Answers, Part VII

Should Collison be disappointed that he hasn't played well enough to be considered for Pac 10 player of the year?
No, he should not. He doesn't have that kind of game. Plus, there are guys who are having better seasons on other teams.

Do you see Howland shifting his recruiting focus to size over skill?
Nope. He wants both. And where both lacks, he will take the better player, be it because of size or talent.

For the NCAA tournament, is this team only going as far as Collison takes it?
Yeah, but that could be said of any team and it's point guard. The point guard has to play well because the NCAAs are a guard-oriented tournament. Jon Brockman is good, but Isaiah Thomas better play well if Washington is going to go far. Ditto with Ty Lawson at North Carolina, and go down the line.

Shipp and Aboya are having great personal seasons...but the team has not lived up to expectations. How do you think they honestly feel about the situation?
Who said they haven't lived up to expectations? I never thought UCLA was an elite team, despite a high ranking (based on mediocrity in college basketball). But I think they are frustrated by the inconsistent play, and the how the offense bogs down at times. But they are not ready to give up on the season.

Do you have any way of knowing if Morgan has at least improving in practice and whether what he's learned this year will make him more of a contributor next year?
I've talked to some folks and they said he is improving, but the offseason will be vital for him. He needs to work very hard, harder than he has in his life, and prove he can play at this level.

Do you think Howland erred at all in anointing Holiday as starting from the get go instead of making him earn it?
He made him earn it. Trust me, if Howland thought someone else was better, that person would have started for the get-go. Howland does not play favorites in that way. Just because Holiday isn't scoring big-time and grabbing lots of loose balls doesn't mean he isn't playing well. He's slumped lately, but he's still the best freshman, by far.

Recently you said that Collison literally can't play the off guard. However, last spring, Howland said that if Westbrook came back, he'd be the staring point guard. So where would that have left Collison and how would that have worked?
No, Howland did not say that about Westbrook and the point guard. I was at the press conference. A reporter wrote that because there was a misinterpretation, but Howland did not say that. If you go back and look, the same reporter wrote it differently a few days later.

Is there any reason to believe that next year's BB team will be better defensively and at rebounding?
Right now, not really.