Q&A time (and housekeeping)

Is there a Rutgers sports blog that you follow as much as we follow yours?

Brian, congrats on the latest addition (in advance?)
Do you have any info on how football season ticket sales for the upcoming season compare to last year?

congrats brian, we will miss you. jill does do a great job in your absence and iam grateful that you will have a replacement because im not sure what i would do without your blog for a month.
my question: any update on alex stephenson? also, when will the incoming freshmen (football) arrive on campus? when do practices start?

thank you brian, keep up the great work, i love you blog, i check it multiple times a day.

Did you and your wife plan this new birth to coincide with your professional "slow" period or was it just a coincidence?

Have you ever been asked to do a TV show like Around the Horn?

If he is still available, should the Lakers pick Mbah a Moute with their low second round pick? I understand that Luc has done well in the pre-draft camp (altho I have yet to see him projected in any mock draft). Whoever they choose figures to end up in the minors, anyway, and although I would like to see Luc play out his senior year he seems disinterested in coming back to UCLA...

Any word on the status of Cowan's eligibility? Is there even a minute possibility of the NCAA granting him a 6th year?

I realize how in the future it is, but if Cowan were to gain that extra year of eligibility do you think he would be a lock to start?

What is the best package deal for UCLA and which is most likely to end up here: Lance Stephenson/Renardo Sidney or Gaddy/Bradley?

I've read a lot of different reports on the character issues of LS and RS and how RS plays very lethargic...does BH in your opinion seem like he would take those two guys despite these issues to help his program get over the hump and bring home a NC?

Should we expect some commitments from the UCLA overnight camp later this month? Is this the biggest off-season recruiting event for the coaches?

Brian Congrats on the addition to the family!! I for one would just like to say thank you on behalf of all of us readers who are addictated to this blog and the continuos updates you provide. My question is in regards to recruiting, do you think that recruits are holding a wait and see how approach on how ucla does this year to in order to access the new coaching staff?

Did coach RN have success at Washington and Colorado in recruiting on the national stage as he hopes to do at UCLA? How attractive is UCLA for recruits on a national stage compared to other pac-10 schools?

Does UCLA have any interest in Derrick Jasper, formerly of Kentucky? I understand that he is interested in becoming a Bruin.

Which blog is more popular? this one or Inside SUC??

Can you please explain the APR number for men's basketball and how it is calculated and the effect that Love/Westbrook have on it by withdrawing and not finishing up classes they had enrolled in. At what point does it actually become a problem?

Thanks

First of all, congratulations on the upcoming addition to your family!

Question 1 - Where should we send the baby Bruin outfits? And is it a little Joe Bruin, or little Josephine Bruin?

Question 2 - Were you aware that your face would be plastered on the top left of the blog before you returned? The secret's out!

Brian, do you know what the timeline is for Stanback in deciding which school he will play for? I understand it will be at an east coast school but which schools are interested in him?

Brian-
(1) Do we have to worry about losing Marlon Pollard, or is he solidly committed?

(2) Do you see any of the DB recruits (Rahim Moore, Hester, Dye) getting PT as freshmen?

(3) Are we a serious player for a DE like Craig Roh, or are we likely to get Keenan Graham?

(4) How likely are we to get Shaq Evans and can we flip Carroll and Presley?

(5) Do you know if we are still trying to make inroads with guys like Patrick Hall and Flournoy as well?

Congrats on your child!

Seems like with 15 offers to olinemen we should pick up maybe 3-4 players??

Do we have a realistic chance with some of the out-of- staters, I mean aside from the Hawaiian lineman? Is the coaches still looking at Born as a sleeper?

what's the deal with the whole second-round guarantee thing? I thought the nature of second-round picks are that teams aren't obligated to offer them a contract. So even if Luc, say, gets a second-round guarantee from a mid-low 2nd round team, what's to stop another team from drafting him ahead of them and not offering him a contract? And what if the original team has a change of heart and ends up not offering a contract anyways?

You have often spoken of your experience covering MLB and how it compares to the Bruin beat. SO I ask you...Johnnie O or Dellins? Tutsy or Rourke? Boby K or J Reid? You deserve all the recognition you are receiving for your tremendous work, all the best to you and your wife with the new addition.

Is Jill interested in covering the Q&A while you are gone?

Has Dan Guerrero or any other high level adminsrators ever talked about increasing the number of sports they support to try and get even more NCAA titles? If so, how would Title IX effect that..and which sports do you think would be the first to be introduced? I remember a couple of really good articles from the *cough-cough* LA Times back in 94 or 95 that discussed the process of cutting the very elite men's swimming and gymnastics teams. What are your thoughts?

Is UCLA one of the Pac-10 schools that are now actively pursuing Mt. San Antonio Defensive Tackle Hebron Fangupo?

Thanks in advance

Not sure if you have any insight on this but why have Jordan Hamilton and Hollis Thompson not shown any interest in UCLA? Is it Play Time concerns? Wanting to get out of LA? Not wanting to play defensive Howland b-ball?

Do you agree with the freewheeling manner in which Scott Wolf runs his inside usc blog? He posts a lot of editorial content and does not censor his audience. This wouldnt be a bad thing but it seems to me that his style fosters a lot of tasteless behavior from his readers. Do you think it is fair to censor your readers in order to uphold your blogs integrity?

I understand that UCLA is still looking at additional cornerbacks to fill out this class. Is one of the reason that one of their corner recruit appears to be wavering and Notre Dame is doing a full court press on this player??

What do you think of UCLA's chances of landing Lance Stephenson?

I was wondering what freshmen Coach Neuheisel is most looking forward to having join the Bruin program this fall? Could any of the Wide Receivers hop in and see time? Also, if you had one word to describe the current state of UCLA football, what would it be?Congrats on the addition to the family!

Cliff Harris is generally rated among the top 2-3 defensive back recruits in the west. Why has he not been offered by UCLA/ Is it a question of academics?

Hi Brian. I have really enjoyed the growth of the blog over the past year, especially the questions and answers segments. It’s another reason to say TGIF. I have read an article (http://tinyurl.com/449nm6 and others) last week on how UNC fans have seemed to have turned on Ty Lawson for daring to actually leave UNC for the pros – nasty emails and calls and the like, theses fans being revealed to be quite self-centered. I the same vein, Duke fans treated the outgoing Elton Band the same only worse. How have you fans UCLA fans treating Jordan Farmar, Arron Afflalo, Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook, et al., the past couple of years? Are (were) these guys getting similar treatment?

An old college offensive line coach once told me that a team generally needs eight offensive lineman it can count on because injuries generally take their toll over the course of a season. I assume that UCLA expects (or hopes) it can count on the five linemen listed as starters on the depth chart issued after spring practice -- Kia, Savage, Reed, Glicksberg, and Sheller. I also assume that Ekbetani is counted on to contribute since he is being groomed as the top backup at guard and center. Are there a couple of other offensive linemen who are being counted on to step in when injuries occur? Who are they?

If Luc heads for the NBA, do you expect Keefe to wind up as the starter at the power forward position?

It has been said that Sean Sheller, a projected starter at offensive tackle, needs to get bigger and stronger to be truly effective at his position. He is listed on the depth chart at 282 pounds. Is it reasonable to anticipate that he will be a 300 pounder by fall camp?

You have mentioned that someone will need to leave the program for a scholarship to open up this fall for Kevin Prince. Is it still expected that this will happen?

I was sorry to read in the blog that Brandon Breazill was cut by the Kansas City Chiefs before the first practice because of a shoulder issue. Is this a new injury or one that he had while playing at UCLA? Will he be able to try out with another team?

Do you expect Alex Stepheson to announce his college choice before the birth of your baby? Is UCLA still the favorite to land him?

any update on westbrook? im assuming he is staying in the draft. what teams is he working out for? as Kings fan im really hoping that he is still available with the 12th pick. id love to have him in our backcourt.

Do NBA teams only work out prospective players that they're seriously interested in or do they cast a wide net and invite everyone and their mother to work out for them? What have you heard about Westbrook and which teams are interested in him?

Why do you think Josh Shipp is waiting so long to make an official announcement?

With all the workouts that Luc is attending, how likely do you think it is that he'll return?

Isn't it not fair for UCLA (and other schools that end late) in terms of APR that we end school mid-June, making it nearly impossible for anyone to stay in school while working out for the NBA? Could Love or Westbrook really have done anything about it?

How are players selected to attend the pre-draft camp in Orlando? I don't recall Afflalo being invited last year and he ended up being a first round pick.

Thanks for your time!

Has Phil Jackson and John Wooden ever met, and if not, do either of them have any interest in meeting the other?
Wooden 10 NCAA championships, Phil gunning for 10th NBA championships. same town. it almost makes too much sense.
And if there is not interest, is there a reason why not?

Have you seen Malcom Lee and Jerime Anderson play in person? Could you compare both players style of play to one another? If you have not seen them, what have you heard?

What team would you say is the least successful team on campus? Where would you rank football?

Is there a rivalry between you and the guys from rivals and scout?

Do you think the guys on the Deadliest Catch eat some of the crab they catch while on the boat or do they just keep it all for profit?

When did the whole APR thing begin? I don't remember it being discussed in years past.

Congratulations Brien ! We are all expecting your son or daughter's first words to be a solid verbal committment to UCLA with a signed offer as soon as they can write. Really enjoyed the highlight videos - Thanks!
I read that upcoming UCLA football schedule is the 4th toughest in the nation by last years win percentage of their opponents. Do you agree with that? If so, do you think it is to the Bruin's advantage given where they are in rebuilding ?

It's been mentioned that Luc is almost graduate or perhaps a Quarter short to graduate. Is this one of the reasons that he's willing to stay on the draft even being as a 2nd Rounder rather than come back for another season?

UCLA has had a great tradition in the Summer Olympics.
what current and former athletes are competing in them, for USA and for other countries? and how does it compare to other universities in the Pac-10, around the country?

would also be great if DN can work on some stories on some those athletes, either from UCLA, or from the Valley.

Football has looked really soft in recent seasons. I'd like to see them get more aggressive and physical. Was that softness a reflection of Karl Dorrell's coaching style or the athletes just didn't have it in them to be physical?

Has the coaching staff mentioned anything about moving incoming freshman Derrick Coleman to linebacker? He looks like he could put a beating on people.

Thanks for running a kick a$$ blog!!

What is the under 18 olympic basketball team and if our future Bruins make it, when would they be playing in the tournament in Argentina?

In last week's Q&A, you mentioned that the enrollment of a few players who would not have been accepted in prior years was not due to "increased flexibility on behalf of the admission folks, but rather better preparedness from the football offices in presenting cases." Do you know which person or persons within the football office deserve credit for the better preparation? Did Coach Neuheisel have significant influence on this effort?

UCLA has lost several key defensive players from last year's team including Bruce Davis, Kevin Brown, Christian Taylor, and four of the top five defensive backs. Do you think the biggest defensive question mark on this year's team is the defensive backfield where only Verner returns as a starter? Do you see any defensive player emerging as a potential star like Bruce Davis was on last year's team? Has Coach Walker indicated whether he thinks this year's defense can be as good or better than last year's team?

The article on the link below mentions that there is a stipulation in Rick Neuheisel's contract that he will not be eligible for contract bonuses if the program is put on NCAA probation. Is this something common among UCLA's current and recent coaches such as Howland and Dorrell and does Neu's history have anything to do with it?

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3410625&campaign=rss&source=NCFHeadlines

Do you expect any commitments from UCLA's one day camp this Saturday? Do you expect some new offers to be extended when the coaching staff sees certain players in person at the camp?

What masters program will Alfred Aboya be starting at UCLA and when? I'd love to see him at the law school!

Congrats Brian...

Pop quiz hot shot. Aside from Villagrosa(?), name the other UCLA Alum that was mayor of LA.

Brian,

Congradulations on the new addition to your family. If a boy, have you considered the following names: Kareem, Cade, Rafer, or Karch?

I just saw an article on a FB recruit, Brett Downey, an offensive left guard, accepting a scholarship offer:
http://www.uniondemocrat.com/news/story.cfm?story_no=26769

Do you know anything about him as far as how good he is, or is UCLA looking for any warm body to stick on the offensive line?

Has UCLA in fact offered Lance Stephenson, as has been reported by scout?

Do you have any idea which recruits are attending camp this weekend or on the overnight camp later in June?