Bruins ebb, flow with Dragovic, Nelson
So, it seems, as goes Nikola Dragovic, so goes the UCLA men's basketball team.
In the Bruins' wins, Dragovic leads the team at 15 points per game on 50.6 percent shooting, though he only played in nine of the 11 victories.
In UCLA defeats, however, Dragovic slips to 9.1 points per game on 29 percent shooting.
In the Bruins' consecutive losses to Cal and USC, Dragovic had 19 points on a combined 6-for-22 shooting, including 1-for-11 from 3-point range.
Paired with freshman center Reeves Nelson's precipitous dip in losses - Nelson drops from 14 points per game in victory, to 8.7 in defeat - Dragovic seems to ebb and flow with UCLA.
Or do the Bruins ebb and flow with Dragovic and Nelson?
"I wouldn't even say it's about being part of the offense; it's about being into the game," senior shooting guard Michael Roll said. "When they're not playing well, as a team we have a tendency to check out. They have a tendency to not play as hard if things aren't going their way. If we can get them to turn that around - as a team, we all need to play harder if they're not playing well, just to pick up the slack."
While Dragovic has been prone to poor shot selection, Nelson is just hoping for more shots.
Nelson's touches have been erratic at times, and so have his points - from 19 points against Washington State on Jan. 23 to 11 at Oregon on Jan. 28, from 18 against Stanford on Feb. 4 to a combined 16 against Cal and USC - as he continues to learn how to get open and how to use his legs in the post.
"You can't really pass the ball into yourself, so it's just up to the guards to either take open shots or get the ball inside," Nelson said. "It's easier said than done, I guess. But it's up to them - they run the offense."
Way to throw your teammates under the bus Roll. Real classy.
Keep that talk in the locker room next time.
Sometimes calling players out publicly is the best way to motivate them to pick up their effort. Phil Jackson seems to do that stuff all the time, and he seems to know what he's doing. I'm hoping for a winning culture, not one that puts up with drops in effort just to stay buddy buddy.
The Nelson figures are deceptive, because when he started getting more minutes (and thus points), we started winning more. Dragovic's stats in victory and defeat are much more reflective of his tremendous inconsistency.
Somebody had to say it. I'm glad it was a senior leader in Roll calling out Drago.
i hate wakingup at 4 to take tests
The only difference is, one's a senior and one's a freshman.
So I ask again, who does Milosh - err, Dragovic - only want to play for?
Does Eastern Kazakhstan have a pro team?
http://www.latimes.com/sports/college/basketball/la-sp-usc-ncaa17-2010feb17,0,1173995.story
Time's UP
Are we still talking basketball?
Because as far as college basketball goes, USC has the best team in town.
Southern Cal certainly has the best trolls in town. They never miss an opportunity to add absolutely nothing to the discussion.
Go Bruins