Q&A time

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It is Q&A time. Please remember the new guidelines, which is to try and read through the questions beforehand to cut back on duplicates, to stay away from hypotheticals and to keep the questions 50 words or less (or they will not get answered, even if they are 51 words).
One more thing, there is no player Q&A this week. I was aiming for Alfred Aboya off last week’s questions, but he was a no-show at Tuesday’s media session.
Now, send in some questions by 8 a.m. Friday and I will post the answers throughout the day.

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  • rejn

    Have you ever heard of an “Assistant Head Coach for Offense (or Defense)?” What’s the difference between this position and Offense Coordinator or Defense Coordinator???

  • Anonymous

    Is Tyler Trapani (Wooden’s great grandson, UCLA hoops walk on) related to Joe Trapani, Boston College hoops player?

  • Anonymous

    re: Howland’s substitution patterns from last week’s Q&A. He seems to alternate between subbing hardly anyone (ASU game) and making hockey subs of three-at-a-time every few minutes (USC game). It’s hard to understand; can you explicate?

  • Whitey

    With Renardo Sidney possibly in the picture now, I was wondering where the scholarship would come from? Is it only possible if Jrue leaves?
    Have you heard any updates of the possibility of him coming?

  • Anonymous

    Let’s say UCLA got an additional basketball commit for 2009. Since there’s a solid chance Holiday is coming back, where does the additional scholarship come from? I get that “it would work itself out,” but how exactly? Would someone be asked to relinquish his scholarship for a year?

  • Anonymous

    Where do you see Josh Shipp and Alfred Aboya next year? Europe?

  • Anonymous

    Could you run off a general list of “off-the-court” issues that keep kids from getting recruited by UCLA? Grades, attitude, amateur status, etc. I feel like the media are so vague with descriptions of “fit” that fans start imagining things and spreading rumors that are worse than the reality is.

  • Anonymous

    Isn’t it unfair to characterize the reaction of UCLA fans to the ASU loss as typical UCLA stuff? It’s not that “the bottom line is you can’t lose games at UCLA” like Collison said. Fans were much less critical after the Texas loss. It’s the way we lost this game.

  • Anonymous

    Can you name some other successful basketball coaches who call plays every offensive possession?

  • Spud

    Here’s a Q&A oldie but goodie — when can we expect the “quiet phase” to end and some plans for the Pauley remodel to be unveiled?

  • Anonymous

    Do you think Kevin Love was under-utilized last year? I know he was an AA but many people think he should have gotten the ball way more (much of his effectiveness was on the o-boards). Do you think he’d be more utilized if he were here this year?

  • BRUIN NC

    (1) What is the maximum length of time a recruit can be on an “official visit?” Is it 48-72 hours?”
    (2) Do you get the sense Palcic is frustrated over losing these OL recruits?
    (3) How many seats in Pauley are designated for the student section?
    (4) We seem to have a logjam at DB/S based on 9 recruits in 2 years. Do you think some will be encouraged to move to the offensive side and play WR or RB?

  • Anonymous

    Now do you understand why even the most loyal UCLA fans get so frustrated with Howland?

  • Anonymous

    It’s a close game down the stretch and UCLA has the ball and a lead. Would Howland rather waste 35 seconds and not score or spend 10 seconds and score?

  • Anonymous

    Is it time to bench Keefe the entire game and give the minutes to Gordon?

  • SamIam

    Movie Review for you Brian.

    Green Street Hooligans…Have you seen it and what do you think about it?

  • Anonymous

    Theoretically (not hypothetically)could LeBron James play football for UCLA? His salary and endorsements are all from basketball-related endeavors, right? I mean, guys make a fortune in minor league baseball then come back to college football all the time.

  • Anonymous

    Was that you hanging around with Neuheisel before the game Saturday, including pictures with the cheerleaders outside Ackerman?

  • Anonymous

    Given the growing lack of depth at that position, do you think Darius Savage switches back to dtackle next season?

  • Anonymous

    Does us getting Renardo Sindey = J’mision and Drew Gordon transfering yes or no?

    If Renardo has all of is ducks in a row, Would you rent Renardo for a year rather then letting him go to ASU or USC? (He arguably is the best big out there when he tries and could be a top 5 NBA pick a year later so it does look good for your program.)

  • Anonymous

    First, he wears #0, then he gets a bad mohawk…does Drew Gordon want to be Russell Westbrook?

  • Kristen

    Will our current group of players at the point and wing positions (Collison, Holiday, Shipp, Dragovic) show courage and creativity to pass the ball to the low post or would it be safe to bet on that kind of play to happen more often with next season’s group?

  • Sfbruin

    Is CRN and the staff panicking about the OL yet? Seems like we aren’t going to get any big time recruits in at the position of biggest need. What’s their plan now?

  • Anonymous

    Will we have a defensive coordinator by next weekend?

    When is Coach supposed to hear back form Carnell Lake?

  • Anonymous

    If Rutgers were to play UCLA in football or basketball would you recues yourself from reporting on the game?

  • Bill Jomes from RSM

    Why don’t more kids want to play for UC freakin LA and Norman Freakin Chow?

  • Demented Bruin

    You’ve had a few questions/comments on the student section in Pauley Pavilion. I recall that during the Wooden era, the student section filled the entire court level on the South side and extended up to the rafters. So, is the student section smaller now, or am I just remembering things incorrectly?

  • JC

    Why does UCLA think it’s in the same level academically as Harvard,Yale and all the other Ivy schools??? It’s fustrating to see kids get into Kal, but they won’t get into UCLA can you tell me why UCLA can’t committ to football???

  • Newport Rob

    Brian,
    Great job as always and thank you for having patience (most of the time) with us.
    Do you ever fashion yourself as a novelist? If so, what genre, title of book, and did you give yourself a timeframe wherein to become the next Roddy Doyle or Ring Lardner?

  • The Ghost of VB’s Cat

    Any updates on the search for the darn Subaru?

  • Anonymous

    What O-line potential recruits would you say are still a real possibility for UCLA

  • Not VB but an incredible re-creation

    As the day goes on
    So goes our Bruin Football
    More darkness coming?

  • spedjones

    with budget cuts all around, is there discussion of cutting any athletic programs at UCLA? Conversely, what are the odds UCLA ever sports a men’s swim team again?

  • kingofcali626

    Do you think that the Bruins taking so long to name a D-Coordinator could hurt recruiting and they could end up losing Graham and any of the slim chance they had at landing Te’o

  • WIUbruinfan

    Is there someone in charge of things like painting the sidelines, music played, and video to charge up the fans before the players enter the Rose Bowl? A job including arranging fireworks or fog machines? I hear the entrance is boring, but have yet to see a live game.

  • Neu Era

    Did Neuheisel have his in-home visit with Graham yet? How did it go?

  • VB’s Office Plant

    Will all the readers of this Blog bow down to the greatness of VB if on February 1st Ken Norton is named our DC and Manti Teo signs a LOI to UCLA?

  • 909Bruin

    about 3 weeks ago i asked you about the lack of Polynesian/Hawaiian players at UCLA… now do u think that had something to do with why Phillip and Haisak went elsewhere?

  • Anonymous

    How do you feel about how the blog comments are going since the new year, have you noticed alot more “trolls” on here, and how the “anonymous” comments are overshadowing the every post.

  • The Gay Troll

    Me and the wife were just commenting on how much easier life was back when we were just simple happy garden ornaments.

  • The Blur

    On a Pac-10 road trip, would you rather play the tougher team on Thursday or Saturday/Sunday?

  • Anonymous

    What are the chances that Stan Hasiak switches his commitment back to UCLA? How did Chow’s in home visit with Hasiak go?

  • Mark for UCLA

    Have you heard many comments about the new invigorated training regimen the football players are enduring in the weight room? Do you think it can make a dramatic difference for the offensive line?

  • Anonymous

    Brian,
    I read something about ACC basketball coaches wanting to up the draft decision deadline to mid April.
    http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/seth_davis/01/20/hoop.thoughts/index.html

    What does UCLA and Pac-10 think? especially because UCLA is on quarter system, and that could affect its academic progress reporting system, which can penalize teams that are not in good standing.

  • Anonymous

    Is Branden Warner as good as gone to UW? What are UCLA’s chances of keeping him?

  • The Screw

    Do you have any sense on how the recruits feel about Norm Chow. Do they have an understanding of his accomplishments/career highlights or his he just a name from the past that they need to be told about?

  • Anonymous

    Is UCLA actively recruiting DT Semisi Tokolahi, currently a commit to UW? Do we have a legitimate chance at him?

  • Anonymous

    Do you think Darren Collison will ever play any meaningful minutes in the NBA?

  • huh?

    ive noticed in the offense that a wing player will have the ball on the the three point line and a post player (aboya, gooden, bobo, keefe, etc.) will have his man sealed off and in perfect post postition, but NEVER get the ball. Does howland tell them to not throw it into the post? whats the deal?

  • Anonymous

    So you still believe Xavier Sua-filo ends up at BYU?

  • cj003

    ive noticed in the offense that a wing player will have the ball on the the three point line and a post player will have his man sealed off and in perfect post postition, but NEVER get the ball. Does howland tell them to not throw it into the post? whats the deal?

  • Tupperware Party Reject

    Is the guy asking about the “New” training regimen looking for a different answer than the guy who asked the same question when we had the last S&C Coach and the guy who asked it when we had the guy before.

    Don’t all programs train thier kids and therefore while our kids may improve so will everyone else and we will all remain in the same place relative to other programs.

  • Anonymous

    Do you think UCLA football could win 8-9 games next year?

  • Anonymous

    Do you think Devon Flournoy sticks with his original commitment and ends up at USC, or do you think he is seriously considering UCLA?

  • amm

    Is Shawn Johnson committed?

  • Anonymous

    You mentioned a few weeks back that Kansas St might try getting out of their game at the Rose Bowl. Any more news on this? Also, with SDSU already on the schedule, who could UCLA bring in as a replacement?

  • Anonymous

    How putrid is UCLA’s O-line going to be next year?

  • amm

    Which recruits have you personally heard that were ucla fans growing up but chose other elite programs?

  • Bailey

    What thoughts do you think both UCLA MBB and FB coachings staffs have about the Reggie Bush and OJ Mayo Scandal at USC? Do you think they can’t wait for a verdict just like UCLA fans? Are they getting impatient as we are?

  • Anonymous

    Which do you think has played a larger role in Cal’s FB success over the last 5+ seasons: Tedford and the coaching staff or relaxed admission standards?

  • Anonymous

    Does the staff plan to use Damien Holmes at DT next season? Has he bulked up enough to play DT?

  • SeattleBrewin

    Do you think BH really blames himself for the loss and will make changes, or is he just trying to take heat off his players. Does a coach like him really change his stripes?

  • BruinBear818

    What happened with Shaq Evans and Michael Phillip? All we heard this past year was how much they liked UCLA and vice versa.

  • Anonymous

    Brian, is the coaching staff happy with the progress of DE Justin Edison? Will be factor into the DE rotation next year.

  • Anonymous

    How man silent commits, if any, does UCLA have left out there?

  • Buster Bruin

    Now that UW has apparently told Brandon Warner that he can enroll in the spring, is there any liklihood that RN could convince the UCLA academic people to allow Warner to enroll here in the spring in order to keep him from bolting to UW?

  • The Real Househusband of OC

    Do questions like the one from Bailey make you want to slap the guy and tell him to quit whining?

  • Anonymous

    Are Neuheisel and Co. actively recruiting OL’s Evan Finkenberg and Josh Cabral from Tesoro?

  • Anonymous

    Does UCLA have any chance with WR James Jackson, and OT Joel Gray who visited earlier?

  • Anonymous

    Has UCLA offered 2010 DT George Uko?

  • Albert

    1. What is the fb coaching staff’s game plan from this point on in regards to OL recruiting?
    2. On another site, it was mentioned there is a mystery recruit in the trenches who is 50/50 and we’d be 9 out of 10 excited if he landed here: have you heard anything?

  • Anonymous

    Do you think UCLA (and Howland specifically) care who Arizona ultimately hires as its BB coach?

  • Anonymous

    Is UCLA interested in JC DT Zach Masch? An interview I read seemed to indicate that he is really interested in UCLA. Thanks Brian.

  • Buster Bruin

    Have you ever heard a player or coach say that an official visit to a school or a home visit did not go well?

  • cliq

    Did the staff feel pretty invincible after Presley and the other recruits committed, and then humbled after the last few decommits? Or how did it affect them, if at all?

  • Anonymous

    Mr. Dohn,

    When will you have links to the opponents newspapers on the right hand side of your blog?

  • Anonymous

    When is the NCAA going to actually impose a penalty on USC for anything?

  • Tupperware Party Reject

    Is the guy asking about the “New” training regimen looking for a different answer than the guy who asked the same question when we had the last S&C Coach and the guy who asked it when we had the guy before?
    (44 words inclusive)

  • El Cajon Bruin

    I know you aren’t saying who or what the Ace In The Hole was (or is), but can you tell us if the Ace was actually played?

  • Anonymous

    Are the reports on other sites, that certain members of the OL have bulked up considerably, true? Have you heard that of any DL guys (Damien Holmes, David Carter, Datone Jones) have also bulked up substantially?

  • Anonymous

    Will current verbal commit Jason Allmond stay at fullback, or does the staff plan to make him a DT?

  • Anonymous

    What was going on at Spaulding Field on Tuesday? It seemed like the whole football team was out there doing something they couldn’t have been practicing could they? Or is it ok to do that as long as no coaches are present?

  • Stephanie

    Any new info to report on the hunt for a DC? Any names we have not yet heard about?

  • Anonymous

    Why are Neuheisel and Co. recruting so many DBs? Are they planning to move some of these kids to linebacker?

  • miguelito

    has to pick between
    compton or Beverly Hills
    where does “OC” go?

  • miguelito

    bad offense good d
    meets good d ugly co-eds
    who wins thursday night?

  • Anonymous

    Do you see Michael Phillip sticking with his commitment to OSU?

  • Captain Haggerty is a fool

    Now that Bill Snyder is back at Kansas St., have you heard any rumors about him trying to ‘buyout’ the home and home w/UCLA? He was famous for buying out the tougher games on his schedule so he could fatten up on ‘Kiss Yer Sister St.’ during his last tenure at KSU

  • LAWYER JOHN

    Coach Norvell was very successful at OU this year (as documented on the Internets via your NYT link), including the appearance in the NC game just 1 year after leaving UCLA, how do you explain the poor performance of the 2007 UCLA offense?

    LAWYER JOHN

  • Captain Haggerty is a fool

    Pete Bites Marky S
    Losing his magic ‘Pete’ touch?
    Or ‘teaching’ his kids!

    (and are you appalled?)

  • Anonymous

    with 5 DB recruits now in the fold, some of whom have been mentioned by some as S and others as CB (Sermons, Mascarenas) and Dye as a current CB/S tweener, do you have any idea how the staff sees these players’ future positions? Who do they want as a Safety and who do they envision as a CB?

  • MoeBruins

    Do you think the whole Ken Norton/UCLA thing was away of checking Ken Norton’s loyalty and getting him to burn his bridges with UCLA before committing to make him an Assistant Head Coach?

  • Anonymous

    If UCLA is going to take Renardo Sidney, what things can the athletic department do to be proactive that he will not cause any problems a la OJ Mayo at SUC?

  • MoeBruins

    Any comment about fans who think a coach who took a program that was in ruins 5 years ago and has gone to 3 straight final four is not doing a good enough job?

  • Anonymous

    What have you heard from credible sources about Renardo Sidney’s “off the court” issues.

  • MoeBruins

    Do you think the fact that Ben Howland has had so many relatively lightly regard high school recruits do well in the pros is due to his ability to develop players or do to his ability to find talent that others are missing?

  • TALKIN BOUT THE KY-OATS

    Do you think Bob Dylan is overrated?

  • amm

    Which out of state players are the football coaches seriously looking at for ’10?

  • amm

    Any new news on throwback football jerseys?

  • amm

    How come Ucla isn’t recruiting the south for football talent?

  • Anonymous

    Does UCLA currently lead for Erik Kohler? Sorry Dohn, I do realize it is preposterously early to ask questions about 2010 recruits.

  • Anonymous

    Do your sources hear anything about the football coaching staff getting a lot of early verbals from the 2010 class?

  • ACE IN THE HOLE

    Patience… I am unplayed and still in the hole

  • Anonymous

    Does it surprise you at all that the majority of questions and comments on this blog, year-round, seem to be football-related, even though UCLA is a “basketball school”?

  • Anonymous

    Drew Gordon is a somewhat demonstrative player and I’ve noticed him visibly frustrated by not getting the ball down low when he has position. Have you noticed the same? What’s Howland think about that?

  • Dan

    Does CRN want to change the overall game atmosphere at the Rose Bowl? Do you think he cares or that something not on his priority list?

  • Anonymous

    I don’t get the negativity about J’Mison Morgan. He looks like an excellent prospect to me. He’s the only guy on the team with reliable low post moves, has great length and is more bouncy than he looks. I just think he has trouble hedging on D. Your thoughts?

  • Anonymous

    In one of your interviews, Dragovic said he hadn’t expected to be at UCLA for very long. Does that mean he thought he was an early-entry NBA prospect, or did he think he’d be going back to Europe? Or…?

  • Anonymous

    Have you had a chance to get Howland’s thoughts on the 2009 commits? If not, it would be cool to get a mid-season update on where they are at, and how it looks like they’re progressing. Does he follow them closely during their season?

  • Eric Medel

    When I’m accessing the Daily News with my blackberry the Sports column has only the following links: News; Lakers; Dodgers; and USC. NO UCLA! Can you work some MOJO with the powers that be?

  • Peter

    According to David Thorpe on ESPN.com, Westbrook is the #2 rated rookie in the NBA, KLove is #5, and Luc is #12. Did you think they would each be contributing so much their first year? Which is the biggest surprise to you?

    http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/players/rookies/rankings?season=2009&playerRankingType=1&period=1&set=0&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fnba%2fplayers%2frookies%2frankings%3fseason%3d2009%26playerRankingType%3d1%26period%3d1%26set%3d0

  • Eric Medel

    2 minute offense. Who made the calls in the game? The guru or Chow?

  • Anonymous

    Which word best describes the ASU game:
    A) debacle
    B) meltdown
    C) implosion
    D) fiasco
    E) choke

  • Anonymous

    I think in some cases fans are too hard on players. But on the other hand, it’s Division 1 basketball/football, scholarships are worth a lot of money, and are given to player X because he’s better than player Y. Where should we draw the line with criticism and expectations?

  • Buster Bruin

    Does the greyshirting of Tonga reflect that the coaching staff is concerned about getting within the 85 scholarship limit?

  • TALKIN BOUT THE WILDBOY

    How are we looking for Josh Smith in ’10

  • TALKIN BOUT THE KY-OATS

    Has CBH talked about the need to drive to the basket?

  • Steve

    I expected Milton Knox to get some playing time in football this past season? Through some inquiring I heard that he got someone else to take his SAT’s after not passing the first time? What is the validity to this accusation?

  • Anonymous

    UCLA still has a silent commit?

  • bruinmanny

    Do we have a shot at landing a commit from Markus Wheaton from Arizona ?

  • bruinmanny

    Iuta Tepa (DE) LB Poly , will he land up at UCLA ?

  • trueblue

    Do you see, or have you heard of, any fallout with usc commits as a result of Pete Carroll’s behavior at Mark Sanchez’s press conference? Do you see any leaning more toward UCLA now as a result?

  • EB’s 36DDs

    This clown comes on a Rutgers FB/BB blog you frequent ranting about “results” and “whatever it takes” just to achieve athletic success…but has no idea what going there means because they only spent three semesters at Monmouth State and then quit – do you still value their opinion/tailgate?

  • Anonymous

    Best-dressed man in sports that you’ve covered?

  • Anonymous

    Do you think the UCLA athletic program is properly equipped to deal with all the fans that are constantly jumping on and off the Dragovic and Roll bandwagons? To the keep extra bandwagons and drivers in stock incase Drago or Roll hit some big threes.

  • Legalsean

    What is happening with Warner’s commitment? Is he having a hard time getting into school?

  • Legalsean

    Do you think that Howland should give more minutes to the freshman not named Jrue Holiday? It seems in the past that he was more willing to give the freshman floor time.

  • Legalsean

    Do you have any news on Chow’s meeting with Stan Hasiak?

  • awesomebruin

    is this the type of hypothetical u refuse to answer: if u had to, who would u replace howland with thats not heavily entrenched within their program? top 3?

  • awesomebruin

    i know u look down on people using stars, but they have at least some value, ask usc football if they think so. when are the 5 star high profile recruits for football coming, or is it same ol 2-4 stars forever? can CRN and chow do it?

  • TK Bruin

    O-LINE RECRUITING REPORT CARD:

    How would you grade the results of Bruin recruiting efforts towards putting together a solid Offensive Line?

  • TK Bruin

    As of today, who do you see comprising the starting O-line next season?

  • la-ukla

    You’ve heard from the Bruins fans what we thought about the loss to ASU. What do you think? Who should bear the brunt for the meltdown and what would you have done differently?

  • la-ukla

    Before the basketball game starts and the players are all in a circle, I’ve seen Roll and Anderson in the middle and some kind of chanting/rapping going on. What are they saying?

  • Anonymous

    In 1974, some UCLA coach once blew an 11 point lead in a game, going scoreless for the final 3 1/2 mins, and resigned the following season. Should the same happen to Howland? If he can’t win 100% of his games, he has no business coaching here.

  • The UCLA mini helmet fka VBs Office Plant

    Peter said:
    According to David Thorpe on ESPN.com, Westbrook is the #2 rated rookie in the NBA, KLove is #5, and Luc is #12.

    Do you know who is rated #1?

    Thanks

  • Anonymous

    Is there a three sentence explanation for why UCLA isn’t doing as well as it hoped recruiting offensive lineman?

  • Anonymous

    What would be better for UCLA? Hasiak + Phillip or the four commits from a few weeks ago?

  • Anonymous

    Do you want to admit I was right? Last week I said the way to beat UCLA was to overplay the perimeter and make them score inside. You said no one would do it. Well, ASU did it and won. Is that the blueprint for other teams to follow?

  • Anonymous

    Does the upcoming basketball series with Notre Dame have any relationship to the recent football series? For example, did UCLA have to promise Notre Dame basketball games in order to get the football games?

  • Anonymous

    When you saw Kevin Love before the ASU game what did you talk about?

  • Anonymous

    You reported a lot of recruits were at the Arizona State game. If Love and Mbah Moute stopped by to tell them how great UCLA is, does that violate NCAA rules?

  • Anonymous

    When recruits attend a basketball game does Howland meet with them before or afterwards? Do the recruits get to go to the UCLA lockerroom before or after the game?

  • Peter

    To The UCLA mini helmet:

    #1 goes to none other than OJ Mayo.

  • awesomebruin

    the uproar about howland, do u feel it is more of a win vs loss thing, or more about the MANNER OF HIS PLAYSTYLE, especially his offense, that has been a slow boil? do u feel this is the end of it, or just the beginning?

  • Brian

    what changes have you noticed in recruiting as a whole since you started covering UCLA? FIve years ago I didn’t follow recruiting at all and now I spend about an hour a day on recruiting sites (I’m ashamed)

  • James

    What is the best memory of your athletic career (as a player)?

  • Eric

    I know you work for the information you get, but do you feel priviliged to be given inside information and scoops on topics that so many UCLA fans care about and would die for? Is it fun holding that information over our heads sometimes?

  • Joey

    I had sex with a chick-fil-a sandwich today. ever tried it?

  • Anonymous

    Out of the OL, which position do you see the weakest going into next year?

  • Chino Bruin

    Has there ever been consideration for moving the student section at Pauley behind the players’ benches so that telecasts show an excited crowd rather than the laid back crowd we usually see?

  • Phil

    Why did Osaar Rashaan reject the position switch? He’s not going to get any snaps the rest of his years …

  • Gary

    Do the football and basketball players ever talk about how easy it is to get girls at school? Are they slaying ladies at the same rate most red-blooded Americans would (10-20 a day)?

  • Scotty the Potty

    which gymnastics recruit would definately, but probably tie coach Howland in a one on one game of frisbee baseball if they were both wearing scuba masks and oversized condom costumes? Now answer the same question hypothetically.

  • tomtheman

    Could Coach Howland be overrated? I KNOW he is one of the best, but outside of his ability to recruit/develop players and compose the team in tight games, is there much to him? It seems like it’s a lot easier to criticize him than praise him.

  • Anonymous

    is Hasiak open to returning, or he is pretty solid in his commitment to CAL

  • tomtheman

    Do we Bruin fans exaggerate the offense’s troubles and complain too much?

  • Anonymous

    Were you as shocked as I was when Drew Gordon showed a very solid hook shot in the AZ game?

  • Anonymous

    was UCLA, pre Morrell Pressley, interested in Billy Sanders at TE or was he a DE the whole time

  • Anonymous

    Are any of the current DB recruits two way threats that could be used as a speed wideout if no Caroll or Flournoy?

  • Anonymous

    Do you think Tim Floyd would be able to handle the reins of the UCLA beast?

  • Anonymous

    What’s up with Pat Cowan? Now that people like Bell, Harwell, and Olson are preparing for the draft or FA, I wonder if Pat Cowan is working on that too considering he said earlier in the year that he hoped to get in the NFL.

  • Mario DiLeo

    Other than Aaron Perez, are there any other Bruins that are futbol aficionados?

  • thanks brian!

    What in your opinion is alteraun verner’s weakness as an NFL prospect? Lack of speed? Thanks

  • Anon007

    Are gray shirts eligible to red shirt? And if you are up for a second and I’m not breaking the new guidelines, Pepe’s or Sally’s?

  • Anonymous

    It looks like UCLA has some size arriving next year. However, I don’t see them helping out UCLA’s inside woes based on Howland’s limited use of his freshmen this season. What do you think?

  • Anonymous

    Do you think Gordon’s inside presence down the stretch would have helped against ASU?

  • Anonymous

    Who is a more disappointing McDonald’s All-American: Ray Young or James Keefe?

  • Anonymous

    Does Howland put too much emphasis on defense at the end of games at the expense of scoring?

  • Anonymous

    Next time UCLA is blowing a game, if I were to walk behind the UCLA bench and shout at Howland and tell him how much he’s screwing up, would I get in trouble?

  • Anonymous

    My girlfriend is coming back after a month-long business trip to China. What is something special I can do to welcome her back? (I invite all other loyal blog readers to chime in as well). Thanks, Dohn!

  • Anonymous

    In sales, they say that, when with a prospective customer, you’re supposed to try to get some kind of commitment before the meeting ends. Do you think college football coaches do this when recruits make their official visits?

  • Anonymous

    Did Howland go after Jeremy Tyler from San Diego, who has given a verbal to Louisville? Is there any chance of getting Tyler and do you know why he chose Louisville?

  • Anonymous

    Does Morgan’s quest for playing time begin with dropping the nickname “Bobo?” In other words, is it time to grow up?

  • Anonymous

    A lot of Howland guys seem to have breakout years as sophomores…thinking of Collison, Westbrook, Affalo, and Farmar primarily. Does Howland have some magic offseason formula?

  • Anonymous

    Once they get real, quality minutes, do you forecast Anderson, Lee, and Gordon to be major contributors next year based on the snippets you’ve seen this year?

  • Anonymous

    I’m still livid about Saturday’s loss. Am I justified?

  • Anonymous

    how much will recent programming shakeup at 570AM, the Bruins’ flagship, affect UCLA sports local exposure? (Hoffarth’s blog has info). It there’s a now fewer chances to hear interviews with Bruin players and coaches.

  • bruinbud

    How do you see Football recruiting finishing ? All subtractions and additions. thanks

  • Anonymous

    Does the SF Bay Area (SF, Oak, SJ, etc.) not produce as many elite basketball and football prospects as one would expect of the fourth-largest metro area in the U.S.? If so, why?

  • Anonymous

    who has been Coach Howland’s biggest miss in recruiting so far? .. someone who UCLA could have had a good chance with, but didn’t Howland didn’t pursue, and now look at him. I’m specifically thinking Austin Daye of Gonzaga, but maybe there’s someone else out there.

  • Anonymous

    Is Chelsea coming out here again in the summertime?

  • JC

    Looking at UCLA recruiting class it seems that RN wants players that can play different positions and are versatile, but is their a reason why UCLA is offering so many DB’s???

  • Not VB but an incredible re-creation

    Brian:

    No Questions this week but just wanted to again thank you for the great blog that you run. This is definitly the most entertaining sports blog on the web.

    Keep up the good work and wish you continued success at the Daily News.

  • Bill Jomes from RSM

    If Grades weren’t an issue wouldn’t everybody want to play for UCLA and the Dream Team?

  • BruinChick

    Best sports movie of all time?

  • Anonymous

    Did you have any contact with Mike Montgomery recently, and do you feel he is very committed to Cal, or do you think he’d rather be back Stanford? Do you think he’d jump at the chance to be a Bruin?

  • Anonymous

    what do u think about asking the q&a thursday night, and then start answering them friday morning to cut down on the questions?

  • A.V. Hill

    Brian-

    Are there any good surprises left for football recruiting?

    A.V. Hill

  • BruinChick

    Do the basketball players still party on Friday nights like during the Lavin era? I remember having more than a few beers at Madison’s with them.

  • rejn

    Given the latest injury news on Reeves Nelson, how much does this change Howlands approach in recruiting R Sidney, if any at all? Is there any room (ie scholorship) for Sidney on the roster?

  • Anonymous

    I know you think the star ranking system is not accurate, but looking at this year’s football recruiting class, the stars of our recruits (mostly 3-stars) indicate it’s similar to an average Dorrell class. Are we really upgrading talent?

  • MaltBaa

    Are you hearing anybody else besides Oregon State and UCLA in the mix for Sermons?

  • MaltBaa

    Do you travel with the team to Pullman or do you take the 11 hour trip yourself?

  • MaltBaa

    In the case of Brehaut and Pressley. Would you see it being wise to leave high school early and miss out on half of there senior year? Dont prom and other such functions as senior night make high school memorable? Or is football life?

  • True Blue

    Was the staff pleased with Anthony Dye’s play this year? Will he stay at safety? Also how did EJ Woods do on the scout team? If I recall, he was a highly rated recruit out of HS.

  • Anonymous

    What position will Damien Holmes play? Do you think he’s ready to contend for a spot in the two deep this Spring?

  • Anonymous

    If Bullough gets promoted to DC, will RN give Ken Norton Jr. any consideration for the LBs position or has that ship sailed? Any truth to the rumor that Ken Norton wanted to join UCLA’s staff as the LB coach last year but Walker wouldn’t agree to it?

  • mike04

    Brian, you mentioned CRN wants his defensive assistants in place before naming a DC. Do you find this curious since usually DC’s want “their guys”? Or do you find this a strong indication that Bullough is the guy?

  • CrouchingBruin

    Is developing confidential sources taught in journalism school or is that an art you learned yourself? You could probably work for the CIA with your experience. If you were to go in cold to another city, how long would it take to develop another network of sources?

  • Thymoid

    You have said that under the new coaching staff, the football team learned how to practice harder and with more intensity. Has this carried over to the offseason workouts?

  • Anonymous

    what are you hearing about ganz and moses staying or going back to the nfl?

  • Danny

    Any chance that Gordon takes over starting for Aboya? Aboya is not as good a defensive rebounder as he should be, and Gordon has dominated the glass when he’s played. This team needs improvement on the defensive glass if they want to make a deep run.

  • tom962

    I know it’s still early, but can you appraise Dragovic’s, Roll’s and Aboya’s chances of making an NBA roster once they graduate?

  • tom962

    Does the athletic dept. or the school have any programs in place to keep out-of-state FB and BB players from getting homesick? Are they treated with special attention in terms of trying to make their transition to college more smooth?

  • lbcbruin

    Brian,

    Most of our offensive staff was in place before chow was hired. Does chow want his own staff or is happy with the one in place? Do you think he’d prefer to had picked his staff?

  • Anonymous

    Any word if Logan Paulsen or any other fb players were able to receive a medical redshirt so they can play next year.

  • Anonymous

    Do you think that you might have ever cost UCLA a recruit by reporting about a “silent commit?”

    Also, can you at least let us know that if this “silent commit” is going to be a surprise to most bruin faithfuls?

  • Anonymous

    Do you know what kind of influence if any that Terry Donahue has around the athletic department or football program?

  • Anonymous

    You reported that UCLA has contacted Brian Stewart about the DC position but do you feel he is getting serious consideration?

  • la-ukla

    Any news regarding the BB recruits that were at the ASU game? What’s UCLA’s interest in them and are they interested in UCLA? Do you know what they thought of the game?

  • Buster Bruin

    Now that Byron Moore has decommitted from USC, do you see UCLA trying to get involved with him again?

  • http://www.solanabeachdesign.com/buzzerbeater/SBD_BB_Bruins.html Steve

    Ernie Kent — on the hot seat or is his job safe?

  • http://www.therapy-sandiego.com/ San Diego

    I like the offense of having Dragovic at the 4, but it seems like you then have four Bruins on the perimeter and only Aboya on the offensive boards. Does Howland have a solution for this or he doesn’t think it’s an issue?

  • bruin8clap

    Using Pomeroy’s adjusted offense and defense statistics, UCLA is actually #1 offense, but only #5 in defense in the Pac-10. How can this be?

  • Westwood Bob

    From what’s been seen of Locke as a redshirt and his likely improvement by September, is the staff confident he can get the ball into the end zone on kickoffs and/or do they have a possible preferred walk on to handle that duty? Or am I wrong and that it will be Forbath kicking off?

  • Anonymous

    I missed the Wash State game…what is the brief and honest explanation for how UCLA once again squandered a late-game lead?

  • Anonymous

    Hey Brian,

    how mobile is Kevin Prince? Is he more of a pocket passer? How would you rate his arm strength on a scale of 1-10? (10 being Cutler/Favre/Elway and 1 being Chad Pennington/Kevin Craft/Etc.)

  • awesomebruin

    do u agree with the espn prestige rankings for college football programs ranking ucla at #16? where would u put us?

    http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3846173

  • awesomebruin

    what about espn prestige rankings placing rutgers football at 101? where would u place them? i believe they must have gained a few spots on the dohn prestige factor alone.

    http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3844588

  • Forever Bruin

    Why hasn’t holiday had a break out game yet? He is so talented, yet we’ve only seen flashes of that. Is it because he’s playing the two? Not comfortable in Howland’s offense? Defers to much?

  • missing Afflalo

    Has Howland designated Collison as the go to guy in the clutch?

  • to missing Affalo

    Who the hell else would it be?? The question is, does Collison have the moxie to be that guy?

  • Anonymous

    Is Howland at all accountable to Guerrero the way players are to Howland? If players repeat the same mistakes, they get benched. But Howland hasn’t solved breaking a zone D in his whole tenure. Why is he allowed to keep making the same mistakes over and over?

  • Anonymous

    I feel like this is Craft/Forcier all over again but…is Morgan such a liability that he wouldn’t be at all effective when teams are overplaying the perimeter?

  • Anonymous

    What was the discussion like in the press box when UCLA was blowing Saturday’s game and everyone except Howland understood why?

  • Anonymous

    Other than protecting him from irate fans like me following the Arizona State game, why does Howland have the police escort when he comes on and off the court?

  • Anonymous

    How should we look at 3 consecutive Final Fours but no championships? Has UCLA over-achieved with inferior talent, under-achieved with superior talent, or met expectations with that talent it’s had?

  • Anonymous

    Will Howland’s conservatism and lack of offensive knowledge be the key factors that prevent him from ever winning a national championship?

  • Anonymous

    Does Howland play to win…or not to lose?

  • Anonymous

    Is Howland so arrogant about UCLA’s defense that he thinks the Bruins don’t actually need to score?

  • Anonymous

    I think you mentioned Howland has “warmed” to the idea of recruiting Sidney…what was the impediment before?

  • Anonymous

    Do you think college basketball fans nationwide regard Pauley as a “shrine” in the way they regard Allen Fieldhouse and Cameron Indoor? Please give your reasoning either way.

  • Anonymous

    Should we be worried about what’s going on with Reeves Nelson?

  • Anonymous

    How far would you personally go to protect a source. Would you go to jail for one?