Answers, Part XVIII

Brian, you have the choice to start a program with one college basketball coach from the country and one basketball player from the pac-10, who are they?
My coach is Roy Williams (although I am not a fan of his) and the player is Jrue Holiday. And I'm choosing the player based on potential, not playing ability at this time, since I have building a program.

Assuming you've seen the 2 basketball games this week, what are your first impressions/thoughts on Each of the 5 freshman basketball players?
Jrue Holiday - Very talented, but looks like he is struggling to get into the flow
Jerime Anderson - Talented, but unsure how to run the offense
Malcolm Lee - Great energy and can shoot
Drew Gordon - Brings great energy and should be a good rebounder who can get putbacks
J'msion Morgan - Out of shape and limited offensively. He will struggle against smaller teams, but knows how to rebound

the bruins are recruiting shawn johnson? that's why ucla is so bad in football. they're recruiting tiny little gymnasts - and not even the best ones. i assume nastia liuken told ucla 'no' and is going to usc instead.
How do you know it's not a cooperative thing with the gymnastics coach. After all, she is married to Bob Field, who is the football liason to the athletic director.

Are basketball recruits allowed to watch practices by coach Howland? Are they allowed to or do they give you any insight on what the practices are like?
They are allowed to, but what type of insights do you want? I talk to the players on the team and they tell me what practices are like, but seeing it first-hand is always the best.

Craft's arm strength (or lack of) has been mentioned a lot. Can it be significantly improved through a lot of weight training (or other means) in the offseason? Or is it something naturally gifted to some people, e.g. Prince?
I do not think it can be significantly improved, although it came be improved by weight training and refined throwing mechanics.

Why does a school like Biola come in to play a big basketball school like UCLA, other than to give their players experience? Is the school compensated financially or otherwise? Do the other school's guys dread or welcome the seemingly unfair match-up?
Because the Biola athletic department gets a payday to play at UCLA, and the players get the experience of playing at Pauley Pavilion against some of the best players in the nation. The other players usually dig playing up in level.

How would you rate the nastiness of the UCLA basketball home crowd (esp. the students) towards the opposing team compared to other Pac 10 schools? Are college athletes used to the verbal abuse?
Mild and very nice. UCLA's home crowd is not daunting. Ninety-five percent of the crowd energy is brought by the few hundred students courtside, who often have to chant to the fans in the rest of the arena to stand up and cheer, which I find comical. And I find the students to be well-behaved, which they should be commended for, although the swearing at USC games is disgusting.