Q&A time

In your opinion who has a better chance of signing Stepheson, ucla or sc and why? Are there any other schools in the mix that you know of?
Who will be starting starting QB at the beginning of the season?

When can we expect to see the conceptual drawings for the renovation of Pauley Pavilion?

Assuming that UCLA has the inside track on landing JC O-lineman Donovan Edwards, who is the next O-lineman you see committing to UCLA?

What do you predict will be the preseason ranking of the Men's Basketball team?

Were the Neuheisels able to find a house near the campus or will Coach be a super commuter like Karl Dorrell who had to drive to Westwood from his home in Simi Valley?

Do you know if it was Chow or Neuheisal that made the final call on Brehaut-Nunes? Any idea which one Chow wanted after he visited the two or did he like both well enough he let Coach Neu decide?

So Brian- Who are (the three) players that are planning on transferring from the football team? (I probably won't get an answer, but I thought I'd try)

Is there any chance Lanis would reconsider his medical retirement? Is that even possible? I feel like, if you added Lanis back into the mix with this Edwards kid, we might actually have a decent OL next year. Also, can you tell us what you know about Edwards? What are the chances of him committing to UCLA and if he does, do you think he would start?

Brian,

There are still a few recruits from out of state that Ben Howland has offered for the 2009 year. Do you know if any of these are seriously considering the Bruins?

Do you see any liklihood that Dragovic will get significant playing time this coming basketball season?

It appears a lot of big programs are interested in Edwards. Did he go to DVCC because of grades or did he become a significantly better player than was expected from him out of highschool? Does UCLA have a leg up on the other schools, since it appears it is the only school that will let him play now?

With his size and athletic ability, why is it that Morgan averaged only a shade over 13 points a game? Can we expect him to provide any offensive threat in the post?

Brian, If hypothetically someone looked just at our offensive line this upcoming season, what school would they think they were watching? Would it still be a BCS conference team or are we talking MAC/Mountain West?

do you think Luc will remain in the draft or return for his senior season? how did he perform in the Orland pre-draft camp? do you think Luc's decision to stay or go is impacting Stephenson's decision to transfer to UCLA?

What are you hearing from those people you know around football about the Nunes Brehaut battle? Does everyone perfer Brehaut over Nunes?

What are the chances that Stepheson is able to play next year and how much does that weigh on his choice of where to go? How long does it normally take the NCAA to make a ruling? More importantly, is Stepheson even asking for a waiver?

Does it seem like we have too many above average QB's for the next few years. Wont they be unhappy about playing time...etc..? Kevin Craft, Kevin Prince, Chris Forcier, Nick Crissman and Richard Brehau all seem like they could each be a star a D1 school.

Do you know the reason Roll left UCSB to go to UCLA? It would seem like he could be a star at UCSB, and not just a roll player like he is at UCLA?

When does the early signing period for basketball begin/end for 2009 class? My understanding is that the top prospects for 2009 will typically sign during the early signing period...

Brian, Has there been any talk about uniform changes??

Brian-

Where do we stand on the following football recruits:

Shaquelle Evans
Randall Carroll (Will be leave USC for UCLA)
Manti Teo
Michael Phillipp

Is Coach Palacic making strong inroads with the OL recruits? What is your take on why we've not offered many OL prospects?

With at least 6 basketball scholarships open after next year, and possibly more, are you suprised that there has only been one verbal commit to date (Nelson)? Is the staff still evaluating and is thus unsure who to offer, or have the recruits just not jumped at the offers yet? Do you sense any concern among the staff that too many of the top prospects will be snatched up early by other schools?

Do you think Howland will be reluctant to bring in another pg in the class of 2009? We will lose Collison and potentially Holiday, and I just hope that the staff will offer one even if they might fear it will scare off the comitted Kendall Williams in 2010. Do you know any pg prospects UCLA is interested in, or will they focus more on combo guards in 2009?

Where are we in the recruitment of Lance Stephenson, Renardo Sidney, and Stover? Any shot Stephenson and Sidney get offers?

Not a question so much as a comment/suggestion for the tech guys: would it be possible to put one post out at the end of the Q&A day with all of the questions and answers? For those of us who can't check the blog during the day it's kind of a pain (relatively) to view each page in order.

Thanks!

There seemed to be more flexibility in admitting football recruits by the academic admissions committee this past year which allowed for the enrollment of a few players who would not have been accepted in prior years. Do you expect this increased flexibility to continue this year given that current players are continuing to do well in the classroom?

You mentioned Prince looked the best amongst all of the QB's who attended Clarksons Camp. What other QB's at his grade level and the grade level below him were there? What other QB's performed well? What were Prince's strengths and weeknesses?

Now that we've received a committment from Brehaut....who's next? What are some of the potential recruits to commit in the coming days and weeks? Any chance on Phillip?

What is our strongest position this year. I'm guessing defensive tackle position??

Did you ever ask Hollins, Bozeman and/or Fay (or others) what they thought of Steve Lavin as a coach? Was he worse or a better coach than many thought? If I recall, Hassan Adams said he didnt go to UCLA because Lavin did not work the players hard in practice. Thanks!

Scott Glicksberg is listed on the latest depth chart as weighing 269 pounds, a very light weight for a potential starter at offensive guard. Is that an accurate representation of his current weight? Do you think he is strong enough to be effective at that position? Do you believe Ekbetani will be starting over him by the opening game of the season?

Do the football players seem pleased with the training regimen instituted by Mike Linn? Do they think it is more effective than the old program under Doc Kreis?

Reggie Stokes was listed as second string righr defensive end on the depth chart released after spring practice. Do you think he has improved sufficiently to make a contribution this year? How about Jeff Miller and David Carter who are listed as third string defensive tackles?

Diane Pucin published a story in the Times this week about the preparation that Love was doing to get ready for NBA evaluations. The story begs for a question about whether that kind of dieting and training should be part of the college program and not something that has to be done after the athlete leaves school?

Akeem Ayers is listed as second string SLB on the latest depth chart behind John Hale. You have mentioned that the coaching staff thinks highly of Ayers. Do you think he will wind up as the starter at that position by the start of the season?

who do you see as the next verbal for ucla's basketball team? and when do you think that will happen?

thanks for taking all of these questions, the info is very welcome

Seems the coaches are favoring Kevin Prince over Nick Crissman at least that is the perception I get. Do you think the coaches would have acted in the same way if Nick and Kevin's situations were reversed i.e. asked Nick to enroll in the summer instead of asking him to greyshirt?

I read in the LAT that Kevin Love will spend around 6K from training to meals to the trip to Orlando in getting ready for the draft. Similarly, Luc will spend around 4 to 6K in his preparation as well even though he has thoughts of returning to UCLA. Should it be surprising that Luc has that money to spend? Does being a Prince mean Luc is loaded?

What effect do you think Stan Love's trashing of Ben Howland's reputation as a man of integrity and as a coach will have on Ucla recruiting in 09 and beyond?

(Stan basically said that BH lied to Kevin and him about how KL would be used at Ucla, and implied that BH was a bad coach for not utilizing KL more/better.)

do you think players will notice that BH has never had a player score 20+ ppg over a season? will that track record fly in the half and dash era?

do you think Kevin Love purposely stuck it to Ucla in the APR b/c BH didn't get him the ball more? or is Love just a user who doesn't care about honoring commitments/keeping his word?

do you think his shabby treatment of Ucla will hurt his endorsement chances?

how closely did bobo morgan look at kansas? coming off an NC with a system that gets its bigs a lot of dunks off of slip screens, and the success that Dallas native Dorrell Arthur had v memphis (20 and 12 was it?) compared to Love, it would seem a good fit. was KU not interested? (if so, what does that say? why did morgan only avg 13 ppg in HIGH SCHOOL?)

Franke Valle or Frank Sinatra?

Besides Pauley and baseball stadium, can you elaborate on what's the most pressing facilities concerns with UCLA athletics? And what is being done about it?

why do people ask you so many impossible to answer questions? is there a drinking game involed? Some kind of lottery? "Stump the Dohn"....where can I sign up? could Neu get arrested if he plays?

Who do you think will be favored in the UCLA/ Tennessee game on Labor Day? What would you guess would be the point spread?

What do you anticipate this upcoming season for Chow's offense? In it's first year is it unrealistic to expect UCLA to move the ball more effectively than they did in Dorrell's WCO fifth year?

What has been the coaching staff's reaction to Stan Love's recent negative comments?

Since Morgan is not signing a LOI does his presence count as a one scholarship being used during his freshman season?

How does Luc work out 4 or 5 hours per day in Compton in addition to studying and keeping up with classes?

I saw this as a comment on one of your posts and wanted to make sure it got answered. It was posted annonimously:
When does Luc go to his classes? Doesn't he still have to pass his classes this quarter?

Why have we not offered a guy like Cliff Harris? Is there a possibility guys like Xavier Sua'Filo and Stan Hasiak will consider us because of our lack of OL depth?

Do you see Forcier pulling ahead of Craft and getting serious PT if something happens to Olson? Is there concern about the lack of bulk on the OL with guys like Sheller and Dean, who are possible replacements for 1st-string players?

Has Mike Roll recovered by now from his foot injury? Is he expected to be 100 percent by the start of the season? Do you think there is any chance he will be a starter assuming Westbrook goes pro, or is Holiday the certain starter replacing Westbrook?

How do you like working with this football staff as opposed to the old one?

Do you have any idea on how the offseason workouts are coming along?

Brian,

Great to have you back although Ramona and Jill did solid work in your absence. A few questions for your consideration:

1. You noted that UCLA's FB recruiting efforts have turned much more national in scope. While this is certainly welcome, has this been accomplished at the expense of inroads made at city section schools such as Dorsey, Crenshaw, etc.?

2. How is Ben Olson's recovery from foot surgery coming along?

3. Given your discussion of the number of coaches still being paid by NFL teams, is this abnormal compared to other staffs of other schools? Does this likely portend a substantial overhaul at the end of the year?

4. If Chris Forcier is unable to beat out Craft and Crissman next year, would he consider a position change to wideout to take advantage of his athleticism a la Drew Bennett?

5. Would your colleague Ramona strike you out in 3 consecutive pitches?

Which of the quarterbacks participating in spring practice (excluding the injured Cowan) has the strongest arm? Which one is the most accurate passer? Who displayed the best command of the offense? Which quarterback seemed to be the best leader? Who will wind up as the starter barring injury? Who will be the top backup?

how "raw" offensively is Morgan? And, why do you think howland went after him?

Regarding the Brandon Carroll walk-on video, in your opinion, was it a negative overall for SC? Does it have any effect on recruiting or has it already had some effect?

A couple of questions...

1. Didn't Ben Howland say something a few months ago about Kevin Love promising not to drop out of classes in mid-quarter? Does Love's withdrawal affect the team's willingness to recruit another one-and-done player in the future?

2. Has Russell Westbrook dropped out too?

Thanks.

Adam Heater, the former tight end, is now listed on the latest depth chart as a woefully undersized 246 pound center. Does the coaching staff truly believe that Heater can grow into an effective interior lineman, or is it simply a situation where someone may be needed at center for the scout team?

With all the QB talk you don't hear much about the RBs, how do they look?

You said that Kevin Prince was a huge hit at the event in Santa Barbara this pass weekend and that talking to a few people about Prince's performance, they said he looked the best out of the quarterbacks in attendance.

Do you know if Matt Barkley was there?

Will Nicola Dragovic go back to Europe for the summer or play around UCLA or the summer league working on his game?

How is Mike Roll's foot and should he be fully ready by next season?

Norm Chow recently visited Hawaii to meet some of the local kids. What have you heard about UCLA's recruitment of Punahou LB Manti Te`o? Besides Te`o and Kapolei OT Stan Hasiak, is UCLA looking at other kids from Hawaii for the 2009 class?

I missed Stan Love's statement about UCLA's supposed failure to live up to its recruiting promises. What were his complaints?

Lance Stephenson is down to three schools; UCLA, USC, and kansas....Do you think he will be a bruin?

Morrell Presley's commitment to USC is rumored to be softening.
Will UCLA be making a run at him?

This also leads to a second question.
How does a team "steal" a player who has committed to another school without using negative recruiting tactics?