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.

Former Bruins Tyus Edney and Jelani McCoy playing in Vegas Summer League

2005-07-01T19:20:00.000-07:00

As one would expect, Dijon Thompson will be playing for the Suns and Trevor Ariza for the Knicks, but Tyus Edney is on the Nuggets' roster and Jelani McCoy is playing for the Nets.

The summer league spans from 7/6 - 7/15 at Cox Pavillion at UNLV. Luckily, some games will be broadcast on NBA TV, so you have a chance to watch some of these former UCLA players in action (without going to Vegas). See the league schedule and broadcast dates here.

Also, I haven't seen all of the rosters yet, so it's possible that more Bruins could be participating.

Premium BruinReportOnline is free this weekend

2005-07-01T12:33:00.000-07:00

Thanks to CraiginMD over at BruinZone for the heads up. You can access stories via the BRO front page. There are plenty of features about recruiting, including the camp that Howland put on for recruits this week. There also is some commentary on some of the incoming freshmen in this article. For info on the current players, an absolute MUST-READ is this interview with Ben Howland. Howland comments on pretty much each player: what parts of their games they are working on, what shape they are in, and what their overall outlook is, etc. Of course he mentions Cedric Bozeman's progress - he's still a month or so away from being completely cleared to play. He also touches on the Pauley renovation, saying that the locker room is the number one thing that needs to updated. Other topics are recruiting overseas and the players' academics.

Full schedule up for Pro City Summer League

2005-06-30T14:26:00.000-07:00

The full schedule of the Say No Pro City Summer League is now available at the league's website. The incoming UCLA Bruin freshmen are playing with Jordan Farmar and Josh Shipp on Sinclair's Bruins. Mike Fey is playing for Hank's Big Time, and Lorenzo Mata is playing with $C's Gabe Pruitt and Nick Young on Rico's Showtime (aka Salvatori's Showtime). Arron Afflalo and Ryan Hollins are expected to play in the league as well.

In addition to an earlier report about last weekend's action, you might want to check out this brief story from BruinReportOnline.com. Also see these two message board posts at BruinZone and this $C perspective on some of our players.

Another article on the future renovation of Pauley

2005-06-30T14:12:00.000-07:00

This piece from the Daily Bruin states that the project is still in need of funding. The article also notes that while Ken Weiner, UCLA associate athletic director of business operations, claims that the names "Pauley Pavillion" and "Nell & John Wooden Court" will remain, it is likely that some type of corporate sponsorship (and the naming rights that come with it) might be necessary for the project to get done.

USA Today with a brief article on John Wooden

2005-06-30T14:10:00.000-07:00

The article is supposed to serve as a review of Coach Wooden's latest book, but it has plenty of other information about Wooden and his life. I especially like this anecdote:

As a young coach, Wooden recalls being blasted with a string of expletives by a rival coach he had just beaten.

"He called me every name you could think of right there in front of players, fans and officials," Wooden said.

"He even suggested that I had bribed the referees to get good calls. I immediately saw red and, without thinking, knocked him down to the court as players and fans rushed in to stop us."

Sorry, I know it's wrong, but the thought of Coach Wooden beating someone down makes me smile. :) I mean, I'm sure Coach was a lot more emotional when he was younger, but how much of a jerk do you have to be to make John Wooden kick your @ss?

A related item: for all of the readers of this blog who will be in Kalamazoo, Michigan on August 22 (all 0 of you, most likely), Coach Wooden will be speaking at Western Michigan University (ignore the title of the article).

More on Dijon Thompson to the Suns

2005-06-29T09:01:00.000-07:00

For those (like me) who didn't follow the draft too closely, you might not realize that Phoenix included their first round pick in the deal for Thompson. This means that Thompson is the Suns' highest draft pick (Phoenix also had another pick later in the second round). Also, at least according to this Arizona Republic article covering the Suns' draft day transactions, Thompson has an excellent chance of making the roster because Phoenix should have several spots open. Phoenix was impressed with Thompson at the Chicago Pre-Draft Camp, and oh yeah, they remember him dropping 39 against the local college team, Arizona State, last season. Here are some more comments on Thompson from the article:

Suns Senior Executive Vice President Dick Van Arsdale said he did not like him in his first two seasons but saw a change in him when Ben Howland became the Bruins coach for his last two seasons.

"It turned his game around," Van Arsdale said. "He has a technically sound stroke, shoots well off the dribble and can get up and down. He fits our style."

Gee, who was Thompson's coach his first two seasons at UCLA? Anyway, Phoenix appears to be a better situation for Thompson than New York (except for the nightlife, of course). Maybe Toby Bailey can let him know where all the hot spots are (or at least where they were five years ago).

Rights to Dijon Thompson traded to the Phoenix Suns

2005-06-29T08:56:00.000-07:00

I guess Thompson won't be playing with Ariza after all. Here are a few stories about Thompson and the draft:

Daily Breeze
LA Times
OC Register

In the footsteps of Trevor Ariza

2005-06-28T20:35:00.000-07:00

For the second straight year, the New York Knicks have selected a UCLA Bruin with a second-round pick. This time it was Dijon Thompson. Good luck to him as he begins his career as a professional.

Quick summer league update

2005-06-28T11:11:00.000-07:00

Sorry, hardly any time today. If you want to see the box scores from the Nike ProCity League (featuring several Bruins), go to this page from the Rico Cabrera Group. Links to the box scores are on the right side.

NBA draft tonight

2005-06-28T11:09:00.000-07:00

I'm anxious to see where Dijon Thompson ends up. The Daily News has an article on Thompson, which includes some positive commentary from Baron Davis.

For links to more information, see this earlier post on Thompson's draft prospects.

More on the NBA age-limit and the effect on the college game

2005-06-26T16:19:00.000-07:00

The Orange County Register has an article about the impact of the NBA age-limit, and it includes some comments from Roy Williams and Ben Howland. Amazingly (at least to me), the coaches, especially Williams, have some similar thoughts as to mine on the subject. For example:

Williams...called the NBA's new age policy "window dressing."

Like most DivisionI coaches, Williams would have liked to have seen the NBA adopt Major League Baseball's system in which drafted athletes either sign right out of high school or must go to college for three years before regaining their draft eligibility.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see how the college game changes with this new rule in place. Perhaps most interesting to me is whether the NBDL, Europe, prep schools, or even sitting out a year will become popular options for elite high school players. If so, the college game absolutely will have to make some changes.

Gregg Doyel updates his top 25 rankings

2005-06-26T15:13:00.000-07:00

Doyel now has the Bruins at #20, up from #24 in his rankings from shortly after the NCAA tourney final. As I mentioned when his rankings first came out, I believe his views on the Bruins are more accurate than those of Luke Winn (SI), Andy Katz (Espn), and Joe Lunardi (Espn Bracketology); Winn has us as the second-best Pac-10 squad, and Katz and Lunardi both pick us as the best team in the conference. Doyel's latest rankings now have Arizona way up at #6 in the country, with Washington at #13 and Stanford at #22 (I'm not exactly sure how we moved ahead of Stanford when essentially nothing changed for either school). In any event, although I foresee good things happening for UCLA next season and beyond, I think it's a little much to expect us to finish ahead of Arizona and Washington next year.

Commentary on our incoming freshman playing summer league

2005-06-26T14:54:00.000-07:00

Our five incoming recruits are playing on the same squad with Jordan Farmar and Josh Shipp in the Say No Pro-City Summer League at West LA College. Here is a post from "Bruinstudent" over at BruinsNation.com with some comments about what he saw at yesterday's game. It's really good to hear how physical Alfred Aboya and Luc Richard Mbaha Moute were playing. Hopefully, they will inspire our other big men to be less afraid of contact.

The other incoming freshman who played was Mike Roll. Darren Collison and Ryan Wright will be joining the team next week, according to the post.

Best all-time NBA draft

2005-06-26T14:44:00.000-07:00

Here's a novel idea: looking at the all-time best picks at each draft slot, i.e. the best #1 pick overall of all-time, the best #2 pick overall, the best #3 pick overall, etc. The best #11 pick ever? Indiana drafting Reggie Miller out of UCLA in 1987. But what's really interesting is that two other prolific UCLA shooters were drafted at #11, both of whom had very productive NBA careers: Keith (Jamaal) Wilkes in 1974 and Kiki Vandeweghe in 1980. This trio combined for 43 years of NBA service. Wow.

So what's the lesson here? Well, Orlando picks #11 this year. Dijon Thompson is a shooting guard out of UCLA, so perhaps the Magic should consider picking him...(just a joke).

ESPN with extensive summer preview of the Pac-10

2005-06-26T14:40:00.000-07:00

The main story is about how a UCLA-USC basketball rivalry would be a boon to the entire conference. It's clear that UCLA's resurgence in hoops is becoming more than just a regional story. The page has plenty of additional commentary on all of the Pac-10 teams. Here's a comment from Andy Katz that caught my eye:

UCLA's season will be determined more by the production of Michael Fey and Ryan Hollins than of the stellar backcourt. Ben Howland is banking on the guards to carry the squad, but if the centers can produce the Bruins have a shot for the title.

I really can't agree with this more, except to add that Lorenzo Mata, Alfred Aboya, and Ryan Wright also are candidates to emerge as inside forces. Without a physical presence inside, we will have to rely too much on production from the perimeter to be a serious conference title contender.

Coach John Wooden is a fan of Tim Duncan

2005-06-26T14:30:00.000-07:00

With Duncan's even keel and solid fundamentals, Wooden's admiration of the Spurs superstar is no surprise. The article has several quotes from Coach Wooden about Duncan, David Robinson, and the NBA Finals.

HoopsHype has an interview with Dijon Thompson

2005-06-25T00:24:00.000-07:00

In the interview, Thompson acknowledges that his work ethic was better this year than in past years, and that he did lose some confidence with the struggles UCLA experienced during his college career. We also find out that Thompson not only worked out twice for the Jazz, but also twice for the Clippers. Could Thompson end up in LA? That would be a nice bonus for us Bruin fans.

Also, there is a blurb in this blog entry (toward the bottom) stating that Thompson backed out of a workout for Milwaukee earlier this week. A sign of confidence that someone else will be picking him? Hopefully.

This weekend's schedule up for the LA Say No ProCity Summer League...

2005-06-24T23:56:00.000-07:00

but no rosters on the website yet, so impossible to tell who is on which team. :(

I know that Sinclair's Bruins had the incoming freshman last year, so I could take a wild guess that the same thing will happen this year, but it would just be a guess. anyone have more info?

Games for the league will be at West LA College and Cal Poly Pomona.

College basketball players hate playing college basketball

2005-06-23T18:20:00.000-07:00

At least that is my conclusion from what I've seen over the last few days. I know, I just posted an article about how the college game is better than the NBA, but that is from my (a fan's) perspective. The players (ok, not all of them) obviously feel differently. Let me explain. If somehow you haven't heard, the NBA's new labor deal sets a minimum age-limit of 19 years for incoming players (with some exceptions). This age-limit has been expected for quite some time. Also in the news, the deadline has passed for for players with college eligibility to remove their names from the NBA draft. A whopping 49 players have applied for early entry to the draft. Considering that there are other people in the draft and only 30 slots are in the first round, which is where you need to be picked to get a 3-year guaranteed contract, many if not most of these 49 will not be getting a guaranteed deal. Yet, if a player goes back to school for a year and enters the draft next year, when there will be no competition from high school seniors, he will have a much better chance at sneaking into the first round. So why stay in the draft this year unless you detest college ball? You're not convinced? What about a guy like Pittsburgh's Carl Krauser, who has withdrawn from the draft and would be a senior next year, and yet is seriously considering playing in Europe instead of going back to campus? The issue, if you haven't figured it out, is that players want to get PAID. They don't care if it's in the NBDL or in Europe (or perhaps even Asia or somewhere else), they'd rather get paid to play basketball than receive nothing more than an "education" from an American university (while the NCAA rakes in millions of dollars from the players' efforts).

So if the NCAA was hoping that the NBA age-limit would positively impact the college game by forcing quality high school players to spend some time in college, they need to think again. High schoolers can and will play in Europe or go to a prep school to avoid being stuck at a college, even for just a year. and then those that actually decide to go to school for a year will do nothing to help the college game. how much did Trevor Ariza's one year at UCLA help the Bruins or the NCAA? Not very much. And in a sense, the Bruins were somewhat lucky, because Ariza's intentions to stay in the draft were known from the start, so Ben Howland was able to begin planning for life without him early in the off-season. What about teams that are just finding out now in late June that they are going to be without key players? This whole "testing the waters" process is really disruptive to college programs trying to improve for the following year.

So is the answer to pay college basketball players? I'm not going that far, but it certainly would help if the NCAA was less draconian in its policies toward these athletes. And if the college game cannot make itself more appealing to talented basketball players, perhaps it needs to return to having its athletes be students first. For example, the NCAA could institute a rule where if you decide to go to college, you must commit for three years (like college baseball). Yes, that would mean losing out on most of the best ball players, and I know that college baseball is not the best model to be chasing, but i'm afraid we're already headed down the path of lost talent anyway. at least a three-year commitment would allow college teams to develop together, remain cohesive, and plan better for future recruiting needs, which hopefully would improve the overall quality of the game (if not the individual players).

Frank Burlison with some flattering commentary on some Southern California players...

2005-06-21T17:46:00.000-07:00

including Bruin commit James Keefe in his latest column. You can see a slightly different version of the article in the LB Telegram here.

Gregg Doyel at CBS SportsLine.com says college hoops game is better than the NBA

2005-06-21T17:19:00.000-07:00

In a recent column, Doyel agrees with me that the NCAA game is superior to pro basketball.

Chris Hernandez pulls out of NBA draft

2005-06-20T23:03:00.000-07:00

The Stanford point guard has decided to head back to campus for his senior year. This certainly solidifies the Cardinal as a contender for the Pac-10 hoops title next season.

I'm guessing Farmar will be happy to get (at least) two more chances to match up against Hernandez, as pretty much every article I see about Hernandez mentions that he scored a career high 37 against UCLA last February 20.

UCLA hoops fan buys the Anaheim Mighty Ducks

2005-06-20T17:09:00.000-07:00

Looks like the new owner of Anaheim's hockey team, Henry Samueli, is a former Bruin and big fan of the basketball team. More on this over at BruinsNation.com.

NBA draft outlook for Dijon Thompson

2005-06-20T17:07:00.000-07:00

As the NBA draft nears, I thought it would be a good idea to take a look at some of the analyses on Dijon Thompson's draft prospects. I previously posted some final comments about his performance at the Chicago Pre-Draft camp, and here are a few more profiles on him from around the web:

DraftCity
NBAdraft.net
Espn

As far as rankings go, NBAdraft.net has him ranked as a top 10 shooting guard. Unfortunately, not a lot of mock drafts I've seen list out the second round (where Thompson is likely to be picked), but here are a few mocks with him as a selection:

NBAdraft.net: 45th, to the Philadelphia 76ers
CollegeHoopsNet.com: 59th, to the Atlanta Hawks
InsideHoops.com: in a group of players likely to go mid-second round (or possibly early second round)

Also, Thompson has worked out for the Utah Jazz twice, and they have two second round picks, so he might end up there.

Some of this might change, as we should find out by tomorrow's deadline if any more college players are pulling their names out of the draft.

Matt McKinney to retire for medical reasons

2005-06-18T00:48:00.000-07:00

Due to all of the health issues he has faced, McKinney will be taking medical retirement from the UCLA basketball and volleyball teams. He will remain enrolled in school and continue to receive his scholarship, although he no longer will count toward the 13 total scholarships available for the basketball team (this means we now have another ride to give out over the next two years). Here is his statement from the UCLA release:

"First of all, I'd like to thank both the UCLA basketball and volleyball coaching staffs, along with the UCLA medical staff, especially Dr. John Difiori, for all their support throughout the season and my career," said McKinney, who prepped at Santa Ynez HS. "It's been a very tough year for me going through so many different medical problems and having to fight through them. I've come to a decision, with my doctors and parents, to declare for medical retirement. That is the best decision for me, to seek additional medical advice and get healthier. It's been an honor and a privilege to be able to wear the UCLA jersey during my Bruin career. It's something I will never forget."

I can only imagine how frustrated McKinney has been, trying to perform while not being physically right. On top of that, I'm guessing he had to deal with a lot of anxiety this past b-ball season when the medical staff could not figure out why he was experiencing such unusual fatigue. I'm going to sound a little old saying this, but you have nothing without your health. If McKinney still is struggling with medical problems, then getting healthy indeed should be his number one priority. I certainly wish him the best.

Dijon Thompson comments after his second workout for the Jazz

2005-06-17T19:37:00.000-07:00

The official Utah Jazz page has some comments from Thompson after he worked out for the team a second time today:

On his second workout for the Jazz:
It's a plus for me. It shows their eyes are open to me. Added pressure, but I think I performed well today. I knew what to expect. The altitude kind of drains you, but it's something I gotta get used to.

On his talent, and what he needs to work on:
I have versatility, just being able to play multiple positions, my height, being able to shoot the ball and knock down open shots. On the defensive end, my length. The things I need to work on is getting stronger, and my defense.

Online video of Bruin recruits

2005-06-17T19:30:00.000-07:00

If you go to the HoopTV homepage and scroll down until you see a box labeled "VIDEO" on the right side, you will see links to several games. Two games, the Las Vegas Prospects vs. So-Cal All-Stars and 2005 Las Vegas Easter Classic Championship Game, feature the AAU team of 2006 Bruin commit James Keefe (#33 in white), as well as Bruin target prospects Chase Budinger (#23) and Taylor King (#31). The 2005 Pangos Classic Championship Game features incoming 2005 freshman Darren Collison (#2 in white). You will need QuickTime to view the games.

Dijon Thompson to work out for the Utah Jazz again

2005-06-15T17:06:00.000-07:00

After working out for the Jazz last month, Thompson is scheduled for another workout with the Jazz this Friday morning, indicating that the team likely has some serious interest in him. The Jazz have picks at 6 and 27 in the first round and 34 and 51 in the second round, so they should have plenty of chances to grab him if he's still on the board.

Marques Johnson analyzing summer b-ball at HoopTV.net

2005-06-15T17:04:00.000-07:00

The former Bruin is the "summer basketball correspondent" for the website, and he begins with some brief commentary on the country's top high school players, some of whom will be in this year's NBA draft.

HoopsHype with final words on the Chicago Pre-Draft Camp

2005-06-14T11:13:00.000-07:00

From Day 4, regarding Dijon Thompson:

18 points, 8/15 shooting, 3 rebounds – Thompson really showed off his midrange game all throughout camp, knocking down collegiate three pointers as if they were layups. The smooth wing did not really stand out in any other area of the game, but definitely showed the ability to create his own shot and consistently put points on the board at the next level. It's a shame that he won't put the ball on the floor more and take the ball to the basket, or use his height and length to rebound or play defense, because otherwise he would be a lock to make the league next year.

Ouch, that's a little harsh. I'll agree that Thompson could be a much better defender than he is, but I think he proved throughout all of last year that he is willing to rebound. I also agree that he should take the ball to the rack more, but hey, if the shots are open and the jumper is falling, why bother? It's also interesting to me that one of the comments is that he can create his own shot, because it seemed to me that he often needed to receive passes after coming off of picks to get open looks. If he truly can create consistent offense for himself against NBA-caliber players, then he might be in good shape, as this is a very valuable skill. Perhaps someday he can develop into a quality NBA sixth man, providing "instant offense" for his team. But yes, he still has plenty of work to do before he gets to that point.

Based on these and other comments I've read about Thompson, it seems like his overall demeanor might be hurting him. I don't think I've ever read or heard anyone describe his play as "intense". Conversely, the one word I see most often describing his game is "smooth". It's quite possible that most observers can't tell if he really is lacking effort, or if he is giving 100% and it merely looks "effortless". I remember that JR Henderson had to deal with similar criticism.

Anyway, HoopsHype also gives a brief recap for each of the camps' participants, including Thompson:

Had a good camp but didn’t jump ahead of too many players. He can shoot it, run the floor and defend, but may not do anything all that well.

So it would seem that Thompson remains a likely second round pick. We'll see how things shake out over the next couple of weeks, especially with the deadline for NCAA players to withdraw being June 21.

This is worth going off-topic

2005-06-14T11:05:00.000-07:00

Los Angeles Lakers rehire Phil Jackson.

Does he really think he can get ring #10 here in LA? I guess we'll find out.

Recap of UCLA athletics this past year

2005-06-13T17:19:00.000-07:00

The Daily Bruin has an article summing up the Bruins' athletic accomplishments this past school year. The story has brief commentary on the basketball and football programs, plus describes our three NCAA team titles (women and men's water polo, men's tennis), and also mentions our second place finishes (women's soccer, men's volleyball, softball, and women's golf). The writer also could have included women's gymnastics, where we finished fourth but had a decent chance to finish first.

Commentary on UCLA's international recruiting

2005-06-12T20:40:00.000-07:00

We've seen examples of this before, but here is an article chronicling the efforts of Ben Howland and his staff in recruiting worldwide. The story documents how Howland recently has recruited in Australia, and we have incoming Bruins from Canada (Ryan Wright) and Cameroon (Alfred Aboya and Luc Richard Mbaha Moute). Despite this, Howland specifically acknowledges that UCLA's "meal ticket" is the recruitment of the great basketball players here in California. Personally, I have to agree with Howland's strategy: keep local players here, and then take advantage of UCLA's name recognition abroad to get quality international players. And I especially like the idea of avoiding Europe where most kids play professionally and don't bother with American college ball - go to areas like Africa where basketball's popularity is beginning to take off. The recruiting services don't have Aboya and Mbaha Moute ranked all that high, but if these two can be relatively successful at UCLA, it could establish a tradition where future African players, including more talented ones, look to UCLA as their first choice for playing ball in the U.S.

John Wooden book signing

2005-06-12T20:33:00.000-07:00

Next Saturday, June 18, at 2 p.m., Coach Wooden will be signing 'Inch and Miles: The Journey to Success' and 'Wooden on Leadership' at a Barnes & Noble in Huntington Beach (7881 Edinger Ave., 714-897-8781).

Quick Toby Bailey update

2005-06-11T12:02:00.000-07:00

Bailey's team, AEK, has advanced to the Greek finals, but he will be missing the entire series due to what this article calls a "serious" back injury. I couldn't find any other details. Hopefully he will make a full recovery and return to the court soon.

Another update on Dijon Thompson

2005-06-10T23:16:00.000-07:00

According to this writeup, Thompson scored 18 points on 8 of 15 shooting from the field in his game Friday morning.

Commentary on the Chicago Pre-Draft Camp

2005-06-10T12:53:00.000-07:00

User "MothershipConnection" at the BruinZone message board pointed out this page at HoopsHype.com that provides commentary on the pre-draft camp. The comments for Day One and Day Two mention Dijon Thompson:

(Day One)
Was non-existent on one end of the floor, but on another showed a very nice handle and knocked down the NBA three.

(Day Two)
8 points 4/6 shooting, 6 rebounds, 4 assists – Thompson was somewhat of an enigma in college, and he didn’t exactly disprove that today. What he did continue to show is an impressive smooth style of offensive game. He has great body control, and looks nearly automatic from the college 3 point line. However, the soft tag remains. He still struggles when people get physical with him, though his teammates didn’t exactly make an effort to get him involved, the fact of the matter is that a player with Thompson’s type of talent should dominate a game like this a lot more than he did Wednesday.

I didn't see any remarks for him on Day Three.

UCLA target recruit Chase Budinger improving his stock

2005-06-10T12:50:00.000-07:00

Mike DeCourcy writes that Budinger is #1 among five high school prospects that are advancing up the rankings. His comments on Budinger:

Budinger led [the Southern Cal All-stars, his AAU team] to the tournament championship and elevated himself from a top 50 player to a strong McDonald's All-American candidate. "He was explosive to the hoop, shot the ball well and battled," [scout Van Coleman of Hoopmasters.com] says. Also an elite volleyball player, Budinger is considering Arizona, UCLA and Southern California.

Speaking of Budinger, Tracy Pierson at BruinReportOnline.com says that U$C is more of a possibility for Budinger than people might realize because Budinger's father is an $C grad (the linked page also has some unrelated comments on Bruin incoming freshman Ryan Wright).

Box score of Dijon Thompson's game at the NBA pre-draft camp

2005-06-09T14:28:00.000-07:00

Thompson is playing on a team with other Pac-10 players like Will Conroy, Tre Simmons, and David Lucas. Thompson had 8 points on 4-6 shooting from the field, plus 6 boards, 4 assists, and 3 turnovers in 23 minutes (the link is to a pdf file).

You can see the rosters of all of the teams at the camp here. You'll also see a note that Salim Stoudamire missed his flight and thus was a no-show on Day 1.

Reggie Miller to be on Bob Costas Live

2005-06-09T14:25:00.000-07:00

The broadcast of the interview will be Friday night at 9 p.m. on HBO according to a blurb in this OC Register article.

*** Update/Correction: The show is actually called Costas NOW (not Bob Costas Live). And check your local listings if you're interested, because I'm not sure if the show time is 9 p.m. Eastern or Pacific.

The Pac-10 and ESPN

2005-06-08T17:42:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been widely reported that ESPN will be showing some Pac-10 football games starting in 2007. So, one might think, basketball will soon follow suit. Not exactly, at least according to this article in the Seattle Times. The relevant passage:

Unfortunately for Pac-10 basketball fans and coaches, who also have long wished to be regularly featured on ESPN, the deal is for football only.

The Pac-10 is also negotiating to renew its basketball TV deal, and it is expected that FSN will remain the primary carrier with ESPN likely not involved.

"There's just not a lot of opportunity nor interest from ESPN's standpoint for West Coast basketball," Turner said. "There's some interest, but it's limited."

Turner said ESPN might be interested in "eight to 10" Pac-10 basketball games a season whereas the FSN deal calls for 40 or more. FSN does farm out some basketball games to ABC and CBS, such as the Pac-10 Conference tournament title game, which gives the Pac-10 some national exposure. (emphasis mine)

Sports Business Journal says FSN's nine-year deal for basketball, which expires after next season, pays the Pac-10 $52.5 million.

On one hand, I definitely feel like our current TV agreement is severely limiting our national exposure. On the other hand, there is no way we should sell our soul (i.e. agree to less money or have 9 or 10 pm PT start times) just to get on ESPN. I have written about this before.

I suppose this is the ultimate question: how much is UCLA hurt by not being on ESPN? When it comes to recruiting, yes, we have our tradition, our geographic location, and our academic reputation. But on the flip side, recruits also are concerned with exposure (we have no ESPN), the brand of gear we wear (which happens to be adidas, not Nike), and the condition of our facilities (compared with most other arenas, Pauley is quite outdated). I'm fairly certain every other school in the conference wears Nike, which means we are the only major program in the nation with no affiliation with either ESPN or Nike. I know, a winning program is more important than these other factors, and I believe Ben Howland has us on the right track, but addressing some of these negatives would help the program continue to move forward, move forward quickly, and then remain at a high level. Why should we unnecessarily hold ourselves back?

Anyway, regardless of which network eventually agrees to show our games, i hope our new deal puts us in front of more eyes in more places more often.

Bruin assistant Kerry Keating honored as a top recruiter

2005-06-08T14:00:00.000-07:00

Keating was named to the Rivals.com Top 25 Hoops Recruiters for 2005. I would say this is encouraging news for UCLA basketball fans. Here is the commentary on Keating:

The Bruins have taken significant steps toward regaining national prominence. Keating has led the charge, as the Bruins picked up Darren Collison and Michael Roll from southern California, and then three foreign players, Ryan Wright (Canada) and Alfred Aboya and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, both from Cameroon. In 2004, UCLA's talented recruiting class included McDonald's All-Americans Jordan Farmar and Arron Afflalo, Parade Magazine All-American Josh Shipp and CalHi Sports All-State Lorenzo Mata.

Also note that former Bruin Cameron Dollar made the list.

A little more info on the Chicago Pre-Draft Camp

2005-06-07T23:08:00.000-07:00

Here's some more information on the NBA Pre-Draft Camp, including a list of attendees, if you're interested.

Frank Burlison's column...

2005-06-07T17:16:00.000-07:00

addresses the new format for the Pac-10 basketball tournament and the Chicago pre-draft camp. The conference tourney now will include all ten teams. It will be four days, with the 7-10 seeds playing on Wednesday and the other six teams getting byes. Regarding the pre-draft camp, it begins tonight, and Dijon Thompson has been invited (of course). Let's hope he does well, or at the very least solidifies his position as a projected second-round draft pick.

Yoni Cohen with a purely hypothetical look at the 2005 NBA draft

2005-06-07T17:06:00.000-07:00

Cohen looks at what the draft would be if only 4-year collegiate players were allowed to enter. Obviously, this means no high school players like Martell Webster or college freshman like Marvin Williams. But the article also assumes that previous drafts would have had the same rules, so players like Eddie Curry, Tyson Chandler, and Kwame Brown would be available this year. The concept of the article isn't bad, but unfortunately, it is based completely on pure fantasy, almost to the point that the article is irrelevant. For what it's worth, though, Dijon Thompson is listed as a late 1st round pick of Miami.

More on Chase Budinger's UCLA visit

2005-06-06T18:14:00.000-07:00

Here is a thread at the BruinReportOnline message board with some details of Saturday's pickup games featuring Chase Budinger, James Keefe, the Bruins, and others (including JR Smith of the New Orleans Hornets and highly-touted class of 2007 prospect Chace Stanback of Fairfax High). Based on the messages, it appears the off-season weight program is working for the Bruins. Should be interesting to see what Budinger decides to do.

Another tidbit on JR Henderson and his Japanese squad

2005-06-05T13:02:00.000-07:00

Last week, I mentioned that Henderson's team, which includes Kris Johnson, was playing in a tournament in Taiwan. Turns out that Henderson led his team to the tourney title. Henderson had games of 28, 28, and 34 points.

Henderson, of course, is not the only former Bruin playing in Japan. Charles O'Bannon plays for a team called the Toyota Alvark. Both JR and Charles have player profile pages at their team websites, but they are in Japanese. The page for Charles even has a link to send him fan mail.

Article on UCLA's recruitment of Chase Budinger

2005-06-05T12:53:00.000-07:00

As mentioned earlier, Budinger is taking an official visit to UCLA this weekend, and so is James Keefe, who has already committed to the Bruins and is on the same AAU team as Budinger. The Daily News has an article discussing the trip and Budinger's recruitment in general. The only comment from Budinger in the story:

I'm looking for a good basketball program, a good school with a strong education. UCLA's style (of play), I like it, but I like (to play) a little more up and down.

Hmmm, not exactly a ringing endorsement, but we'll see what happens. If playing "up and down" is what he wants, I believe UCLA will suit him just fine, as we pushed the ball much more last year than I expected, and next year should be more of the same. With our best half-court option (Dijon Thompson) gone, our best offensive players being on the perimeter, and key members of our rotation being freshman or sophomores, it would make sense that we try to get out and run to get easy baskets instead of walking the ball up the floor and trying to execute against a set defense on a regular basis.

Another item mentioned in the article is that Budinger has narrowed his college choice to UCLA, USC, and Arizona. Also, because Budinger is an accomplished high school volleyball player, he plans to meet with Al Scates this weekend.

Daily Breeze handing out "awards" - and one goes to Dijon Thompson

2005-06-03T19:37:00.000-07:00

I'm not exactly sure how meaningful this is, but hey, it's another honor for Dijon Thompson. The Daily Breeze has chosen Thompson as a "Player of the Spring" for men's basketball, for whatever that's worth. It basically means that Thompson has been recognized as the best basketball player from the South Bay (of Southern California, that is). The paper's comments on Thompson:

Others scored more, some played on better teams, but none meant more as a leader than Thompson did to a young, up-and-coming Bruins squad. Thompson averaged 18.4 points and 7.9 rebounds in leading UCLA back to the NCAA Tournament.

As low-profile as this recognition is, it still is nice to see Thompson appreciated. Without his points, rebounding, and leadership, last season's Bruin squad would have been in deep trouble. The improvement he displayed from the previous year was nothing short of remarkable. Hopefully he will get a chance to show what he can do in the NBA.

A look back at 1995

2005-06-02T14:03:00.000-07:00

Well, since it is (still) the ten-year anniversary of the Bruins' last b-ball title, and since we're in the doldrums of the off-season, I've been looking for some rundowns of the 1995 season. Here's a recap of UCLA's 11th championship from The Sporting News.

NBA.com with an extensive Reggie Miller tribute

2005-05-31T17:08:00.000-07:00

Wow, a lot of material here, including an informative farewell Q & A session with Miller himself.

Louisville looking into building a new arena

2005-05-31T17:06:00.000-07:00

With all of the talk about renovating Pauley and what it might mean for the UCLA program, I thought this article on Louisville considering a new arena might be relevant. First, it shows just how prevalent new arenas are becoming - it seems like every school is renovating or building arenas (or at the very least, considering these types of projects). Perhaps more interesting, the article provides many financial details about Louisville and its athletic department. For example, the Louisville men's basketball team generated $17 million from Freedom Hall this past year (twice as much as it did four years ago), which makes up about half of the entire athletic budget. And this is only from the facility itself, so revenue from things like media fees and sponsorship deals are not included in this figure. A couple other interesting tidbits: first, if you want courtside season tickets to Louisville games and you have not had them before, you have to pony up $150,000 payable over five years (plus pay $1500 per seat plus the cost of each ticket). and secondly, it turns out that because Louisville is jumping to the Big East next year, the school is in negotiations with Conference USA to determine how much money Louisville should receive for its run to the Final Four - theoretically, the school could end up being paid nothing. ouch.

Frank Burlison's latest column has plenty of local roundball information

2005-05-31T12:40:00.000-07:00

First, he discusses some issues pertaining to competition in the Pac-10 next year. Then he mentions how James Keefe will be making his official visit to UCLA at the same time as Chase Budinger's, as was addressed earlier here. He also talks about the performance of the Southern California All-Stars (the AAU team featuring Budinger, Keefe, Taylor King, and others) in the Memorial Weekend Tournament of Champions in North Carolina. The squad won the tourney and Budinger was the MVP. Burlison discusses some other high school prospects, and then gives some info on the Pangos All-America Camp, taking place next weekend at the Southern California Basketball Academy in Cypress.

BruinReportOnline has a column on "What Makes a Bruin?"

2005-05-31T12:37:00.000-07:00

The piece takes us through the writer's memories of past Bruin athletes, mostly from basketball and football. The point of the article is that you don't have to be a Bruin student or alum to be a Bruin fan; I wholeheartedly agree. While my time as an undergraduate at UCLA was a unique experience that solidified my love for the Bruins, I realize that Bruin fans who never attended UCLA have their own memories and experiences that are just as meaningful. How one develops an affinity for the school and its teams is much less important than the fact that the affinity exists in the first place. And what about folks who went to a different college but are still Bruin die-hards? What more could you want from them?

Another former Bruin playing ball overseas: George Zidek

2005-05-30T22:57:00.000-07:00

Known as Jiri in his native Czech Republic, Zidek now plays for a club called Nymburk in his home country. His team won the Czech championship in 2004, and he was voted one of the three best Czech players in 2004. Before returning to play in the Czech Republic, he made several stops in Europe after bouncing around the NBA. This is a link to his current game log; you can see why he was considered our best pure shooter on the 1995 squad - he is shooting 47.6% from 3-pt land and 88.8% from the charity stripe.

Here is a picture of Zidek on his current team. Is it just me, or does he look EXACTLY the same as he did at UCLA ten years ago?

Photo credit: www.basket-nymburk.cz

His childhood club, Sparta Prague, has a brief summary of his career:

...[Zidek] is the first player in the history of Czech basketball to have played in the American NBA, in the years 1995-98. The participation of the first Czech player in the NBA undoubtedly contributed to the popularisation of basketball in the Czech Republic. In the season 1998-99 he played an outstanding season for the Lithuanian team Zalgiris Kaunas, which won the Euroleague (the European Clubs’ Championship) and played an important role in the qualification of the Czech national team in the European Championships in France 1999. 2000-01 he played for Real Madrid, then was transferred to ALBA Berlin (2001-02) and Prokom Trefl Sopot (2002-03). Since the season 2003-04 he come back to the Czech Republic and played for BK Nymburk (Czech champion 2004).

And here is an article from the Prague Post featuring him. It is an excellent read despite being from 2003.

Zidek, though less popular among fans than others from the 1995 team, was a key ingredient in our run to the title. He created problems for man-to-man defenses as he often required double-teaming in the post, and he also forced the man guarding him (almost always the opposing center) away from the basket by handling the ball at the top of the key. Defensively, he was less of a factor, but I'll never forget his performance against Scoreless Williamson in the championship game.

Oh, and if you're wondering, he still loves to shoot that infamous hook shot:

Photo credits: www.basket-nymburk.cz

Bruce Lee helped the Los Angeles Lakers win a championship

2005-05-29T17:34:00.000-07:00

No, this is not a joke (but yeah, I guess I'm stretching a bit here). NBADraft.net has a two-part interview with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. In part one, the topic of Kareem's role in the Bruce Lee film "Game of Death" is mentioned. Kareem is asked if any of Lee's martial arts techniques helped with basketball. Abdul Jabbar's response:

Well, he told me I needed to get stronger, work out more. So I worked out a lot the following season. The movie came out after my first year with the Lakers, and we won the Championship the following year. So you could say he definitely had an affect [sic].

Hmmm, too bad Bruce Lee wasn't around to tell "Shaq-Fu" that he needed to lose 100 pounds or so.

Anyway, the interview also reveals that Kareem still believes the ban on the slam dunk was directed at him, but the true victims were the fans, who missed out on a lot of excitement. He also talks about how one of his books is being made into a movie. And part two has comments on a variety of other items: the best NBA centers in history, the best two-man tandems in the league, and Kareem's thoughts on Magic Johnson.

Article on Bill Walton overcoming his speech impediment

2005-05-28T22:10:00.000-07:00

The piece features the big redhead's success in learning to talk without stuttering. Walton says that "of all the things I've done in my life, learning to speak, without question, is my greatest accomplishment." Certainly, going from having a major speech problem to calling games on national television should be a source of pride for him. The article also has his thoughts about being a broadcaster and who he feels the best player in the NBA is.

Quick update on JR Henderson and Kris Johnson

2005-05-26T17:01:00.000-07:00

The two are now playing together on JR's Japanese team, the Aisin Sea Horses. Johnson had been playing in Lebanon. During a recent game in Taiwan, JR scored 34 and shattered a backboard with a dunk (way to go JR!). Johnson added 18 points of his own, and the team won 100-93.

Powe officially back for Cal

2005-05-26T16:50:00.000-07:00

Former Pac-10 freshman of the year Leon Powe has been cleared for basketball activities after recovering from knee surgery. It will be interesting to see just how effective he is next season, and whether Cal will be as improved as many people are expecting.

Trust is the name of game for Baron Davis

2005-05-26T16:49:00.000-07:00

With LeBron James recently turning over his management to childhood friends, this San Francisco Chronicle takes a look at the relationship between Baron Davis and his agent Todd Ramasar. Ramasar, as you might know, is a former Bruin and is good friends with Davis. I've also read that Ramasar also represents Jelani McCoy, Trevor Ariza, and now Dijon Thompson (although players can change agents at any time, so I'm not sure if all three of them are still Ramasar's clients). Anyway, the article takes a look at the benefits and challenges of Davis and Ramasar having a professional relationship while still being friends.

Forbes.com with an extremely positive review of Wooden on Leadership

2005-05-26T16:46:00.000-07:00

The review discusses how John Wooden's latest book provides a blueprint for leading others to success. It mentions, among other things, Coach Wooden's emphasis on acting morally, his lack of focus on just winning, and his attention to detail. This book is one of the few by Wooden that I haven't read yet, but getting hold of a copy and reading it is certainly on my to-do list. Anyone had a chance to read it yet? Comments are definitely welcome.

Brief comments about Dijon Thompson's workout for the Jazz

2005-05-25T17:05:00.000-07:00

The Utah Jazz page at NBA.com (the source of this picture) has some remarks about and by Thompson after his workout with the team:

...Thompson tested the NBA waters last year, only to decide on another year in school. Thompson is an extremely diverse player who can do a lot of things well, but maybe not one thing great. Thompson had a great senior year though, throwing in 18.4 points and 7.9 rebounds a night.

On what he foresees for his rookie year:
"I consider myself coming in, playing right away. Being some type of contributor, whatever they need me to do. I’m working out, preparing myself for the season, to be able to come in and play right away."

On possibly playing for the Jazz:
"It’s a very disciplined organization. I think I fit well here. UCLA coach Ben Howland uses a lot of discipline. I think I’m well prepared if I do end up here."

The Seattle Times has a Pac-10 roster roundup for next year

2005-05-25T17:03:00.000-07:00

This is rather odd timing considering it might not be until June 21 that we know who exactly is coming back for next year, but here is a rundown of what the rosters are likely to look like in the conference next hoops season.

UCLA Central Ticket Office to join forces with Ticketmaster

2005-05-25T17:01:00.000-07:00

I guess this is supposed to make buying tickets more convenient, but with Ticketmaster, there might be new "handling" fees involved. Something to keep an eye on...

No reason for Ike Diogu to return to Arizona State...

2005-05-25T17:00:00.000-07:00

at least according to this writer, who says Diogu is projecting to go somewhere between 16 and 25 in the first round. If Diogu does remain in the draft, just how bad will ASU be next year? Maybe I'm giving Tim Floyd at U$C too much credit, but I think the Sun Devils could fall to 10th place in the conference without Diogu.

The article also mentions that Steve Kerr wouldn't mind taking over for Lute Olson some day, and at the end of the piece, the writer throws in some pretty significant ripping of Charles Barkeley.

Preseason NIT bracket set

2005-05-24T14:09:00.000-07:00

Although the first round matchups of the Preseason NIT came out awhile ago, now the entire bracket is set. If we win our first round game against New Mexico State, we would play the winner of Temple vs. Army. If we win that game, we would get either Memphis, Alabama, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, or Miami of Ohio in the semifinals at Madison Square Garden.

Also of note is that our first-round game will be on ESPN2 at 7pm PT: set your Tivos!

James Keefe already trying to contribute

2005-05-24T08:57:00.000-07:00

Although he has not yet even signed an official letter of intent, it appears Bruin commit James Keefe is already trying to give UCLA a boost by scheduling his official visit at the same time as Chase Budinger's, a small forward prospect highly coveted by the Bruins. According to the BruinReportOnline article, the Bruins would like to sign Budinger plus a low-post player to go with Keefe.

Ben Howland: 50 Cent fan

2005-05-23T13:06:00.000-07:00

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has a brief interview with Coach Howland. Besides explaining that some of his players' musical tastes rub off on him, he also says that he doesn't mind being stuck in traffic here in LA, and he believes that East Coast Bias exists.

Star Wars and sports

2005-05-22T19:08:00.000-07:00

SI.com has a somewhat entertaining feature matching up sports figures with Star Wars characters. Among several others, John Wooden is compared to Yoda. An excerpt:

It’s no wonder that the national player of the year honor is called the Wooden Award. If there were a Jedi of the Year prize it would be the Yoda Award. Like Yoda in the prequels, there is little doubt that if hoops needed Wooden he would drop his cane, pick up a light saber and go to work.

Follow the link to see the full write-up plus pictures. And check out the other pairs as well; I personally think the Chewbacca one is pretty funny (well, at least the picture).

Center prospect Ray Hall supposedly has two leading schools in mind

2005-05-20T17:26:00.000-07:00

BruinReportOnline says the two schools are UCLA and U$C.

Reggie Miller's last game

2005-05-20T08:56:00.000-07:00

Miller's final shot (credit: Associated Press)

It's the end of an era as Miller's Pacers played their final game of the 2004-05 campaign last night. Even the Detroit Pistons had to cheer for him as the game came to an end. It's a shame that Artest's suspension pretty much guaranteed that Miller would end his career without a ring, yet without the suspension, Miller might not have had the year he had, showing that he could still be a prolific scorer in this league. And it's pretty cool that he went out with a good game, scoring a team-high 27 points on 11 of 16 shooting. Reuters has a nice write-up of the game, and the Indianapolis Star has plenty of Miller coverage. Locally, the Press-Enterprise has a brief article.

Remainder of Preseason NIT matchups

2005-05-18T14:55:00.000-07:00

Here's a preview of the Preseason NIT with all of the first round matchups. The games are as follows:

Nov. 14
Boston University at Duke
Manhattan at Seton Hall
Sam Houston State at Missouri
Drexel at Princeton

Nov. 15
Wisconsin-Milwaukee at Memphis
Miami of Ohio at Alabama
Army at Temple
New Mexico State at UCLA

The second round will be Nov. 16 and 17. I haven't seen a full bracket yet, but reports have been that our second round opponent is likely to be Temple. I assume we would play Army if they beat Temple, and I also assume that our second round game would be at Pauley - i can't imagine Howland agreeing to play on the road in this event.

Again, winning the first two games in this tourney would be huge for our postseason seeding and national profile. I know, we need to take it one game at a time, but an appearance against a top team at Madison Square Garden would be pretty enjoyable, and it would raise our strength-of-schedule and RPI. So let's hope that our still-young Bruin squad can take care of business.

Only 181 days til tipoff (gulp). I'm not sure how i'll be able to wait that long :).

Trevor Ariza's NBA "success" could be fool's gold for players entering the draft this year

2005-05-18T14:40:00.000-07:00

At least that's the opinion of Mike DeCourcy. He suggests that those hopeful draftees who don't mind going in the second round are making a big mistake if they still have college eligibility. He overlooks some factors, perhaps the biggest being that some kids just don't want to be in college, but overall, his point makes a lot of sense. There is just such a huge difference between being picked in the first versus the second round: 3 years guaranteed at no less than 700K per year versus less than 400K for a year (or nothing if you don't make the team). Things should be okay for Ariza, but most second round picks aren't going to become productive players, and if a draftee thinks otherwise, he simply is fooling himself.

Martell Webster says he hired an agent...

2005-05-18T14:31:00.000-07:00

meaning he won't be suiting up for the Washington Huskies next year. This just makes official what most have been expecting all along.