Answers (cont.), Part XII

i hate to speculate, but who do you see playing SF once josh shipp has left the program? if it is somebody not yet in the program, i don't expect you to give a name as they could easily not commit or decommit.
Shoot, I could see Malcolm Lee playing that spot if necessary, and Michael Roll as well.

who do we have a better shot at avery bradley or abdul gaddy?Are their chances we get both?
I don't know, but I think UCLA has to come from behind on both of them.

who do you think will be ucla's top recruit in football for the class of 09. are guys like Teo and Kennard still possibilities?
I have no idea who the top recruits will be, although Los Osos quarterback Richard Brehaut will be high on the list. And the two you mentioned are long shots to wind up at UCLA.

Who has a greater chance of starting a game this season, Prince or Olson?
I'm going with Ben Olson.

will Pac Ten offenses be yelling at DeWayne Walker "you sunk my battleship!"? How good do you think his D is going to be now that you've seen the secondary in action? (Barring a major rash of unforeseen injuries of course!)
I think Walker's defense will be good, but my biggest concern is depth and whether the offense stays on the field long enough to keep the defense fresh. The secondary will have growing pains, but I think Walker is comfortable with the way they guys are practicing. It is the biggest question, but I think the secondary will perform well.

Why is Woods redshirting? He's extremely athletic and also has great size. He's definitely a better athlete than Ware, and probably Lockett as well. The only reason I could think of is he needs a better understanding of the defense??
Athleticism and size are only part of the equation. Woods had to take care of stuff this summer and wasn't around for a lot of the workouts and passing drills, and that put him behind. Red-shirting, in the long run, will allow Woods to get better acclimated to the academic side of UCLA, and give him time to mature as a player and person. There is far more to a freshman playing than just natural athleticism.

What happened to Aaron Hester?? I remember you said you thought he could take over for Norris by Ocotober, and now it was reported he's behind Viney and Meadows??? What went down there??
One of the things working against Hester is he only played man-to-man defense in high school, and it has taken time for him to grasp the zone concepts. It's not a big deal, and it doesn't mean he is a slow learner. It's a position UCLA has depth at, so it will allow Hester the chance to grow as a player. Right now, the plan is for him to red-shirt, but plans change.