Answers, Part IV

One thing that really struck me about the ’95 Championship team (Edney, O’Bannon etc), were their humility. Does this current squad strike you as humble, considering their personal and team accomplishments/achievements, or are they arrogant and full of themselves?
I do think there is an air of humility about this team, but I think there is also some bravado and cockiness. They are not arrogant, but not overly humble either.

Do you find it strange that Darren Collison is a 3rd Team AP All-American and 2nd team All Pac-10? Do you think he deserves higher recognition?
No, I think it was accurate on both accounts.

Had you ever seen Josh Shipp defer an open jumpshot and pass the ball to Lorenzo Mata-Real on the perimeter, before last Saturday’s game against Xavier? Does that speak to Josh’s current frame of mind and/or confidence, or did he just want a potential assist?
Before this season, I never thought I’d see Shipp defer shots like he does. It speaks of his current mental state and confidence in his jump shot that he is passing up so many open shots.

Can the Bruins just blow off the required NCAA media sessions and shoot-around and spend the extra-time practicing, or relaxing, in San Antonio? Are there any penalties or sanctions?
Big time penalties and sanctions, not to mention the horrific press it would receive that, invariably, would be used in recruiting against UCLA. It’s part of the agreement when it comes to being in the NCAAs.

Xavier split our double-team trap a few times and reversed direction on our perimeter hedge. Are teams “on to us” now?
No. UCLA has been playing like that since Howland arrived. Xavier just happed to do a better job, in some instances, than other teams. But I didn’t feel Xavier exploited that matchup.

Is it true Kevin Love was seen on TV mouthing the words "2 more games" to the UCLA crowd chant "one more year," after the win over Xavier?
I don’t know.

Don’t you find it odd that Bob Lopez abruptly left the football program, after the recent Donor event where Coach Neuheisel said he is very important and was looking forward to working with him?
No. Lopez was very close with Karl Dorrell, and was looking for a good fit to move on. I was surprised he remained on staff for so long. Not only didn’t I find it odd, I found probable he would leave.

Is it true Coach Howland and Coach Neuheisel recruited themselves to UCLA, and neither was Dan Guerrero’s top choice, and he had to be convinced to give both of them a shot?
Well, UCLA struck out with several coaching candidates (Chris Pederson, Mike Bellotti, Steve Mariucci to name a few) before going to Neuheisel, who was a popular pick among the boosters and former players. As for Howland, I know there was contact with Mike Montgomery and Mark Few. I heard Howland was in the lead group and politicked very hard to get the job, but Guerrero says Howland was the first choice. Keep in mind, Guerrero chose not to hire Howland at UC-Irvine.