Answers, Part IV
Here is the fourth installment:
First, has there been any romors/update regarding the fund raising for Pauley Pavilion? Has a date for the start of construction been set or are they stil in the design phase?I am checking on something regarding Pauley and hope to have an update next week. And no date has been set because they still are not even close to having the funding in place to do the renovation.
how did you come to be a sports writer at The Daily News and how do you like it?An editor I worked for in New Haven, Conn., (I was covering UConn men's basketball) took a job at the Daily News and about a year later had an opening and hired me. I love working there because they give me to freedom to cover UCLA the way I want, but offer me great direction when I seem to get tunnel vision, which happens when covering a beat.
With all the talk about the freshman performing well in the 7-0n-7's I haven't heard much about E.J. Woods. Any updates?Woods hasn't been around much because he is trying to get something squared away. At this time, I shall leave it at that.
D'rue Holiday looks like the real deal. Have you seen him play against D1 college players? And what do you think about him?I've seen him in pickup games at UCLA, and he has unbelievable talent. That said, he needs to learn coach Ben Howland's defensive system and approach. For me, it's too early to have an opinion about him.
What are your thoughts on the news that came out of Rutgers re:Greg Schiano getting paid excess money via the school's sports marketing firm and the school not revealing it until now? Obviously this is prevalent among college coaches but for the school not to upfront about it seems sketchy to me.I have no problem with how Rutgers is paying its coach. My issue is in the reporting. Shouldn't the reporters have known that a while back?
Do you have more/updated info about RN's offer to Cowan to stay on with the team as some type of an asst?I was told it is unlikely, especially since Cowan will not have surgery until next month to fix his torn ACL. I was also told Cowan's personality isn't the coaching type, but I don't think a final decision has been made.
Who on the football team do you think has NFL potential??I'll leave the freshmen out of it because they have not yet played. As for guys I expect to see in the NFL, I say DT Brigham Harwell, DT Brian Price, S Glenn Love, CB Alterraun Verner, LT Micah Kia, LG Darius Savage, TE Logan Paulsen, PK Kai Forbath, QB Ben Olson and WR Marcus Everett.
With the throwing sessions going on right now, what do you feel is diffrent with the team and does the offense look better than last year? It is impossible to judge the offense's effectiveness off the summer throwing sessions because the offensive and defensive lines aren't in the equation. One difference I do notice is a very talented freshmen class when it comes to the skill positions.
So was Lockett academically ineligle OR suspended due to team rules violation?He was suspended for a violation of team rules, pertaining to academics. I don't want to embarrass the kid any more by writing about what happened. If he was academically ineligible, he would be out for the season.
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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.
Why are you high on Ben Olson (see him as NFL talent, for example) and the coaching staff is not?
Agreed, Olson will have to shine this season if he hopes to make it to the next level.
I also don't understand the admiration of Logan Paulsen. He dropped too many passes that were right in his hands that could have changed the outcome of some games last year. Moya has shown more promise in his first season than Paulsen has at all.
Ben Olson has been projected as a pro prospect by national pro football writers. Not to say he will be absent showing improvement this season, but I guess the pros like his size and arm.
Brian, is the reason EJ Woods is "not around much" due to the academic clearinghouse? Will he be elligible to enroll?
Are you forgetting abour Reggie Carter or do you really believe he is not one of the players you expect to be in the NFL? To me he is years ahead of Olson or Everett
Eric Scott is high on T Austin and thinks he has a very high ceiling (NFL Potential?) You didn't mention him or DJ.
Any particular reason?
Here is a few things on the potential NFL players at UCLA. First, guys like Reggie Carter are gamers, but the NFL is a different game than college. He surely may make the NFL, but his size is lacking for a middle linebacker in the NFL.
As for Austin, he doesn't have the speed, and he's dropped too many passes.
The NFL will look at a guy like Olson and see a big frame, strong arm and he will test well athletically. I included him because he has the build for an NFL quarterback, although he has not shown the ability yet at UCLA.
Logan Paulsen also has the size and the body, and teams will take a chance on him. As for Dominique Johnson, he is incredibly inconsistent and does not practice as hard as many people within the program would like. In talking to NFL folks who come out to practice and guys who played in the NFL, the names I listed are the ones I hear.
Again, being a good college player doesn't mean you'll make it to the NFL because the criteria can be so different.