Aboya's future
I talked to a source last night who thought it was a better than 50-50 chance reserve big man Alfred Aboya would not be at UCLA next season because he wants to pursue a Master's degree after graduating from UCLA in June.
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About Inside UCLA
This is Brian Dohn's sixth season covering UCLA after spending 4 1/2 years covering the Dodgers for the Daily News and other Los Angeles Newspaper Group papers. He graduated from Rutgers, where the first college football game was played in 1869. Sure, the Scarlet Knights suffered for a long time, but now RU is doing what Jerseyans always thought was possible. Winning at Rutgers also proves winning is possible everywhere else in the nation, so underachieving coaches better be careful. Now, if only men's hoops can turn it around.
It is almost certain this team will have a different make up next year, but lets thank the Basketball Gods for a nice 3 year run, 3 final 4's in 3 years, nothing to hang your head at...
Good Luck to aboya if he chooses an education, all of these guys will be successful in no matter what it is they choose to do..
Good luck to Alfred if he decides to move on next year, will always remember the alley oop dunk he had over Noah.
What is it looking like for Luc, Shipp, Westbrook? I really hope those three come back, I am assuming DC and Love are gone and although I don't want to, I should add Westbrook to that list. Westbrook/Jrue backcourt would have been quite fun to watch.
Brian, why isn't pursuing his Master's at UCLA an option? I know I've heard of a bunch of other schools where the 5th year seniors take grad school classes, so why can't he, who actually will have intent to complete grad school, do it at UCLA?
IIRC Aboya was quoted last week as saying UCLA was a possibility for post graduate work. I guess it depends on what type of studies he wishes to pursue and if UCLA offers them.
Best of luck to Alfred if he should decide to leave. He has been a shining example of what a student athlete should be. He's worked hard on the court and in the classroom.
I will also remember that amazing dunk, but I will remember even more his poise and maturity during the Washington game this season.
I hope when they do another commerical about how most NCAA athlete "go pro in something other than sports" they put Aboya in the spot.
Imagine that, a big-time college athelete leaving the team to pursue academia rather than leaving the school for professional sport.
If there is ever a Ralph Bunche[1] award for all that is good with collegiate sports, you sir, would have my vote.
[1] Ralph Bunche, the UCLA alumnus Nobel Laureate, was a pretty good athlete:
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1950/bunche-bio.html
"At the University of California at Los Angeles he supported himself with an athletic scholarship"
masters degree in what?