Bleacher Report - Articles by Andy

Kevin Love to Be on Cover of "NCAA March Madness 2009"

Andy — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 15:35:19 -0400

Tim Duncan. Carmelo Anthony. Kevin Durant. Kevin Love.

Kevin Love is going to be on the front cover of NCAA March Madness 2009.

Yep. Love has join the very exclusive and accomplished group of NCAA March Madness 2009 cover boys. Wow. A big congrats to Love (and a shoutout to the molson for the tip), the best ambassador this program has seen since Kareem Abdul-Jabaar:

EA Sports is unveiling the cover for the new NCAA '09 game on Thursday, and it certainly seems as though new Timberwolf Kevin Love is going to be on it. How do we know that? Well, according to a press released passed along by a friend of RandBall, Love and UCLA coach Ben Howland are going to be on hand to answer questions and play the game with members of the media. Seeing as how it would be awkward to invite Love to answer questions about a new Michael Beasley or OJ Mayo cover, we have to assume he is the man.

Seriously, I was kinda hoping they’d have OJ Mayo instead of Love on the front cover. Maybe there would be a wad of cash under the instruction manual, eh?

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Rick Neuheisel Visits UCLA Football Recruits...in a Helicopter

Andy — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 03:36:58 -0400

There he goes again.

Driving? That is sooooooo what that team across town does.

Yep. Rick Neuheisel took the skies friday night in a helicopter to visit UCLA recruits. Brian Dohn of the LA Daily News has the skinny on “Air Neuheisel”:

UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel brought some of his well-known flair into recruiting Friday when he beat the brutal Los Angeles evening commute by doing what all quarterbacks love to do - he went to the air.

Neuheisel saw UCLA target Shaquelle Evans, a receiver, and his Inglewood team play against Wilson, then took a helicopter from nearby Hawthorne Airport and flew the 60 miles to watch Los Osos of Rancho Cucamonga quarterback Richard Brehaut, a UCLA commit, play Bishop Amat of La Puente and cornerback Sheldon Price, also a Bruins commit.

Neuheisel actually wanted to land on the adjacent baseball diamond and walk to the football field, commander-in-chief style...but the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department wouldn’t have any of it:

Originally, the helicopter was cleared by the school to land on the adjacent baseball field, which would have allowed him to walk to the football game.

However, Brehaut said he received an e-mail from Neuheisel, stating the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department would not allow the helicopter to land at the school. Instead, the helicopter landed at Ontario Airport, and Neuheisel made the eight-mile drive to Los Osos High and arrived near the end of the game.

And the recruits? They were pretty friggin’ impressed:

“That’s so awesome that he would take a helicopter to see us play, Sheldon and I,” Brehaut said. “It just shows how dedicated he is to his recruits, and letting us know he can’t wait to get us there. It just makes you feel really cool that your future head coach takes a helicopter to see you play in high school. That’s just awesome.”

Remember that scene from the Little Giants when Ed O’Neill and Rick Moranis race to recruit that Spike kid? Well, Neuheisel would have kicked both their asses. Just two more thoughts from me on this:

I really really really hope he didn’t break any rules.
I really really really hope, as a California taxpayer, I didn’t pay for any of this.

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BYU Tag Created on BruinWire

Andy — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 17:40:55 -0400

In light of UCLA's upcoming matchup with the Cougars next Saturday, I just created a BYU tag on BruinWire.com that will show only news articles discussing Brigham Young football.

The exact sources are:

Newsblogs

Inside UCLA with Brian Dohn
What’s Bruin with Adam Rose
The Press Enterprise UCLA Blog
The Orange County Register UCLA Blog

Fan Blogs

Bruin Basketball Report
Bruin Roar
Bruins Nation
Gutty Little Bruins
In the Shadows of the San Gabriels
L.A. Seitz of Chicago
MVN’s Bruin Scoop
Obscure Sports Quarterly
The Play in CA
The Trojan-Hater’s Club
What’s Bruin, Dawg?

News and Columns

L.A. Times
Orange County Register
Press Enterprise
L.A. Daily News
SportsHubLA

And it’s all updated every 15 minutes. Should be useful.

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UCLA Drops out of College Football Top 25 to Make Room for Cal, ECU

Andy — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 14:40:55 -0400

UCLA dropped out of the AP Top 25 this week. West Virginia was the only major upset, but it was able to just barely stay in the poll at 25th. I guess the pollsters had to make room for Cal and ECU (who both definitely deserve to be in the top 25...Cal WHOOPED Washington State and ECU beat a top 25 opponent for the second straight week.

BYU, after its impressive (and controversial) win over Washington, climbed up to 18 on the AP Poll and 15 in the USA Today Coaches' Poll.

AP Top 25 Poll

1. USC (33) 1-0 1,577

2. Georgia (23) 2-0 1,525

3. Oklahoma (2) 2-0 1,458

4. Florida (4) 2-0 1,438

5. Ohio State (1) 2-0 1,347

6. Missouri (1) 2-0 1,336

7. LSU (1) 1-0 1,231

8. Texas 2-0 1,100

9. Auburn 2-0 1,067

10. Wisconsin 2-0 910

11. Alabama 2-0 865

12. Texas Tech 2-0 845

13. Kansas 2-0 825

14. East Carolina 2-0 762

15. Arizona State 2-0 744

16. Oregon 2-0 616

17. Penn State 2-0 607

18. Brigham Young 2-0 537

19. South Florida 2-0 493

20. Wake Forest 2-0 404

21. Fresno State 1-0 290

22. Utah 2-0 258

23. California 2-0 195

24. Illinois 1-1 164

25. West Virginia 1-1 163

Others Receiving Votes

UCLA 150, Clemson 73, Florida State 50, Boise State 22, Tennessee 15, Georgia Tech 14, Oklahoma State 11, Vanderbilt 7, TCU 6, Kentucky 6, Virginia Tech 4, Tulsa 3, South Carolina 2, Arizona 2, Connecticut 1, North Carolina 1, Rice 1.

Dropped From Rankings

UCLA 23, South Carolina 24.

USA Today Coaches' Poll

1. USC (34) 1-0 1,481

2. Georgia (18) 2-0 1,454

3. Oklahoma (3) 2-0 1,370

4. Florida (3) 2-0 1,306

5. Ohio State (1) 2-0 1,289

6. Missouri 2-0 1,212

7. LSU (2) 1-0 1,198

8. Texas 2-0 1,069

9. Auburn 2-0 1,017

10. Wisconsin 2-0 946

11. Kansas 2-0 854

12. Texas Tech 2-0 755

13. Arizona State 2-0 737

14. Oregon 2-0 665

15. Brigham Young 2-0 628

16. Alabama 2-0 611

17. Penn State 2-0 547

18. South Florida 2-0 475

19. Wake Forest 2-0 419

20. East Carolina 2-0 375

21. Fresno State 1-0 300

22. Utah 2-0 235

23. Clemson 1-1 175

24. West Virginia 1-1 145

25. California 2-0 128

Others Receiving Votes

Illinois 124, UCLA 86, Florida State 50, Kentucky 28, Boise State 22, Tennessee 21, TCU 18, Nebraska 16, Georgia Tech 15, Arizona 11, Virginia Tech 11, Vanderbilt 8, Oklahoma State 7, Iowa 4, Colorado 3, Notre Dame 3, Tulsa 2, Connecticut 2, Bowling Green 1, South Carolina 1, Northwestern 1.

Dropped From Rankings

South Carolina 24, Illinois 25.

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Taylor Embree: Is the 0.5 Star Prospect UCLA’s Best Wide Receiver?

Andy — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 18:59:36 -0400

Well, based on the Tennessee game, it’s not that much of a stretch. Embree led all wide receivers with 53 yards along with four receptions.

He also had the longest reception of the night, hauling in a 21-yard-pass. Embree, quite simply, catches everything.

Neuheisel even joked, “Taylor, why not catch everything thrown to you?” after a particularly tough barrage of catches. Embree, a coach's son, was seemingly born to catch footballs.

A recent LA Times article explains how Embree’s father, former UCLA tight end coach Jon Embree, used to fire tennis balls at Embree to help improve his concentration. The really nutty part is how Embree would have to identify the color of a small dot placed on the ball before he caught it.

You know, that really explains a lot.

Embree, of course, was recruited by a multitude of schools. Check out his diverse and voluminous offer sheet:

Wow. It still amazes me, to this day, that Karl Dorrell managed to beat out the competition.

Taylor Embree is one of those recruits that just slips through the cracks…and I’m really confused how. Taylor Embree went to Hart…and Hart is a pretty much a dynasty for that particular CIF section.

Yours truly went to Hart, and Hart won CIF every year I was there. Jerry Owens (a former UCLA WR), Patrick Norton (former UCLA FB), Matt Moore (Former UCLA Starting QB and QB for the Carolina Panthers in the NFL), Kyle Boller (Cal QB and first round pick), and Patrick Larimore (a freshman linebacker on the team) all went to Hart.

How’d they miss this kid?

The following shows just how highly both Scout.com and Rivals.com thought of Taylor Embree:

Rivals.com

Scout.com

So Rivals didn’t even bother giving him any stars, while Scout at least gave the dude 1 star. That averages out to…0.5 stars.

He might be the best receiver on the team…and he’s a freshman…and he’s a 0.5 star prospect.

Dang. Whenever someone points to a prospect’s star rating as conclusive proof of their ability to play Division I football, feel free to direct them to this page. Or you can just slap them. Yeah, just slap them.

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Quote of the Day, Brought to You by SI.com’s Stewart Mandel

Andy — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 17:20:36 -0400

“At this point, I’m starting to wonder whether Norm Chow is capable of leading a D-III team to the Rose Bowl.”

—Stewart Mandel to SI.com on the UCLA victory over Tennessee.

Check out the rest of the article.

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Rick Neuheisel Tops List of Week One Coaching Debuts

Andy — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 13:59:46 -0400

Rick Neuheisel was at the top of the list for Week One coaching performances. This is what Fox Sports had to stay about the golden boy’s debut.

SO FAR, SO GOOD

#1 Rick Neuheisel, UCLA: The obvious first pick in this division knocked off 18th-ranked Tennessee at the Rose Bowl because he’s a vigorous recruiter. The biggest name on his opening salvo is offensive coordinator Norm Chow, but the huge “get” was defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker, who stayed on in Westwood after losing to Neuheisel in the derby to replace Karl Dorrell.

It was Walker’s swift and aggressive defensive unit that kept the Bruins alive against Tennessee while junior-college transfer Kevin Craft was lobbing four picks in the opening half.

After suffering like someone waiting on a download with a dial-up modem, Neuheisel—in coercion with Chow—made some QB-soothing adjustments at intermission and the mighty Vols sabotaged a small portion of Southeastern Conference ego by losing in overtime.

We’ll see how much smart money is on Neuheisel when the Bruins play at BYU on Sept. 13.

The positive press for Neuheisel, Chow, Walker, and the UCLA football program has been incredible. I guess that's what happens when seven million people are watching, eh?

La Bruins Lista: DeWayne Walker Leads UCLA Praise After Tennessee Win

Andy — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 20:13:25 -0400

Rivals.com just released its weekly power rankings...and I was shocked and delighted to see a few familiar UCLA faces.

For starters, Rivals has DeWayne Walker as the No. 1 Defensive Coordinator in the country:

Walker moved up from third to first after Monday’s game.

I love DeWayne Walker and lemme tell you, the guy deserves it. Though UCLA will be hurt when he finally does depart, I can’t wait to see how he’s going to do as a head coach. He’s perfect for the college game and, as I’ve said many times, he’s going to kick some major ass. This is what Rivals had to say about Dewayne Walker:

The only other newcomer at the top is UCLA’s DeWayne Walker, who displaced Virginia Tech’s Bud Foster as the No. 1 defensive coordinator. Although UCLA sacked Tennessee quarterback Jonathan Crompton only one time in a 27-24 overtime victory, the Bruins applied constant pressure against a team that allowed the fewest sacks in the nation last season.

Next up, we've got Norm Chow. Chow started off the week as the No. 3 offensive coordinator in the country...now he’s at No. 2:

And last, but not least, head coach Rick Neuheisel went from not even being on the radar to debuting at No. 24:

Alterraun verner moved up from 16th to 11th on the defensive backs list:

Brigham Harwell wasn’t on the list last week. Now, he’s at No. 20 (though I must ask...where is Brian Price?):

And last, but not least, the sure-footed Kai Forbath moved from ninth to eighth on the special teams list:

And there you have it. Personally, I think if a head coach recruits the No. 1 Defensive coordinator in the country, the No. 1 Offensive Coordinator in the country, and beats a ranked SEC team with a third-string quarterback and second-string offensive lineman, tight end, and running back, he should at least be in the top five...but what do I know?

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Kevin Craft Is a Bona Fide Magician

Andy — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:08:21 -0400

A must read from SportsHubLA: Kevin Craft’s performance on Monday as the three stages of a magician’s trick. Really creative, good stuff.

In Christopher Nolan’s 2006 film The Prestige, Michael Caine’s character, Cutter, describes the three stages of a magician’s trick: the pledge, the turn, and the prestige. On Monday night, UCLA quarterback Kevin Craft mystified the University of Tennessee with a magic act of his own, leading one of the most stirring second half transformations you may ever witness.

The Pledge: “The magician shows you something ordinary: a deck of cards, a bird, or a man. He shows you this object. Perhaps he asks you to inspect it to see if it is indeed real, unaltered, normal. But of course…it probably isn’t.”

I dig. Check out the rest here.

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Download UCLA Men’s Hoops 2008-09 Preseason Prospectus

Andy — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 18:27:09 -0400

The release from UCLA:

Here is UCLA’s 2008-09 men’s basketball preseason prospectus, complete with quick facts, a roster, schedule, notes, bios, and statistics (from the 2007-08 season).

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Stop Reading About UCLA Football

Andy — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 14:56:34 -0400

As we all know, fall camp opened yesterday. The themes are well known: “new coaching regime,” “weak offensive line,” “who will be the QB.” No need to read anymore about these things.

Let's all do some passive consumption of college football talk and listen to interviews with Aundre Dean, Ben Olson, Rick Neuheisel, and Norm Chow. All have appeared on the Bruin flagship KLAC 570 in the past few days. Here is the link.

Pretty soon you are going to be watching 12-15 hours of college football on the couch without moving a muscle. Best to get started training your body to passively consume college football info without doing any nasty reading.

You should probably open a beer to start getting acclimated to the season.

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UCLA Football: Offensive Line Shifts an Ominous Sign

Andy — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 17:30:30 -0400

Whoo boy. I’m not sure if Dorrell is working some Voodoo magic, Neuheisel’s karma is finally coming back to bite him in the ass, or if it's just plain bad luck, but Dohn wrote a post earlier today that made my stomach churn:

"In an effort to bolster the depth on the offensive line, redshirt freshman tight end Nate Chandler has been shifted to offensive tackle."

Nate Chandler was an elite tight end prospect. Scout ranked him as the No. 7 TE in the country, and he can most certainly be a game-breaking tight end at the college level.

Yet it's evident that the depth at offensive line is so bad that UCLA has to take this elite tight end, stunt his development at his optimal position, and move him over to tackle. The funny thing is that Chandler isn’t even the first tight end to move over to the offensive line this year.

Fall camp hasn’t even started yet and the preferred No. 1 QB, Pat Cowan, is out for the season. Meanwhile, UCLA has already lost not one, but two starting linemen on what was already a suspect offensive line.

Call me a pessimist, but I think it’s going to be a long year.

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UCLA Basketball: Bruins Release 2008-09 Schedule

Andy — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 17:53:27 -0400

UCLA’s 2008-09 men’s basketball schedule is highlighted by several key non-conference contests.

These include the 2008 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer, which culminates in Madison Square Garden; a trip to Austin, Texas, to face the Texas Longhorns in the Pac-10/Big 12 Series (Dec. 4); hosting Wyoming (Dec. 23) and hosting Notre Dame in the Bruins’ final non-conference game of the season (Feb. 7).

The field for the 16-team 2K Sports Classic (Nov. 12-13 and Nov. 20-21) has not been announced. Four teams (one of them being UCLA) will host the four-team preliminary rounds on Nov. 10-14 at on-campus sites with the winners advancing to the semifinals at Madison Square Garden in New York, on Nov. 20 and the finals on Nov. 21.

The Bruins will also play in the 15^th annual Wooden Classic on Dec. 13 at the Honda Center in Anaheim against DePaul. This will be UCLA’s sixth consecutive Wooden Classic appearance and 12^th overall (8-3 in prior contests). Last year, the Bruins defeated Davidson 75-63 in the Wooden Classic.

Other non-conference highlights include four home games (Florida International on Nov. 29; Cal State Northridge on Dec. 7; Mercer on Dec. 20 and Louisiana Tech on Dec. 28) in Pauley Pavilion before beginning Pac-10 play.

UCLA, the defending back-to-back-to-back regular season Pac-10 champion, opens defense of its conference crown at Oregon State (Jan. 2). The 2009 Pac-10 Tournament, featuring all 10 teams, will once again be held at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles (March 11-14).

In 2007-08, UCLA advanced to its third straight Final Four, finishing the season with a school-record 35 victories. The Bruins won their third consecutive Pac-10 championship with a 16-2 mark.

UCLA (35-4) also won the 2008 Pacific Life Pac-10 Tournament and has won 30 or more games in three straight seasons for the first time in school history.

The schedule is tentative and subject to change due to television. While the dates have been set, the Bruins are still looking for one more home game (Dec. 17) and one exhibition opponent (Nov. 7).

Tentative 2008-09 UCLA Men’s Basketball Schedule

DATE OPPONENT Tue., Nov. 4 Humboldt State Fri., Nov. 7 Exhibition Wed., Nov. 12 2008 2K Sports Classic (Coaches vs. Cancer) First Round Thu., Nov. 13 2008 2K Sports Classic (Coaches vs. Cancer) Second Round Thu., Nov. 20 2008 2K Sports Classic (Coaches vs. Cancer) Semifinals @ Madison Square Garden Fri., Nov. 21 2008 2K Sports Classic (Coaches vs. Cancer) Final @ Madison Square Garden Sat., Nov. 29 Florida International Thu., Dec. 4 @Texas in Pac-10/Big 12 Hardwood Series Sun., Dec. 7 Cal State Northridge Dec. 8-12 Finals Week Sat., Dec. 13 DePaul @ Wooden Classic Wed., Dec. 17 TBD Sat., Dec. 20 Mercer Tue., Dec. 23 Wyoming Sun., Dec. 28 Louisiana Tech Fri., Jan. 2 @ Oregon State Sun., Jan. 4 @ Oregon Sun., Jan. 11 @ USC Thu., Jan. 15 Arizona Sat., Jan. 17 Arizona State Thu., Jan. 22 @ Washington State Sat., Jan. 24 @ Washington Thu., Jan. 29 California Sat., Jan. 31 Stanford Wed., Feb. 4 USC Sat., Feb. 7 Notre Dame Thu., Feb. 12 @ Arizona State Sat., Feb. 14 @ Arizona Thu., Feb. 19 Washington Sat., Feb. 21 Washington State Thu., Feb. 26 @ Stanford Sat., Feb. 28 @ California Thu., Mar. 5 Oregon State Sat., Mar. 7 Oregon Mar. 11 - Mar. 14 Pac-10 Tournament @ Staples Center, Los Angeles Mar. 19 - Mar. 22 NCAA First and Second Round Mar. 26 - Mar. 29 NCAA Regional Apr. 4 & Apr. 6 NCAA Final Four

All times Pacific. All games broadcast on the UCLA/ISP Network (AM 570 KLAC in Los Angeles).

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Kevin Love Traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves

Andy — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:57:16 -0400

Well, I didn’t want to say it before, but screw Memphis. Did we really want our boy to play in Memphis, the city that shares the same name of the university that beat UCLA in the Final Four?

It looks like Kevin Love is headed to the warm tropical beaches and white sands of…Minnesota. And he’s being traded for O.J. Mayo. My heart is telling me that there is some sort of beauty in that, though I have yet to sit down and really figure it out. Anyways, here’s the deal:

The Minnesota Timberwolves aren’t holding onto O.J. Mayo for long.

Two league sources told ESPN.com that the Wolves have reached an agreement in principle with the Memphis Grizzlies that will send the draft rights of Mayo, Marko Jaric, Antoine Walker, and Greg Buckner to the Grizzlies in return for the draft rights to Kevin Love, Mike Miller, Brian Cardinal, and Jason Collins.

The deal is a blockbuster for both teams. ESPN.com reported on Tuesday that the Wolves GM Kevin McHale was infatuated with Love, but felt that the team had to select Mayo and use him to acquire more assets.

In addition to landing Love, the Wolves get a sharp-shooting swingman in Miller who can help carry the scoring load from the perimeter.

UCLA Basketball: Luc Richard Mbah a Moute Chosen with 37th Pick in NBA Draft

Andy — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 23:30:25 -0400

Here’s UCLA’s press release on Luc Richard Mbah a Moute being drafted early in the second round by Milwaukee Bucks:

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, who became the first Bruin to start in three straight Final Fours since Bill Walton, Jamaal Wilkes, and Greg Lee in 1972-74, was selected in the second round of the 2008 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks (37th pick) on Thursday evening at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Mbah a Moute became the third Bruin selected in the 2008 NBA Draft, which is the first time three Bruins have been drafted in the same season since 1998.

In that year, all three Bruins were drafted in the second round. Jelani McCoy was the 33rd pick (Seattle Sonics), Toby Bailey was the 45th pick (L.A. Lakers), and J.R. Henderson was the 56th pick (Vancouver Grizzlies) in the 1998 NBA Draft.

Russell Westbrook was the No. 4 overall pick in 2008 by the Seattle Sonics, while Kevin Love was the fifth overall pick by the Memphis Grizzlies.

Mbah a Moute became the 104th UCLA player to be selected in Bruin draft history (UCLA is the all-time collegiate leader in NBA Draft selections since 1948). UCLA has had at least one player taken in the NBA Draft for the last 12 years (since the 1997 draft).

Mbah a Moute, a 6'8", 232 pound forward, was an honorable mention All-Pac-10 selection in 2007-08 while averaging 8.8 points and 6.0 rebounds per game (second on the team and 12th in the Pac-10). The 2006 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year finished his UCLA career ranked 15th in total rebounds with 775.

In last year’s NBA Draft, Arron Afflalo was the 27th pick by the Detroit Pistons. In the 2006 NBA Draft, Jordan Farmar was a first round selection (26th pick) by the Los Angeles Lakers, and Ryan Hollins was selected in the second round by the Charlotte Bobcats (50th selection).

Additionally, Mbah a Moute is the eighth Bruin to be drafted in the Ben Howland era, joining Westbrook and Love this year; Afflalo last year (27th pick by the Detroit Pistons); Farmar (26th pick by L.A. Lakers) and Hollins (50th pick by the Charlotte Bobcats) in 2006; Dijon Thompson in 2005 (54th pick by New York Knicks); and Trevor Ariza in 2004 (43rd pick by New York Knicks).

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Kevin Love to Memphis Grizzlies at No. 5!

Andy — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 20:04:30 -0400

A hearty congratulations to Kevin Love, who was selected as the No. 5 pick overall in the NBA Draft. UCLA goes back to back at No. 4 and No. 5. What more could our basketball program ask for?

I’m absolutely positive that Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook will represent UCLA the way it should be represented. I’ll have more from them lataz.

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Kevin Love Has His Own Betting Prop Section

Andy — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 13:16:40 -0400

SportsBook.com has given Kevin Love his own betting prop section, so now you can actually put money on where Kevin Love is going to be drafted.

Here are the odds themselves, current as of 10 A.M. this morning:

I would be shocked if Love doesn’t go at Number Five to the Grizzlies…Sportsbook apparently seems to agree. Anyone else disagree?

Thank God for all this exposure. As I noted on Monday, I think it has already paid dividends for the program…and Kevin Love’s wallet.

For the record, no other pick in the entire 2008 NBA Draft has their own section on SportsBook. If that doesn’t get the best big men in America to commit to UCLA, I don’t know what will.

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Bruin Links of the Day

Andy — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 06:30:42 -0400

Si.com’s latest Mock Draft has Russell Westbrook as the No. 4 pick overall

Draft Express takes a look at the NBA power forward crop for tomorrow’s draft. Some guy named Kevin Love is around the top of every major statistic.

VegasWatch’s pre-preseason College Hoops Poll has UCLA at No.2

The Daily Bruin implores us to bask in UCLA’s rich athletic history.

Frank Burlison (THE college hoops guy): Pac-10 Bigs, including Kevin Love, will be taken early and often

UCLA Basketball: The Love Effect

Andy — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:50:27 -0400

Since the beginning of the Howland Era, UCLA Basketball has had the privilege of having the nation’s best…

…guards. Just guards.

Jordan Farmar, Arron Afflalo, Russell Westbrook, Darren Collison, and the incoming Jrue Holiday, Malcolm Lee, and Jerime Anderson are all of some of the nation’s best guards. Most, if not all, of those guards are or will be in the NBA.

When it comes to centers, Howland hasn’t been quite as fortunate. Of course, he’s had some decent centers in Lorenzo Mata and Alfred Aboya, but those guys are hardly gamebreakers. For a while, it was just swings and misses.

Then Kevin Love came along. Ben Howland has been scouring the earth (literally…he’s peeked into Europe more than once) to find big men because he just couldn’t get the gamebreakers at center like he could at point and shooting guard.

Kevin Love committed to UCLA after UCLA’s first Final Four trip under Howland. It would take two more Final Four trips before UCLA secured the commitment of another out-of-state big…and what do you think the catalyst for that was?

Kevin Love. I’m not the first person to suggest that Kevin Love has done more for the UCLA program in one year than other Bruins have in two, three, or four years.

Where other high-profile big men were afraid to take the plunge and commit to a coach who had not sent a single post player to the NBA, Kevin Love never really seemed to think twice about it.

Now, after a year of the national media not shutting up about Kevin Love, and all indications pointing to the fact that Love will be selected in the top five in the NBA Draft this week, big men will never look at UCLA the same way again.

J’Mison Morgan obviously noticed what was going on. After switching from LSU to UCLA, he said: “My comfort level was at LSU, but I felt like UCLA was a better fit for me as far as exposure.” He looked at how Kevin Love absolutely blew up at UCLA, how Love improved at both ends of the court, and of course, how his draft stock soared.

Alex Stephenson, a transfer out of North Carolina who left for the West Coast to be closer to his ailing father, noticed too. So did Josh Smith, who could easily end up being the No. 1 player in the country for 2010. Word on the street is that Anthony Stover and Jeremy Tyler noticed too.

All these players reportedly have UCLA high on their lists of schools. All of them are elite prospects. All of them are centers.

That’s obviously not the way it's always been with Howland. But thanks to Kevin Love, that's probably how its going to be from now on.

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UCLA Football: Gutty Little Bruins on Every Day Should Be Saturday

Andy — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 10:51:28 -0400

The folks over at EDSBS asked me to give them a short preview about UCLA’s upcoming season in football. Every time I think I’m nuts and that God cursed me with a sense of humor no one else understands, I trek over to EDSBS and realize that I’m not crazy after all.

Anyway, here is an excerpt. You can get the rest over at EDSBS.

One: What color is your season? In other words, please explain the metaphorical state of your program through the metaphor of color.

The UCLA season, and the program, is white. [*cough* --ed.] It’s a blank slate, with a new head coach, new players, and a new-HOLY-SHIT-NORM-CHOW-IS-OUR-OFFENSIVE-COORDINATOR-THANK-YOU-JESUS

Two: What historical nation and period do you resemble most right now?

Germany, in the late 1800s after Bismarck united the country. During the entirety of the Karl Dorrell era, UCLA fans fought amongst/embarrassed themselves by either defending or attacking Dorrell. Um…I’m not going to name names, but I’m of the opinion that some people took it a little too far. It’s college football. It’s not a goddamn nuclear war.

Check out the rest here.

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NBA: Luc Richard Mbah a Moute To Remain in Draft

Andy — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 21:21:10 -0400

UCLA forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute has decided to remain in the NBA Draft, is hiring an agent, and will forgo his senior season, UCLA head basketball coach Ben Howland announced today.

“Luc had a great career at UCLA, and I’m really proud of everything he helped our team accomplish during his tenure as a player at UCLA,” Howland said. “He was the freshman of the year in the conference, won three Pac-10 titles and started in three Final Fours, but, more than anything, he is a winner.

“I’m sure he’ll continue to provide that great attitude and work ethic at the next level in the NBA,” Howland added. “I will always be grateful and appreciative of Luc. He’s an outstanding player and an even better person.”

As a junior, Mbah a Moute helped the Bruins compile a record of 35-4 en route to their third-straight Pac-10 title and third consecutive trip to the Final Four.

He was fifth on the team in scoring (8.8 ppg) and second in rebounding (6.0 rpg) last year. His 775 rebounds rank him No. 15 on UCLA’s career list.

He also earned honorable mentions on the All-Pac-10 tean and the Pac-10 All-Defensive Team.

“After speaking to my family and going through the process, I feel like the time is right for me to take the next step in my basketball career and keep my name in the NBA Draft,” said Mbah a Moute. “I had the greatest time of my life at UCLA. Starting in three straight Final Fours and winning three straight Pac-10 titles is something I’ll never forget. I will be a Bruin forever.”

This season, Mbah a Moute became the first player since Andre Hutson and Charlie Bell of Michigan State (1999-2001) and the first Bruin since Bill Walton, Jamaal Wilkes and Greg Lee (1972-74) to start in three straight Final Fours.

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NBA Draft Profile: Kevin Love

Andy — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 23:29:41 -0400

Okay. I’m horrible. There are only two possible reasons why I would not post as constantly as I used to on this blog. Is it

A) I stopped caring about UCLA sports. or

B) a chick.

I’ll let you answer that. Actually, I’ll give you one clue: the correct answer has breasts.

Anyways, Rush The Court asked me to do a preview of Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook for the upcoming draft. They also asked me to make it accessible to non-UCLA folks, so if it sounds like I’m talking to you like you’re an idiot, its not deliberate. Anyways, here is Kevin Love. Enjoy.

To say Kevin Love was a bit hyped up out of high school is kinda like saying like Kirstie Alley is a bit overweight.

One fateful night, Former UCLA Assistant Kerry Keating gave UCLA Head Coach Ben Howland a call and told him he was watching Kevin Love play for the first time. He told him that the Kevin Love he was watching would easily start for UCLA. Howland thought that was impossible.

After all, Love was just a high school freshman. Even as a frosh, coaches all over the country salivated over Kevin Love and would continue to do so until he finally chose a school.

Last year, Roy Williams offered a scholarship to only one player. Yep…K-Love.

Of course, we all know that Kevin Love ended up attending UCLA…but not before he was named the Gatorade National Male Athlete of the Year, the No. 1 player overall in the country by ESPN, and the No. 1 center in the country by both the Rivals and Scout recruiting networks.

The guy had a lot of expectations…and the fact that he met or exceeded these expectations is testament not only to his skill level, but to his character.

You don’t have to follow UCLA to know that Kevin Love is a pretty spectacular basketball player. You probably do have to follow UCLA to know how much he’s improved.

Earlier in the season, when games would go down to the wire, Howland would put in Lorenzo Mata in over Love. While Love obviously had a superb offensive game, his defensive game needed work and was actually a primary reason why Love chose to go to UCLA.

As the year went by, Howland stopped subbing in Mata when a defensive stop was needed, as Love began to show that he had made the necessary improvements. His footwork, focus, and anticipation all improved.

Love was also extremely disciplined, with a knack for getting in his opponent’s face while not fouling. His blocks-per-game average also increased.

Before the end of the year, he was giving future first-round draft picks Brook and Robin Lopez fits on the defensive end (not to mention the offensive end).

People look at Kevin Love and for some reason, they like to emphasize his shortcomings. If he were three inches taller, he’d probably be the first pick of the draft (and as a center, not as power forward).

A lot of people lament his supposed lack of athleticism. While those arguments have some merit, there is another pretty big deal that people outside UCLA don’t seem to understand.

Yes, they know that Kevin Love’s offensive game rivals the polish of NBA veterans. Yes, they know that despite the fact Love played center at UCLA, he still could drain the 3 and nail his free throws, even achieving the second highest 3 pt. percentage of UCLA’s starters.

And, of course, they know Kevin Love’s outlet passes cure cancer (props to whoever came up with that one).

But do they know that Kevin Love absolutely works his ASS off?

Kevin Love will do whatever it takes to be as successful as possible at the next level. Just look at the dude try to grab a rebound and you’ll understand. If his coach suggests that Love should lose weight, just name the weight. If a trainer suggests that Love focus on improving a particular part of his body, Love will be in the weight room before the sentence is finished.

If there is a particular part of his game that needs work, you might as well give him the keys to the gym, because Love will be the first and last person on the court.

Kevin Love has a complete game. He’s got the post moves, the outside shot, the strength, the defense, and the effort to make it big in the NBA. That’s why his stock is soaring and some are projecting him to go in the top five.

Trust me. Kevin Love will be around the league, barring injury, for quite a while.

Ah, I think I forgot one important thing here…

The fans absolutely LOVE him.

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UCLA Basketball: Alex Stephenson to the Bruins?

Andy — Fri, 16 May 2008 23:43:58 -0400

A week or two ago, I had said that another high profile big might be transferring to UCLA.

Well, I was talking about Alex Stephenson, and my source from inside Morgan Center says there's a pretty damn good chance he’ll end up at UCLA, too.

Greg Hicks just put up an article on scout.com on Alex Stephenson. It’s currently not premium material (sometimes they switch it on me) so I’m only going to excerpt from the intro, which they do for free anyway:

Alex Stephenson, the 6-foot-9 sophomore post from North Carolina, is transferring and reportedly looking to be closer to home in Southern California. There are a number of reasons why he’d be a great addition to the Bruin program…

Again, I’m hearing he’s almost a lock for UCLA. I’ll talk to my source later today for an update on that.

Yeah, Howland obviously SUCKS at recruiting bigs. Or maybe he does and we should be thanking Kevin Love? Hmmmm...

UPDATE: The scout.com article says that Stephenson has an illness in his family. I had actually heard that from my source as well, but my source added that somehow this means Stephenson wouldn’t need to sit out a year…as in, there is some sort of special exception. Or at least I think that's what he said. Regardless, thoughts and prayers go out to Alex and his family, wherever he ends up.

Pac-10 Basketball: Ben Howland vs. Tim Floyd

Andy — Mon, 12 May 2008 22:02:31 -0400

My blog, guttylittlebruins.com, is all about objectivity. We know when our own fans are being jackasses, we know when our rival just got screwed over a blown call, and we would know when Kirk Herbstreit is not being a complete tool, though we're still waiting to see that one.

Anyways, what I'm about to say might sound completely biased. I am about to completely rip Tim Floyd and the USC program and exalt UCLA Head Coach Ben Howland. If you don't like it, make yourself useful and monitor whether Kirk Herbstreit has stopped being a tool while I write the rest of this piece.

To see ESPN go after O.J. Mayo is kinda sad. The dude doesn't exactly come from a privileged background. I don't think it's a stretch to say that only an idiot wouldn't grab that kind of cash when it's right in front of him. Yet, this isn't about O.J. Mayo. This is about Tim Floyd.

Floyd is going to pull the "NO WAY! O.J. WAS TAKING MONEY? I HAD NO FRIGGIN' CLUE!" card and USC might get away with it. Regardless, Tim Floyd knew exactly what he was dealing with from the moment a "representative" of O.J. Mayo spoke with Tim Floyd during Mayo's recruitment. When Floyd asked for Mayo's number, the "representative" said O.J. doesn't give out his number...apparently even to his prospective future coaches.

“O. J. wanted me to come here today,” the man told Floyd. “He wanted me to figure out who you are.”

Floyd was desperate enough to play along. His starting point guard, Ryan Francis, had been murdered two months earlier. The backup, Gabe Pruitt, was in academic trouble. The third-stringer, a walk-on, was leaving college.

“Why aren’t you at Arizona or Connecticut?” Floyd recalled asking.

The man explained that Mayo wanted to market himself before going to the NBA, and that Los Angeles would give him the best possible platform.

“Then why aren’t you at UCLA?” Floyd asked.

The man shook his head. UCLA had already won 11 national championships. It had already produced many NBA stars. Mayo wanted to be a pioneer for a new era.

“Let me call him,” Floyd said.

The man shook his head again. “O. J. doesn’t give out his cell,” he said. “He’ll call you.”

That "representative" was Ronald Guillory, the center of the firestorm himself. Floyd knew exactly what he was getting into. If you play with matches, Tim, you get burned. That little excerpt should have been warning enough.

Now some of you are saying, "Wait...you are telling me Ben Howland wouldn't talk to O.J. Mayo, the No. 1 recruit in the country by many recruiting services, in a similar situation?"

That's exactly what I am telling you. If a guy came into Ben Howland's office and said "I'm O.J.'s representative, and he wants me to feel you out," Howland would personally kick his ass out the door.

You see, Ben Howland doesn't do the play with fire thing. The top recruit in the class of 2009, Renardo Sidney, has made it pretty unequivocal that he wants to go to UCLA. And UCLA has not offered him.

Why? Because there are questions about his attitude, personality, and me-first demeanor...the same type of traits that would influence players to take cash in the first place.

There was some talk from inside Morgan Center (not confirmed) that highly regarded recruit Luke Babbitt was getting a little too close to Ohio State boosters. After he reneged on his commitment to OSU, Howland would not take him, not caring if he was, in fact, a five-star recruit.

Howland doesn't play with matches. He believes in the sanctity of the UCLA program. Floyd doesn't give a rat's ass about the "sanctity" of USC's program, going so far as offering a scholarship to Lil' Romeo. Talk to any recruiting expert and they'll tell you that he is simply not Division I material. Period.

Way to take away a scholarship from a player that actually DOES deserve to play in the PAC-10, Tim. Don't be surprised when that Romeo kid does something shady.

And don't be surprised if Howland would personally kick his ass out the door, too.

LSU’s Trent Johnson to Make One Final Push to Keep J’Mison Morgan

Andy — Thu, 08 May 2008 06:17:39 -0400

The Daily Advertiser has the scoop on Trent Johnson’s last ditch effort to keep J’Mison Morgan in Louisiana:

New LSU basketball coach Trent Johnson said Wednesday he had intentions to make a phone call later in the night to a high-profile signee who may want out…

“When I was at the (South Oak Cliff) high school and visited with the coach and the kid, and when I went into his home (two weeks ago), he said he wanted to come here,” Johnson said…

Johnson said he spoke to Morgan’s mother, Bianca Morgan, Wednesday, and she had not changed her mind from her published comments that LSU was not the right place for her son. She suggested Johnson hadn’t shown enough interest in her son, claiming she “didn’t get any calls back” from him after the coach’s visit…

“Regardless,” he stressed, “I want guys who want to be here. This is LSU. This is the first time I’ve been in a situation where the recruiting pool is this large. I’m building a program, and I want to do so with guys who want to be here.”…

Remember, UCLA cannot contact J’Mison Morgan until LSU officially releases him. Johnson will be able to talk his ear off and Howland won’t be able to retort. We should have a better idea of what is up tomorrow…

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Inside UCLA: J’Mison Morgan to UCLA FO SHO

Andy — Tue, 06 May 2008 15:27:25 -0400

Jill Painter of Inside UCLA has done some fine work in Brian Dohn’s stead. She talked to Ronnie Morgan, J’Mison’s brother, and he said Morgan is “planning for sure to attend UCLA next year.”
Painter also reported that J’Mison was told that LSU would indeed grant the release:

“They haven’t made an (official) decision yet, but they say they’re going to (grant the release),” Ronnie Morgan said

Painter also astutely pointed out what would happen if the release was not granted:

LSU has to grant Morgan’s release or Morgan would have to sit out a year according to NCAA transfer rules.

Also, UCLA cannot contact Morgan until he is officially released. More as it happens…

Bruin Basketball Report did a great write-up on the situation earlier today. Check it out here.

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J’Mison Morgan: UCLA Is “a Better Fit for Me”

Andy — Tue, 06 May 2008 15:09:41 -0400

J’Mison Morgan told the Dallas Morning News that he wants to get out of his committment with LSU and that he wants to attend UCLA instead:

“It was a real hard decision for me,” said Morgan, an all-state center. “My comfort level was at LSU, but I felt like UCLA was a better fit for me as far as exposure.”

So it looks like Morgan will end up at UCLA, provided that LSU releases him. Considering that UCLA is out of the conference, I highly doubt LSU would not grant Morgan’s wish.

Morgan would be Howland’s biggest national recruiting swipe outside the west coast.

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Kevin Love Draft Bio

Andy — Tue, 06 May 2008 14:56:13 -0400

Hoopsworld recently did a Draft bio on Kevin Love, so I thought I’d share it with y’all:

Love was not hesitant to establish a dominant role in his freshman year on a team that had been to the Final Four the two previous seasons. The massive power forward used excellent positioning and Kevin McHale-type post moves to keep his defenders off balance. He demonstrates excellent footwork and an efficiency that makes up for a lack of vertical athleticism. Love’s pump fake mirrors his actual shot which induces defenders out of their stances, allowing for dribble drives or drawing contact. And Love can continue moves through all sorts of contact to complete the “and-1.”

Love hasn’t started his workouts, but as of right now he’s still slotted to go somewhere between the 8th and the 14th pick. Most sources have him slated as a lottery pick and I bet the Trailblazers wouldn’t mind having him back in his home state at #8. Greg Oden, Brandon Roy, AND Kevin Love? Unless Love’s workouts suck, my pick is for Love to go to the Trailblazers at #8.

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UCLA Football Recruiting Roundup

Andy — Tue, 06 May 2008 12:14:01 -0400

Scout has just released its latest version of its top 300 players, complete with stars and positional rankings. Here are where UCLA’s commits currently stand:

He’s Norm Chow, Bitch.

Commit Todd Golper is currently ranked the #130 recruit overall in the country, Byron Moore is #168, and Marlon Pollard is at #189.

Here is what Rivals has on the recruiting class so far:

Rivals doesn’t have any rankings for the individual positions, but they have 3 UCLA commits in the Rivals250. Marlon Pollard is currently ranked as the #84 player in the country, Byron Moore is at #173, and Todd Golper is at #205.

That’s where UCLA stands right now and it looks pretty solid so far. One thing that stands out about these commits so far is that they are, so far, all on the defensive side of the ball. I’m thinking thats kinda funky especially because Neuheisel and Chow are proven and well-reputed offensive minds. Then again, DeWayne Walker has been around for 3 years recruiting these kids that have committed while Neuheisel and Chow are just getting fingers wet. All in all, I’m not worried. Don’t forget:

He’s Norm Chow, bitch.

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Rivals: J’Mison Morgan Will Go to UCLA

Andy — Mon, 05 May 2008 20:54:54 -0400

I’m quoting a quote here, but check it out regardless:

J’Mison Morgan has made a big switch, going from LSU to UCLA.

I have not read anything from Morgan or his family directly stating their interest in UCLA. The information from Morgan’s AAU coach has just been just as equivocal. Again, y’all have to stay tuned.

You might be interested in this post I wrote in April:

UCLA Back in it with Elite Center J’Mison Morgan?

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