Answers, Part IX

Were you gone 3 weeks? I remember you saying 2 weeks only! C'mon Dohn that was harsh! JK man you deserved it, tell Jill thanks for filling in during these slow times for UCLA sports.
I decided to add a week because I was having so much fun cleaning my house. And Jill deserve kudos for putting up with the childish antics of a few posters that were sexist, disgusting, offensive and did I mention disgusting. For those who were so insulting, think how proud your parents would be at what you wrote. Truly mortifying. I can only imagine how those folks react under pressure.

Why can the SEC/Big Ten pluck recruits out of the west, but the Pac-10 seems to recruit more on a regional level?
The visibility of the programs, the history of the programs, and talent level of the programs, the commitment of fans to the programs, the commitment to be great programs ...do I need to go on?

In your estimation, does this staff enjoy the rigors of recruiting more so than the previous staff?
Some members of this staff love recruiting, led by Neuheisel, and most of them are great competitors who really enjoy the challenge of recruiting. I cannot say that about most of the members of the last staff.

What's your feeling on a kid - especially in college - refusing to talk to the media - does he have that right and does it negatively impact how you would write a story about him?
He has every right to keep quiet and not say a word. It does not impact how I write, but I really cannot do a balanced story on him without his quotes. But it bothers me when family members email me asking to get the whole story, but then they refuse to talk about it, and the player does not talk about it.

Do you think the transfers will have a negative effect on recruiting this year? Or is it just the name of the game and an example of CRN raising the bar on talent?
The name of the game. Check how many kids are leaving Tennessee (I believe double digits), and I don't think it will impact the Vols' recruiting.

Do these transfers hurt, or are they an inevitable by-product of better recruiting and are thus signs of overall program improvement?
In theory, it should mean better overall talent. The attrition takes place all over the country, and at every level, when a coach is trying to rebuild a program.

When the Reggie Bush story first broke, I jokingly said that the NCAA will get so mad at SUC that they will put the basketball team on probation. Now that looks like it might happen. Your thoughts on the Yahoo stories and any impact on UCLA?
The stories are intriguing, but I want to see where it goes. USC football is a big earner for the NCAA, so if the NCAA puts USC on probation and penalizes the Trojans hard, it is affecting the NCAA's bottom line. So I don't think football will be hit with heavy penalties.
As for the impact on UCLA, it could help football recruiting, but nothing else. UCLA and USC don't go head-to-head on much basketball talent.

Is there a definitive story to be told about Jrue's short UCLA tenure? It's obvious it didn't work the way either side hoped, and I get the feeling that there's much that's gone unsaid about the situation.
Yeah, I'll give you the definitive story. The NBA mandated players had to be out of high school for a year to be drafted, so Holiday needed to go to school for a year. He chose UCLA.