nelson to play against Arizona

2010-03-10T17:15:00.000-08:00

Forward Reeves Nelson will back on the floor for UCLA's Pac-10 Tournament matchup against Arizona on Thursday at noon. Nelson sat out the last four games due to a partially torn retina. His condition is a concern because he has a family history of eye problems; his grandmother has detached retinas in both eyes and is legally blind. Furthermore, Nelson has suffered a number of injuries to his eyes and face this year. However, he has been cleared to play, so he will return to the lineup on Thursday.

Nikki Caldwell named Pac-10 Coach of the Year

2010-03-09T23:12:00.000-08:00

While the UCLA men's basketball team has struggled this year, the women's team has played exceptionally well. The team is 22-7 overall, 15-3 in conference, and seeded second in the Pac-10 Tournament. After guiding the team to the year it has enjoyed, women's head coach Nikki Caldwell has been named the conference's Coach of the Year. Bruins players Jasmine Dixon and Markel Walker made the All-Pac-10 team.

Bruins to take on Arizona in Pac-10 Tournament

2010-03-09T19:10:00.000-08:00

Fifth-seeded UCLA will take on fourth-seeded Arizona in the Pac-10 Tournament set to tip off this Thursday, March 11, at noon local time. This is the lowest seeding the Bruins have had since Ben Howland's first Pac-10 Tournament back in 2003, when UCLA was seeded eighth. The 13-17 Bruins, who are 8-10 in conference games, will have to win three straight Pac-10 Tourney games if they wish to return to the big dance. A daunting task indeed, even with the tournament being held at nearby Staples Center.

The Wildcats have defeated the Bruins twice this season already, with the more recent loss coming just last week in Tucson. UCLA was quite competitive in that game, leading for most of the time before falling down the stretch. The first game between these two teams was completely dominated by Arizona. While it is difficult to defeat a team three times in one season, the Bruins will have their hands full, as the Wildcats' athleticism gives UCLA all sorts of problems. Hopefully, the Bruins can limit turnovers, keep Arizona from getting too many easy baskets, and force the Wildcats into shooting contested jumpers. Accomplishing these things will go a long way in extending the season one more game.

Mike Roll named all-conference, other Bruins receive honors

2010-03-08T22:27:00.000-08:00

The Pac-10 announced its year-end basketball honors, and Mike Roll was named to the ten-person "first-team" all-conference team. Roll led the Bruins this year in points and assists per game (13.5 and 3.6 respectively), and was UCLA's most consistent player.

As an indication that perhaps things will improve in Westwood next year, Reeves Nelson and Tyler Honeycutt made the conference's All-Freshmen team, which consists of only five players. Nelson has become the team's best inside threat, while Honeycutt led the Bruins in rebounds per game with 6.7. I, like most Bruin fans, am looking forward to seeing how much these two (and the rest of the team) can improve by next season.

And to demonstrate how uncharacteristic this season was for the Bruins, nobody from UCLA made the All-Defense team.

California's Jerome Randle won Player of the Year, and Arizona's Derrick Williams won Freshman of the Year.

UCLA falls to Arizona State, 56-46, in final game of regular season

2010-03-07T09:54:00.000-08:00

Some writeups on the game:

COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Bruins left shaking their heads after loss

Lethargic UCLA falls to Arizona State

UCLA loses to Arizona State, 56-46, in regular-season finale

Boateng leads ASU past UCLA

ASU defeats UCLA, locks up 2nd in Pac-10

Troy Tulowitzki visits with John Wooden

2010-03-01T22:18:00.000-08:00

MLB.com has a story about a visit between Troy Tulowitzki of the Colorado Rockies and former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden. The piece describes how the meeting was set up and how much Tulowitzki enjoyed his time with Wooden. A sample quote from the Rockies' shortstop: "You get to sit around with and get to chat with a legend, one of the brightest guys I've ever talked to ... He's someone who would probably be in my top five if I ever had the chance to sit down and talk with him. It was a neat experience for me."

Back in the saddle...sort of

2010-02-27T23:05:00.000-08:00

Hello! As you can tell, it has been awhile since I have posted here. A few years ago, I joined another site that is now no longer in existence. I don't have the time to write about the Bruins as much as I'd like, but if I see something that catches my eye or otherwise have something to say, I will post about it here.

Official UCLA site with a comprehensive Summer Outlook

2005-07-15T22:33:00.000-07:00

The article gives a great rundown of the 2005-06 basketball season, including a summary of each player. Typical school-issued facts and figures, but informative nonetheless.

Marc Iavaroni with some comments on Dijon Thompson

2005-07-14T00:02:00.000-07:00

Iavaroni, the Phoenix Suns assistant who is coaching their summer league team, touches on a host of topics in this interview, including his perception of Thompson:

He’s good in the open court. He makes very smart basketball plays, he’s unselfish and he just wants to find a way to get the ball to the basket or to the open man. We’ve been very pleased with that. He can shoot it, (but) he’s a little streaky from beyond the three-point arc. We’re still working on that. We, as a team, have not shot well (from beyond the arc), so we’re in a little bit of a three-point slump and I’m sure he’s not happy with his performance there. His range can be extended and made more consistent, because it is further than the college three-point line.

Defensively, he’s made strides. He’s playing harder and he’s playing lower. He’s a long, lean guy who’s got very long legs, so that makes it tougher to defend, but he’s learning. You’ve got to play with your body, beef up your body. You’ve got to dish it out and know where you’re going to end up taking it. So, it’s usually your choice.

Personally, he’s a sweet kid. I like him a lot as a guy. But, you can be that way off the court. Leandro [Barbosa]’s a sweet guy too and he’s one of my favorites. But, Leandro’s a killer on the court and he wants to beat people, and compete, do whatever it takes. I think that’s something Dijon is going to have to find out, as well. He’s more like Jamal Wilkes, if I can bring up an old-time name. Everybody has to be themselves, but you just want to make sure that in the process of being yourself, you’re not creating a weakness, that you’re always trying to improve yourself.

Jamal Wilkes is good company, but it sounds like Iavaroni believes what everyone else does: that Thompson needs to improve defensively and become more intense on the court. If Thompson can get better in those areas, he could end up being a productive NBA player.

John Wooden trying to help our "second favorite team"

2005-07-13T19:07:00.000-07:00

As I briefly mentioned earlier, John Wooden will be speaking at Western Michigan University on August 22. Not exactly groundbreaking news, but what is somewhat interesting is that Coach Wooden gave a pep talk to the WMU players before they took on the Trojans last year at the Sports Arena. WMU still lost, but we appreciate the effort Coach! In fact, why not have Coach Wooden speak to every one of $C's opponents before games at the Sports Arena?

Also check out this very brief article on Coach Wooden - there is some controversy as to where Coach was actually born, and well, he really can't settle it.

Bruins getting NBA contracts

2005-07-12T23:53:00.000-07:00

First, the big one. Dan Gadzuric plans to re-sign with the Milwaukee Bucks for $36 million over six years, according to his agent, Bob Myers (B-O-B Bob!). 36 mil?!? Nice!!! The article also lists some of the other recent signings Milwaukee has made. Looks like Gads is on a team expecting to go deep into the playoffs next year.

On a much lesser scale, Dijon Thompson has agreed to a one-year deal with the Phoenix Suns, and the club has an option for a second year. No monetary amounts were disclosed, but last year, the rookie minimum was $385,277, so he'll be making more than that. Also, part of the one-year salary is guaranteed, so Phoenix definitely has an incentive to keep him on the roster. In fact, some believe Thompson is a virtual lock to make the team.

Alfred Aboya has arthoscopic procedure on his right knee

2005-07-12T23:43:00.000-07:00

The procedure was deemed a success. Rehab is slated to take 4-6 weeks, so Aboya should be ready for preseason practice. I hope there are no lingering effects from this, as I think he is strong enough to be a contributor on our frontline this upcoming season. More comments on him in my recap of summer league action a couple weekends ago.

Daily Bruin with basketball coverage

2005-07-11T09:14:00.001-07:00

First, there is an article recapping the weekend's Summer League action. Darren Collison had a tremendous game (26 points on 12 of 15 shooting). Interestingly, he and Jordan Farmar spent considerable time on the court together. Also of note is that Lorenzo Mata recorded a double-double despite bruising his right knee, which he is going to have checked out today.

A second article features Ryan Hollins and how his knee is now 100 percent healthy. The story also notes that he's up to about 230 pounds and much stronger. The goal is for him to be in the 235-240 range by the time preseason practice starts. It would be great if he gets there - if he can avoid getting pushed around on the inside, he will be an effective player for us next year.

A draft-related rule proposal that makes sense

2005-07-09T20:10:00.000-07:00

The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) is trying to pass a rule moving up the deadlines for college players to declare for the draft and then make a decision whether to withdraw. Players with college eligibility would have to declare for the draft within a week after the national championship game, and then would have only 72 hours to make a decision on whether to remain. Clearly, the NABC is on the right track - there is no reason why it should take six weeks for a player to decide whether to put his name in the draft and then another five or six weeks to decide if he's going to stay. The way things are currently, college teams are really left hung out to dry as they try to prepare for the upcoming season. Specifically, if a player decides to stay in the draft, his college head coach has to figure out (1) how to make up for the lost production, and (2) decide what to do with the extra scholarship. Learning a player's intentions as early as possible makes it a little easier for the college coach to react.

Of course, NBA GMs will hate this rule change, and while i suspect some type of modification ultimately will take place, it probably won't be as drastic as proposed by the NABC. However, supporting the NABC's perspective is the college football system which only gives players until mid-January to make a decision about the draft. So hopefully something will get done that will make life easier for college programs and improve the college game overall. And as far as UCLA is concerned, a rule change like this definitely will help Ben Howland and the program, as in the coming years I suspect we will have a number of players "testing the waters", with Jordan Farmar and Arron Afflalo possibilities for as early as next year (especially with no competition from high school players in the draft).

Early Vegas Summer League comments

2005-07-07T23:00:00.000-07:00

Don't want to make too much of this, but Tyus Edney had an excellent first summer league game for the Nuggets. He had a team-high 25 minutes, shot 6-6 from the field, and ended up with 13 points. Jelani McCoy had 13 points in the same game. A recap is here. McCoy had a 4-pt effort in his first game on Wednesday.

Dijon Thompson struggled in his first game, shooting only 1-5 from the field and getting only one rebound despite playing 43 minutes. He clearly has an opportunity to prove himself; let's hope he makes the most of it.

John Wooden book signing tonight in Westwood

2005-07-07T13:53:00.000-07:00

Beginning at 7pm, Coach Wooden will be available at the Borders in Westwood. The address:

1360 Westwood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA
Phone: 310.475.3444

Another former Bruin in the Vegas Summer League

2005-07-06T12:08:00.000-07:00

In addition to Tyus Edney and Jelani McCoy, another Bruin from the recent past is on an NBA summer league roster: Ray Young will be playing with the Golden State Warriors in Vegas. I'm not sure how likely it is that any of these guys will get picked up, but who knows what can happen. Again, a few of these games will be on NBA TV if you are interested in watching.

Even more Dijon Thompson coverage

2005-07-05T12:18:00.000-07:00

(Photo credit: Daily Bruin)

First, Page 3 at ESPN.com has an extensive interview. Then, the Daily Bruin has a feature detailing his experience on draft night. Finally, this article from the East Valley Tribune in Arizona explains why Thompson is a virtual lock to make the Suns' roster.

Daily Bruin with some Summer League coverage

2005-07-05T12:16:00.000-07:00

There is an article about how the sophomores are now playing the leadership role, especially Farmar and Shipp who are on the same summer league teams as the five incoming freshmen. There also is this second article giving us some more info on the freshmen themselves.

Box scores from this weekend's Pro City games...

2005-07-04T22:53:00.000-07:00

available at the Cabrera Group homepage.

ProCity League Saturday recap

2005-07-02T17:37:00.000-07:00

Just got back from West LA College where I was able to watch the second half of Hank's Lil Hoopers vs. Hank's Big Time (featuring Arron Afflalo and Mike Fey), as well as Entertainment Tonite vs. Sinclair's Bruins (featuring Josh Shipp, Jordan Farmar, and our five incoming freshmen). The games themselves weren't really the main attraction, of course, as i was mainly there to see how our Bruins look.

First, the game featuring the incoming freshmen: to start, Sinclair's Bruins won 83-43. That's not a typo. And under the rules of the league, there is no stop time if the spread is more than 25. This means that almost the entire second half was running clock, so there wasn't much playing time for everyone. That makes it hard for me to really evaluate each player. Anyway, Farmar and Shipp looked solid, but didn't do anything spectacular. Shipp looks like he's been working on his shot, and his leaping ability seems to be better. Farmar doesn't look a whole lot bigger despite reports that he's put on 15 pounds or so. Perhaps it's all in his legs and base. He had a rough shooting day, missing I believe all but one of his outside shots. In fact nobody on the team shot the ball particularly well - how did they win by 40 then? Because they destroyed the opposition on the boards. Entertainment Tonite was severly outsized, and especially when Luc Moute and Alfred Aboya were in the game (1st and 3rd quarters), the Bruins got every defensive board and several offensive boards. In fact, the domination on the boards, while obviously encouraging, made it tough to guage how good each player is individually. here are some comments on each freshman:

Aboya: He is as advertised - big body, attacks the boards, provides interior presence. Doesn't appear to be gifted offensively, but again, impossible to tell because he didn't need to do anything to create offense. he just let someone else shoot it, and then he went and got it, and then made the layup.

Moute: he did a good job on the defensive boards, as he always seemed to be around the ball once it came off the rim. He is very long and fairly quick for his size. He was perhaps the most intriguing to me - he is still unpolished, but he has the physical tools to cause some major mismatches in years to come. Probably not this year, but he looks like the type that will be too big for the typical 3 to defend, and way to quick to be guarded by a four. Defensively, he appeared quick enough to guard a wing, but could get overpowered by a true power forward.

Ryan Wright: unfortunately, he had very few opportunities today, so I really don't have much to say. He seemed very athletic, but no doubt will have to get stronger to be effective - much like Mata last year, he could get dominated inside by most big men. However, he seems much more explosive and certainly more polished than Mata last year.

Mike Roll: as advertised, a very good shooter (judging by his form), though I think he only made one outside jumper today. this style of league, where offense basically comes from guys creating for themselves, does not suit him. he will be better in a structured offense. he also did not spend a whole lot of time on the floor with Farmar, who probably could have gotten him more open looks.

Darren Collison: very, very quick. Unorthodox shot, but the rotation and arc looked good. again, limited opportunities to draw any real conclusions, but he seems like a better defensive matchup on small point guards than Farmar. Having them on the floor together would be very interesting (they did so today for a couple of minutes) - it was somewhat reminiscent of when Tyus Edney and Cameron Dollar used to be on the floor together (obviously the Edney-Dollar tandem was worlds better defensively), but there were would be plenty of opportunities for fast breaks and hopefully easy baskets.

As far as the other game, Afflalo looked to be in great shape. He looks so much more physically developed than everyone else on the court. His strength, however, still does not appear to be creating shots for himself. I could see him excelling in the post or coming off of picks. Mike Fey looked trimmer, and he was about a head taller than everyone else on the floor, so he had some easy looks inside. I think he will definitely benefit from having to bang with Aboya in practice.

A couple of other players caught my eye: in the earlier game, point guard Kevin Bell from Fresno St and Fairfax High looked absolutely dominating. He drove to the basket at will and finished virtually every time. In the Bruins' game, Mike Gerrity from Pepperdine and Mater Dei High had a great game. He must have scored over half of his team's points. Hopefully it's no reflection on Farmar and Collison's defense, as Gerrity was making extremely difficult shots. Still, they were mostly close to the rim, so our guards, especially Farmar, will have to focus on stopping penetration.

Overall, it seems unlikely that any of our freshmen are going to be dominant players this year. Luckily, they don't have to, not like last year when Farmar needed to do so much for the team to do well. Instead, most of the time when a freshman is in the game, he will be the fourth or fifth option on offense. The one thing the team needs is a dominating presence inside, and at this point, i think Aboya is the only freshman that can provide it. He is raw, but he has the attitude and physical strength, so hopefully he will be effective. Anyway, it will be interesting to see how all of the players develop, as we still have quite awhile until October. and while i still foresee some growing pains this year, if we don't have any early exits among our nine main freshman and sophomores, I am confident we will return among the national elite in 2006-07.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to get back out to the games tomorrow, but hopefully i will be back at some point in the future. anyone else who was there or who has comments, please feel free to post them.