Burton commits to Nevada

Interesting. Scout.com was reporting that Burton did get an offer.

No mystery Howland's act is wearing thin on the entire Bruin family....My son is a local high school bb player in the south bay...all players with d1 ability we've talked to would never consider UcLA because of Ben's style...keep recruiting all arouind the country and leave socal to Cal, Nevada and all the others...either change your style or leave...there's enough talent in calif if Ben would wise up...I don't think he'll change so Dan should say goodbye or hello to mid-major ball

I agree with David. The only thing we have going is the fact guys like Love, Collison, Jrue, and Westbrook have been recent first round draft picks. He needs to adapt and create a more up-tempo offense. Calipari is getting all the big recruits because they like that style of play. He proved he could win with an offense that isn't played at a crawl.

Apparently, David's son has no D1 ability based on the tenor of his post.

Calipari has proved he can win? Remind me, how many national championships has he won with (ineligible) one-and-dones?

Howland prepares guys for the NBA. If a "D1 talent" would not even consider UCLA because of the style of play then they should go somewhere else. If Howland can get back to recruiting tough, defensive minded, hard working players who don't have this sense of entitlement that they "deserve" to be in the NBA, then UCLA will be fine.

Is that why Calipari gets kids? I feel like he hasn't really produced guys, other than Derrick Rose and Tyreke Evans and Rodney Carney (kind of but not really) and college was a formality for them for the first two.

I disagree with the leaving SoCal mentality. We have had success with California guys and many of them have been role players, Darren Collison (Etiwanda), Josh Shipp (Fairfax), Jordan Farmar (Taft), Westbrook (Leuzinger). I feel only three role players not from CA, Mbah a Moute, Aboya, and Love. So UCLA should stick with Caliornia.

Let's not bring Calipari into this. Despite the recent horrendous season; Howland deserves a lot more respect than any mention of Calipari's name next to his. Just because they're both coaches. Howland had a bad season; Calipari has bad character and is a sleazeball.

Calipari is getting all the big recruits because he doesn't care of their grades or if they will graduate or not, plus all the shady stuff he pulls with players like Derrick Rose. You really want someone like that to coach at UCLA?

Calipari is getting his share big recruits (typically PGs) because his offense showcases an elite, athletic PG's abilities not to mention at every school he has coached for the players really don't have to go to school or take the SATs. Wherever Calipari is coaching should just be called "NBA D-League Headquarters" because it sure as hell isn't college basketball. It saddens me when UCLA fans seem willing to sell their souls for wins (ala hiring someone like Calipari)

Also, what has Calipari done with this "abundance" of talent he attracts? I'm pretty sure the record books say he's never made it past the Elite Eight.

Calimari is slime. How many starters are entering the draft from his team this year? They didn't even make it to the final four with all that 'talent'. Those that are declaring from Kentucky, could have gone anywhere and declared for the draft. Calipari doesn't coach. He just gives them the ball. Howland has bad timing. Any of the previous final 4 teams would have potentially won the tourney this year. Instead we face two loaded Florida teams and faced a memphis team that cheated. What is up with all this hate on howland. You guys are all starting to sound like suc fans.

I still can't believe they even let Calipari coach after UMass and Memphis. But I think his slimeballiness makes him able to recruit because he will let athletes cheat or do what they need to do to play, i.e. SATs with Rose as well as his brother traveling with the team and Camby accepting money. Even though he was never indicted, he had to have known. Does any of this bending of the rules sound familiar?

I would rather have Howland and Ben Ball than Calipari and Slime Ball

@g20bruin

Two dismal years in a row and the current sorry state of the program is bound to bring some criticism. Another substandard year and Howland and Guerrero should both go.

you have to pick between having years where we are great for 4 and suck for one or have 5 great years but have all of those games not count because of players being ineligible.

I keep hearing that the local high quality kids don't want to play for Ben, for whatever reason. If this doesn't change Ben won't be coaching at UCLA as long as many think he will. The program is going downhill fats...just like it did with Bob Toledo. Hope I'm wrong but the evidence is mounting.

d1 ability in the South Bay? You must be talking about the northern South Bay, the one at the bottom of San Francisco Bay, 'cause, there's precious few, if any, d1 prospects in the south South Bay.

That said, any kid with pro hopes would be pleased to play for Coach Howland. Success in the NBA draft is a bigger draw than winning a NCAA championship, and there's not many who've done a better job at putting young men in the pros.

I agree these recent "defections" are troubling. However, Calipari has the same number of NCAA titles as Howland. Plus, BH has more Final Fours since Memphis had to vacate wins. BH runs a clean program. If Bob Knight thinks you are sketchy, which he said about Calipari, that's a big deal. Bottom line, this is a tough period for us and BH has his work cut out for us. Let him work his way out of this hole. If we're in the same position in a few years, we can revisit his appropriateness for the position. Everyone needs to stop being so alarmist and reactionary.

These recent defections are troubling, but Calipari hasn't won anything, unless you count his two previous schools having to vacate victories under his leadership. Kentucky will always throw lots of $$ at their athletic program. That's why UCLA is an academic institution and UK is, well, a lot less so. Let's see if BH can dig this program out of this hole. He deserves that opportunity.

easy guys. Burton would have been a Bruin if we had offered sooner. This isn't some sign that recruits no longer consider UCLA a desirable destination. We just slow played him for too long. We'll get over it, as he projected as a role player anyway.

You guys are blind...

First of all Calipari took Memphis and UMASS to the tourney. Let me say that AGAIN...MEMPHIS AND UMASS!

I ask you Howland for life supporters. Is our program in the same class?

All the sleazeball comments are silly and hyprocritical. Do you remember why Harrick left? Forget about the rumors about Neu before he was hired?

Just suck it up and admit the guys a great recruiter, So I guess the decision makers at Kentucky are just plain idiots? Your'e missing the point, the point is that even after 3 final fours and putting talented players into the NBA, UCLA is still not a top destination for elite players who wan't to showcase their talent to reach their dream of playing in the NBA. BH had some the most talented teams I have EVER seen and instead of adjusting to their strenths he chose to stick to his guns. If he gets to the tourney again the same thing will happen we'll get beat by a team that can play OFFENSE and DEFENSE!

Why did you idiots go to college? To gain Knowledge? If so, you should have saved your money and went to the damn library! You went to college to get the credentials needed to become a marketable item and get a job. You mean to tell me that if an organization wanted to give you a guaranteed contract for 3 years and 20 million ofter your freshman year you wouldn't have taken it? Please.
BH CAN do it, and I hope he does. But the recent player defections, coaches leaving, inability to recruit an elite pg in a class loaded with big time pg's among other things don't envoke a lot of hope for most fans right now!

I think that unless UCLA gets Terrence Jones (not looking too good right now), they will stand pat on recruiting and save the scholarships for 2011. The guard lineup will be Anderson, Lee (make 3 pointers PLEASE), Lazeric Jones, Lamb and Abdul-Hamid (I hope he gets some quality minutes this, his senior, year).

honestly i think a lot of the reason big time recruits don't necessarily want to come to ucla is because of its television priviledges. Fox sucks lets face it and until UCLA can be seen more often on ESPN we'll continue to not have the exposure. Kids live in the present and if the present is some bs cable sports network that until only recently didn't have hd coverage then we'll continue to trail behind the likes of Kentucky, UNC, Duke, Michigan State, Kansas etc.

USCFan

Usc is better than UCLA at basketball. Tim Floyd makes Ben Howland felch him.