July 2010 Archives

Check out the latest batch of weekly answers...

A UCLA spokesman confirmed the two-year extension for UCLA offensive coordinator Norm Chow, which will take him through the end of 2012. There is no comment on the financial specifics until the final deal is signed.

This is very important for UCLA; they finally seem to be gaining some stability, which plagued the team during the mid-2000s. Ben Olson had a different offensive coordinator for each of his years at UCLA. Kevin Prince and Chow have a very good relationship, and I think Prince is earning the full trust from his offensive coordinator.

Chow has said that he wants and expects this to be his last job, so he just might be riding off into the sunset besides Prince.

Harbaugh's opening statement: "Wish we were out on the practice field right now. we're read to get started. A lot of people who espouse to Catholicism and Christianity as January 1 as the new year, but for football players like Owen and me, that's August 9, when we get back on the football field."

Harbaugh on sustaining success: "We're not sustaining a gosh darn thing. We despise the word sustaning. We despise the word satisfaction."

Harbaugh on losing Toby Gerhart: "He graduated, we didn't lose him. He's playing with the Minnesota Vikings now, and we have to replace him. We have seven guys, and the exciting thing is we'll throw the ball out there August 9 and let them compete for it. It might not be one guy, might be two, might be three."

Harbaugh on Owen Marecic: "We've done it with some other players, where there a starter on one side and play X amount on the other side. But you don't see anybody what we're doing this year, starting on both sides of the ball. I don't know if teams have a guy like Owen Marecic. This youngster is an amazing football player, the perfectly engineered football player."

Harbaugh on the running game: "I don't think it's going to look drastically different. I don't have a preference to whether its one, two or three."

Harbaugh on Andrew Luck: "You look at Andrew, and he's so good, and you wonder what makes a youngster that good. I know a lot of that has to do with Mom, Dad, God. Also, the fact that he works so hard at it. One of the hardest workers on our team, no question about it. There's no weaknesses in his game. He's as accurate as any quarterback I've ever seen. He can get out of the way of people. He rushed for over 400 yards. He can throw it 70 yards taking one step. He's a brilliant kid, not only booksmarts, but football instincts. He's just the entire package. We're glad he's on our team."

Stanford FB/LB Owen Marecic on practicing time: "I did go both ways in high school as a fullback and linebacker. At practice, the offense is going to scrimmage against the scout team. There's time. I can switch over to the other side. There's plenty of time within a practice. I just may not have as much time to get water or hang out on a sideline."

Marecic on sustaining success: "It's kind of like working in the weight room, and you set a big squat max, and you're pumped up. But maybe that was last year. Last year we had some success. It wasn't where we want to be. We have a lot bigger dreams than that. We set that PR in our program, but we know we have to work even harder to raise the bar another level."

USC head coach Lane Kiffin's opening statements: "I know you're going to ask about the Kennedy Pola situation. Because that's a lawsuit by the Tennessee Titans - not Jeff Fisher specifically - we can't comment on that. We have to deal with what's happened in the past. We're really excited to get to next week, to get on the field. We've lost some guys in the meantime, but our front-line players have stayed. People expect USC to start crumbling right now."

Kiffin on USC's strengths: "I feel good about our defensive line, but depth in general is going to be an issue. We have to be extremely intelligent how we handle our practicing. I'm We're fortunate because of our 10 coaches, seven have NFL experience. But we're going to have to tone down our practices a little bit. Offensive line is always the one that seems to be banged up. Most of the spring, we were down to seven or eight guys."

Kiffin on debunking one myth about himself: "Wow. Where's my SID, you didn't prepare me for that one. What would be one myth? I'm gonna have to think about that. There are a lot of them out there."

Kiffin on transfers: "The diffucult thing was these sanctions, and I don't know if it was why they did it, but we created free agency in college football. There's no salary cap on. Our players can leave at any time to go anywhere. You saw a number of guys leave who weren't very excited about playing time. The penalty is about the ban, but every guy I talked to said they thought they could go and get more playing time. When tthey made these decisions, they'd have to leave something valuable, they'd be leaving a degree at USC."

Kififn on what he can improve upon: "When I look to when we were back here before, during that process, we were very deep. Things would happen - one year Mike WIlliams is supposed to be on our team and he's not back, and we win a NC because Dwayne Jarrett was sitting there. It there's any difference, it would be our depth, making sure the bottom of our classes are really strong."

USC quarterback Matt Barkley on transfers: "I saw it as a recruiter in a sense. Not as many guys were on the edge as you think, but there were guys who thought about leaving and those who did leave. It was my job to be positive. A lot of our seniors were really positive, and that reflected on to me, too."

Barkley on considering transferring: "Not once, never entered my mind even once. I've always wanted to come to USC, and to be able to play early like that is always something I wanted to do."

Barkley on transition from Pete Carroll to Kiffin: "One of the greatest things he could've done was open up that competition again. More than anything, it changed me to be a better quarterback. And Mitch, I've noticed a change in his play. But it made me a better quarterback."

Cal coach Jeff Tedford on the Pac-10 parity: "There's a lot of parity in this conference, there's no doubt about it. Last year, we had five teams with the same record. It's very difficult to go through this conference unscathed. You have to bring your A-game every single week."

Tedford on expectations: "A success is going to the Rose Bowl, that's what we're here for. I'm not going to say not going there would be a failure. But it used to be eight wins was good. People were satisfied. We're the second winningest program in the Pac-10. But that's not good enough any more."

Tedford on the Pac-10 East Coast swing: "I was a proponent of it, talked to Larry Scott about it, thought it was a great idea. It was a first-class trip all the way. It was great to give the Pac-10 more exposure on the East Coast."

Tedford on Pac-10 regaining star power: "There's quite a bit of star-power in the Pac-10. You look at some of the quarterbacks, and that's where it starts, but there are a lot of great running backs as well. There is a lot of firepower in the Pac-10."

Cal linebacker Mike Mohamed on expectations: "I'm aware of all the preseason accolades, but at the same time, my main focus is the team. I want to win the Pac-10, I want to go to the Rose Bowl. I know I need to go out and play like I did last year."

Mohamed on USC sanctions: "It's definitely tough for the players, especially when all this is coming down on them who had no part in it at all. I definitely feel for the players."

Washington head coach Steve Sarkisian on Jake Locker staying: "I thought we all handled it very well, with our coaching staff, with our athletic director, with his parents. We really tried to get him to a point where we could educate him on the decision, give him the facts, but let him make the decision. All along, he wanted to stay, but he wanted to get all the information. As physically gifted as Jake Locker is, he's a better human being. How he handled that situation is really indicative of who he is as a person."

Washington head coach Steve Sarkisian on having a great quarterback in the Pac-10: "Historically in this conference, the teams who have either won or been involved in the race have had that veteran leadership in that position. You have to find a way to win on the road. Generally speaking, when you have a veteran quarterback, he's the one who can perform. Having Jake, as we go to Cal, as we go to USC, as we go to Oregon, we'll take that advantage of having a quarterback who has been in those environments"

UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisels opening statement: "We've got a very challenging schedule, but I think we've made strides over the last couple of years to give ourselves the right to call ourselves a good football team this year. We're very, very excited about beginning the season."

Neuheisel on the Pac-12 split: "Last night they put five coaches on one plane and five on the other, and I think Larry was just telling us how he was doing it. I understand that there are more things in play: television dollars, chances to be in Los Angeles. I'm just going to duck that question and say smarter people will decide that."

Neuheisel on his 2010 goal: "Be better than we were last year. I want the momentum to keep going. (We were) 4-8 in year one, certainly not what I expected. We endured it, tried to learn through it. Last year we went through a miserable month of October. Found a way to right the ship, got to a bowl game and won it. All those things led to a real great work ethic, an excitement about going forth. For the first I've been at UCLA, we're an experienced football team. We've got players like Rahim and Kevin Prince at quarterback, Akeem Ayers, guys who have played and played at a high level."

Neuheisel on Colorado joining the Pac-10: "1995, I was given the head job at Colorado . It was a dream come true, I was 33 at the time, and at that time, there were some overtures from the Pac-10. I hadn't coached a game yet, but (the university president) asked what I thought, and I said I would tell you the Pac-10 is a wonderful conference. Obviously they didn't choose to go that way. Colorado will be a great partner to this conference. It's a great school, I can tell you that from experience. I think they're going to be a great player."

Neuheisel on the Pac-10 East Coast swing: "I want to compliment Commish Scott in trying to change Pac-10 culture. We've been that left coast conference, that finesse conference. They say, 'Oh you guys just play that throwing around ball, not that tough guy stuff, three yards and a cloud of dust. Commisioner Scott going to NY and taking that East Coast bias head on, I thought that was a bold move. Having gone through it, I thought it was brilliant."

Neuheisel on UCLA's 66-point outburst against Texas in 1997: "1997 wasn't a great year for us at Colorado, and I wasn't paying attention to other games. We played Texas that same year; you could tell there would be a change. That isn't the case anymore. They have one of the preeminent programs in the country. they're going to be as good a team as we've played. It'll be great for our players to go to a place like Austin, Texas. Much like going to Tennessee a year ago, we've got to try to block out those distractions."

Neuheisel on the team's character: "Every coach that goes to a prgram has to win over the players who are in it. 'I'm a UCLA Bruin just like you are. I'm priveleged to say this is my school.' There is comfort in that I've been in each of these kid's homes. I've got relationships with their parents. I can dig a little deeper, having had that relationship."

Neuheisel on the USC sanctions: "I've been asked 100 times about the sanctions at our cross-town rivals - truthfully, we can't take the time to worry about that. They had something we wanted; they were the Pac-10 champs when we got here. Now Oregon has what we want."

Neuheisel on the new offense: "Norm and I evaluated the season, and our running numbers aren't what they need to be successful. We have to be consistent running the football. It will take pressure off the quarterback, off the playcaller, off the defense. It has to be done."

UCLA safety Rahim Moore on topping his 10 interceptions last season: "Just doing all I can to get better. It's not about topping last year. If I could, I would take back the picks to get 10 wins. It's about getting better. Thsiyear is a good year for us to showcase ourselves on a big stage. This year is not about me, it's about the team."

Moore on the best Pac-10 passing attack: "Washington and Arizona. They do a good job of route-recognition. Washington does a great job with the spread, and not only do they do a great job, they blend well. You have to really come with it. This year they'll be even better. What I've been doing is getting my secondary better."

Arizona State head coach Dennis Erickson's Opening Statement: "The biggest change, and the thing that is exciting for me, is how much better we'll be on offense. We're doing a lot of different things: four-wide a little more, no-huddle. It was a lot of fun in the Spring for us."

Erickson on the East Coast swing: "I thought it was really good. We got to spend time with the media there, got to go to the New York Times, which I read quite often. It made an impact; people know who we were."

Erickson on having quarterback issues: "We had Rudy the first two years, and he was pretty good, particularly the first year. When he left, we were in between. Now that we've recruited Brock Osweiler and Steven Threet, we feel good about where we're at."

Erickson on the team's imbalance: "We have not been good on offense. When you're one or two on defense, but you finish ninth on offense, you have to correct that. That's the difference between us being a really good football team and an average football team."

Erickson on the Pac-12: "I like it. Bringing Utah and Colorado in brings in two great TV markets. I like the idea of splitting into two divisions. College football is all about big games. To have that at the end of the year is very exciting, and obviously will be a national game, which is important for the league."

ASU kicker Thomas Weber on his recovery: "At first when I got injured, I just wanted to do whatever I could for the turn. After the season, I gave myself some time to rest, but I got right back after it."

Washington State coach Paul Wulff's opening statement:
"We feel we're a very young football team, but we have a quite a bit of experience. I think you'll find a dramatic improvement in our football team. You'll see a surprise team this year out of Washington State. We've been building this football team the right way."

Wulff on Jeff Tuel: "Of course, we're very high on Jeff. Jeff came in a year agho, this teme he was about 190 pounds, he's now 214-215 pounds. He's gotten bigger and stronger. Unlike a lot of freshman who came in last year and came in and January, Jeff came in August. We threw him to the wolves. Heading into his second year, I feel Jeff is every bit where those (former WSU stars) were."

Wulff on the East Coast Pac-10 swing: "All the head coaches, you find out they're actually pretty good guys. We had some good bonding time out there. Just to be able to be there physically and get eye-to-eye contact with the media, I think they were excited by that. They felt honored. Wow this is a unique opportunity for them, to have us in their backyward. We're nowhere near where we need to be, but without question, we gained respect."

WSU defensive end Kevin Kooyman on being picked 10th for the third straight year: "The last two serasons have been pretty rough. We've been picked 10th the last two years, and this year. You have to ignore it. This year, we're going to shock some people. We don't care about the rankings. It's more of a distraction, and you have to ignore it."

I'm down here at the Rose Bowl for the West Coast version of the Pac-10 media day. Rick Neuheisel and Rahim Moore are down here representing the Bruins, and I'll have some videos up later.

That's right, folks, the newest addition to the Inside UCLA team: The Flip Cam.

Rather than transcribing quotes for the blog, I'll be posting more and more videos, bringing you closer and closer to the Bruins. Hope you enjoy...

Thanks
Jon

FROM UCLA:

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (July 28, 2010) -- Following four days of training and an intra-squad exhibition game that were held July 19-24 in Las Vegas, Nev., USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo today announced that 15 players had been selected as finalists for the 2010 USA World Championship Team.

Named as finalists for the USA World Championship Team were Chauncey Billups (Denver Nuggets); Tyson Chandler(Dallas Mavericks); Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors); Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder); Rudy Gay (Memphis Grizzlies); Eric Gordon (Los Angeles Clippers); Danny Granger (Indiana Pacers); Jeff Green (Oklahoma City Thunder); Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia 76ers); Brook Lopez (New Jersey Nets); Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves); Lamar Odom (Los Angeles Lakers); Rajon Rondo (Boston Celtics); Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls); and Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder).

Check out the latest batch of weekly answers...

FROM UCLA:

UCLA rising junior right-hander Gerrit Cole allowed one run (unearned) and two hits through four pre-determined innings to earn his second victory in as many starts this summer, leading the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team past Chinese Taipei, 6-3, at Hsinchuang Field on Tuesday.

Cole (2-0) struck out four batters and issued two walks in this third appearance - his second start - of the summer. He improved his career record to 6-0 with Team USA. The right-hander from Santa Ana, Calif., has logged a 0.75 ERA, totaling 13 strikeouts and two walks in 12.0 innings for the Collegiate National Team in 2010.

In Team USA's 6-3 win over Chinese Taipei, catcher Pete O'Brien (Bethune Cookman) belted his fourth home run of the summer and drove in two runs, going 2-for-4 with one run. O'Brien's fielder's choice RBI in the fourth inning broke a 1-1 tie, as Team USA led the rest of the way.

The saga of Junior Pomee continues.
The Rancho Verde tight end - profile here - who verbally committed to UCLA on July 1 after almost doing the same to Arizona, was wowed by his recent attendance at Florida's camp, and is now very high on the Gators.
I spoke with him for a few moments yesterday, but he was just getting home from the funeral of a teammate, and I wasn't going to push for answers. I'll try to reach him again tonight.

To be honest, I think this is a case of a kid being allured by the hoopla and attention, and the buzz on Pomee has certainly soared. He went from legit offers from Idaho and Nevada to being courted by Florida. We'll see how it all works out, but I wouldn't write him off just yet.

*Special props to Bruinbeatch, who called this basically the day after Pomee verbally committed to UCLA.

*I took out the reference to Uko's dad, which was supposed to be Uko's coach, a reference to a failed interview attempt last November with a few blog readers. My apologies.

UCLA has slightly altered its men's basketball schedule, switching Arizona State to Thursday Feb. 24 and Arizona to Saturday Feb. 26., and Arizona to Jan. 27 and ASU to Jan. 29.

Also, UCLA's game at California has been switched from Saturday to Sunday Feb. 20.

Thu., Nov. 4 Westmont College (Exhibition)
Tue., Nov. 9 Cal State Los Angeles (Exhibition)
Fri., Nov. 12 Cal State Northridge
Mon., Nov. 15 NIT Season Tip-Off Regionals
Tue, Nov. 16 NIT Season Tip-Off Regionals
Wed., Nov. 17 NIT Season Tip-Off Regionals
Mon., Nov. 22 NIT Season Tip-Off Consolation Rounds
Tue., Nov. 23 NIT Season Tip-Off Consolation Rounds
Wed., Nov. 24 NIT Season Tip-Off Semifinals (New York)
Fri., Nov. 26 NIT Season Tip-Off Finals (New York)
Thu., Dec. 2 at Kansas (Pac-10/Big 12 Series)
Sun., Dec. 5 Montana
Sat., Dec. 11 Cal Poly
Mon., Dec. 13 UC Davis
Sat., Dec. 18 @ Wooden Classic (BYU)
Tue., Dec. 21 Montana State
Thu., Dec. 23 UC Irvine
Wed., Dec. 29 Washington State
Fri., Dec. 31 Washington
Sun., Jan. 9 @ USC
Thu., Jan. 13 @ Oregon State
Sat., Jan. 15 @ Oregon
Thu., Jan. 20 California
Sat., Jan. 22 Stanford
Thu., Jan. 27 @ Arizona
Sat., Jan. 29 @ Arizona State
Wed., Feb. 2 USC
Sat., Feb. 5 St. John's
Thu., Feb. 10 Oregon
Sat., Feb. 12 Oregon State
Thu., Feb. 17 @ Stanford
Sun., Feb. 20 @ California
Thu., Feb. 24 Arizona State
Sat., Feb. 26 Arizona
Thu., Mar. 3 @ Washington
Sat., Mar. 5 @ Washington State
Mar. 9 - Mar. 12 Pac-10 Tournament @ Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
Mar. 17 - Mar. 20 NCAA First and Second Round
Mar. 24 - Mar. 27 NCAA Regional
Apr. 2 & Apr. 4 NCAA Final Four

Check out the latest batch of weekly answers...

Check out the latest batch of weekly answers...

Hey guys,

Fire away with questions for this week's Q&A. Please don't post new questions on the answers section, because I don't always check the comments. Save them for next week.

I have a ton of questions to pore over, so this will be a pretty loaded Weekly Answers...

Thanks
Jon

Check out the latest batch of weekly answers...

Check out the latest batch of weekly answers...

How important are days like today for building a winning program?
Kevin Prince: "They're pretty important, especially with the coaches not being able to come out here and be with us. It's important for us to get out here, the captains especially. Myself, Rahim, Micah taking the linemen in the meeting room - just taking that role, making sure things get done because their aren't coaches out here, that's huge."

As quarterback, do 7-on-7s give you the opportunity to reaffirm your trust in a target or establish a new trust?
"It helps to gauge people, especially the young guys who you haven't seen play. I've seen Anthony Barr make some plays - I think he'll be able to contribute for us early - and there's no way to know that without things like this. Just by looking at a kid, you won't be able to know what he can do. And you get to reaffirm who you can count on; Nelson and Taylor have been out here doing their thing. Then again, there's guys who haven't necessarily stepped up like they should, come out as often as they should, and it helps to know who you need to talk to and regain their focus."

Has football become 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for you?
KP: "It's got to be. A lot of the guys are starting to feel that way. I see guys in the film room more often. It's just got to be. If we want to take that next step and become a big-time program, that's what we have to do. You have to take this seriously."

Besides Barr, who are the other guys that have stepped up in your mind?
KP: "Man, there are some big-time guys. You can just tell by the size of these guys. It's tough to say for the defensive linemen we got just because we're not doing contact, but as far as offense, I like Jordon James a lot. He's a quick guy, real down-to-earth, smart. He seems like he can pick up things, and what really helps is if you're smart and can pick up things. Barr's like that. So is Malcolm Jones, even though we're not running the ball that much right now."

And defensively?
KP: "You've got AO, who's just a physical specimen, just making plays out here all the time. Deitrich Riley's really been doing well. The first week we were out here, I think he had a couple interceptions. He's got really good what Coach Chow calls 'giddy-up' speed. When he gets beat, he can make that space up. He'll be a player for us. It's exciting to see those guys come in and probably able to compete for us right away."

* 7-on-7s are truly only good for observing the passing game, and if today was any indication, Ricky Marvray could emerge as a true threat over the next couple of years. No one tries harder than Marvray, and his passion for the game and his attitude are evident. He'll open some eyes.

* Josh Smith does not look 100 percent, but he's close. He stayed step-for-step with Sheldon Price on a deep ball, and he had a beatiful catch-and-run that had some guys falling over laughing. The guy doesn't run with the ball, he dances with it.

* Cory Harkey and Fauria will form a potent tight end combo for the Bruins, and I would expect a high focus on the horizontal game this season. If Smith can and Rosario can stretch the field as expected, UCLA should have a much more complex offense. Everyone talks about Norm Chow not having the weapons to unleash...he does now.

* One last thing on the turnout: I was very surprised by the number of players in attendance, and by the enthusiasm for the task at hand. While there was certainly some playfullness, when the ball was snapped, there was good energy and a lot of learning going on.

* Prince interview to follow tomorrow morning...

I headed down to Spaulding Field today for today's 7-on-7, and here are some quick observations, followed later by a quick interview with Kevin Prince...

* Prince continues to grow in his role as team captain, and was absolutely in command of the entire team out there today. Micah Kia was out with the 7-on-7 guys for a little while before returning to the film room to rejoin the offensive linemen, and the team is really going to need that leadership from him, too.

* Even on completions, Prince was in guy's faces, correcting sloppy routes or even just congratulating them. His arm looked very strong, but he was off on a few throws, and the timing does not look perfect.

* Prince does, however, have a favorite target in Joseph Fauria, who made a few great catches, including a one-handed snag of a tipped ball over incoming freshman linebacker Aramide Olaniyan, after which he playfully tossed the ball at AO. Fauria is one funny dude, and just wait until his "A Day with Joe" video comes out soon. Hilarious.

* Speaking of Olaniyan...Wow. The kid is jacked. I was very impressed by the size of many of the incoming freshmen, particularly Olaniyan, Malcolm Jones and Dietrich Riley. Prince said something interesting about just how big this class is, and I couldn't agree more. Watch out for AO and Riley especially this year.

Josh Shirley will join the Washington Huskies, the school announced today. Shirley had been vehemntly denying that he would play for the Huskies, who were among his final schools during his original recruitment. After being charged with felony theft in late-June (charges that are still pending, though could be lessened to misdemeanor) along with fellow then-incoming freshmen Paul and Shaq Richardson, Shirley and the Richardsons were release from their letters of intent by UCLA and denied admission.

Here's a link to the announcement:

UCLA sophomore offensive guard Stanley Hasiak was ruled academically ineligible for the 2010 season by the NCAA and will not be able to compete for the Bruins.
Hasiak will redshirt this season and will have three years of eligibility remaining.
"his is an unfortunate situation for Stanley," UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel said. "I expect Stanley to work hard to ensure this situation does not occur again. We expect him to help us on the scout team this year and work himself into a contributor for 2011."

From UCLA:

OMAHA, Neb. - UCLA rising junior Gerrit Cole allowed one run and struck out seven batters in six innings to lead the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team past Japan, 4-1, on Wednesday evening at Rosenblatt Stadium in a friendly international game.

Cole (1-0) was impressive from the start, retiring nine of the first 10 batters he faced. Team USA's bullpen was equally dominant, as Sonny Gray (Vanderbilt) and Noe Ramirez (Cal State Fullerton) worked the final three innings, scattering two hits and notching one pair of strikeouts.

UCLA's rising junior catcher Steve Rodriguez went 2-for-4 with one run in Team USA's victory.

Check out the latest batch of weekly answers...

Check out the latest batch of weekly answers...

This one impacts UCLA the most immediately. Chris Martin, the No. 1 ranked OLB last season, is transferring from Cal before he plays a down for the Bears. I watched a lot of film on this kid, and he's a great one, and would have made an immediate impact for the Bears, likely switching to defensive end. He would've immediately become one of the best young defensive linemen in the Pac-10. I'd expect Rick Neuheisel to try to make a push for him, but the odds of landing him are slim. But for the Bruins now, at least they won't have to face him in 2010.

Here's the story: Martin

Oh, and in case you hadn't heard, Washington starting tight end Kavario Middleton bounced from the team: Middelton

ESPN is reporting that former UCLA defensive tackle was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who drafted him in the second round of April's NFL Draft: Price

FROM UCLA:

LOS ANGELES -

UCLA Head Men's Basketball Coach Ben Howland and his wife, Kim, have been named honorary co-chairs of the 2nd Annual HDSA LA Hoop-A-Thon. The event will take place in legendary Pauley Pavilion on Friday, Aug. 27, 2010 from 6-10 p.m. On hand will be former UCLA players Arron Afflalo, Russell Westbrook, Darren Collison and Ryan Hollins as well as other former players and some surprise celebrity guests.

UCLA has partnered up with the Huntington's Disease Society of America (HDSA) in an effort to raise money and awareness to find a cure for this devastating illness.

The Hoop-A-Thon is a one-of-a-kind speed free-throw shooting contest. Prizes will be awarded to the winning teams. A team of 10 will cost $950.00 to compete.

For individuals wishing to attend the event and watch as well as mingle with current and former UCLA Basketball players, the cost will be $125.00. You will be able to sample food and spirits from some of Los Angeles' best restaurants. There will also be a silent auction with some very special and unique items. Some of the incredible prizes and silent auction items include autographed Laker shoes by Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol, Ron Artest, Luke Walton, Derek Fisher, Josh Powell and Shannon Brown as well as UCLA signed memorabilia, vacations and a Luau for 20 people.

Check out the first batch of weekly answers...

Hey guys,

Fire away with questions for this week's Q&A. Please don't post new questions on the answers section, because I don't always check the comments. Save them for next week.

I have a ton of questions to pore over, so this will be a pretty loaded Weekly Answers...

Thanks
Jon

Check out the latest batch of weekly answers...

Check out the latest batch of weekly answers...

Check out the latest batch of weekly answers...

Check out the latest batch of weekly answers...

Check out the latest batch of weekly answers...

From UCLA:

The 17th Annual John R. Wooden Classic will proceed as scheduled this year despite the passing of the event's namesake, legendary coach and humanitarian John Wooden. The announcement was jointly made today by the Wooden family, Anaheim Arena Management and Pantheon International, hosts and producers of the John R. Wooden Classic since its inception in 1994. In addition, the game matchups for the one-day basketball doubleheader were made public and will feature UCLA vs. BYU and St. Mary's vs. Long Beach State.


"The Wooden family is proud to continue the Wooden Classic in honor of our father, grandfather and great grandfather," said Jim Wooden and Nancy Muehlhausen, son and daughter of the legendary coach. "We are so pleased the event will continue to celebrate his life and the legacy he leaves behind. Our thanks go out to Pantheon International, Honda Center and the thousands of fans that have made this event possible."

The annual event will be held this year on Saturday, December 18th at Honda Center in Anaheim with UCLA making its 15th appearance in the seventeen year history of the one-day doubleheader. The rest of the four-team field boasts likely Top 20 ranked BYU, 2010 sweet sixteen participant St. Mary's and Big West favorite Long Beach State.

"For the past 16 years we have been privileged to produce the John R. Wooden Classic and we look forward to once again celebrating John Wooden's legacy and philosophy. Though we are saddened that Coach will not be with us in person this December, we know his inspiration carries on," said Honda Center President and Chief Executive Officer Tim Ryan.

"We are in the fortunate position of helping pass along John Wooden's teachings and ideals," said Jim Sperry, President of Pantheon International. "We look forward to extending his message and putting on an event worthy of his name."

Casey Griffiths was willing to be patient.

Bob Palcic wasn't.

While most schools who showed interest in the American River College offensive lineman were tabbing him to join next year's class, UCLA's offensive line coach looked at
Griffiths and knew he had to have him immediately.

"I went in and talked to him and he was so fired up," Griffiths said. "I like coaches that get
really excited when they get new players. He was really into making me better and he had a really strong feeling about me coming in and playing for UCLA."

And so the 6-5, 280-pound offensive lineman is headed to Westwood to begin fall camp in less than a month.

While leaving ARC after one year was not a priority, the opportunity to join the Bruins was too much to pass up.

"I don't know if it was because of (UCLA's) situation now, but I didn't really have a lot of contact with other schools," Griffiths said. "I wasn't leaning toward getting out this year. I don't know if it was about me getting my name out, but I know I wasn't trying to get out after one. But Coach Jerry Haflich told me, 'You come, you do what can you do, we'll get you out.'"

Griffiths will join an offensive line that has struggled mightily for two seasons but appears to be heading in the right direction behind veteran leadership. Four of UCLA's five starters are projected to return, with the only loss at left tackle in Xavier Su'a-Filo.

"From what I understand, they're going to try to get me a lot of attention at first to see if I'm capable," Griffiths said. "Maybe possibly play this year rather than redshirt. I feel like I'll get a fair amount of attention and try to develop myself."

Meanwhile, Griffiths relishes the opportunity to develop UCLA, as well.

"It's kind of funny - this is how my career has been," Griffiths said. "My high school (Woodcreek), I came in as a junior and we didn't win a game. My senior year, we're pretty much the best senior varsity team ever. I helped turn that team around, went to playoffs, won a playoff game for a first time. I come to American River, and they had a good year before, but they're trying to get the big things going. It's something I've always been part of, trying to build a program up."

Check out the latest batch of weekly answers...

As most of you have heard, UCLA has released Josh Shirley, Shaquille Richardson and Paul Richardson from their letters of intent, making them re-recruitable by other teams and available to join other programs immediately.

So what does this all mean?

Well, first and foremost, I think it is the nail on the coffin on the "Slick Rick" moniker. Now, I'm not saying he won't toe the line and make borderline decisions on occasion - I truly believe that any coach needs to play that line with utmost care - but the recent trend of good behavior no longer appears to be a trend. With this decision - not just delaying their enrollment but actually allowing them to choose new schools - it's not only clear that Neuheisel is running a cleaner ship, but that he's making it known to recruits and players.

Secondly, the loss of these three players might not be so damning. Shirley was clearly the most coveted player, and for good reason. But he would've joined an incredibly cluttered linebacker corps, and the Richardsons were to join crowded positions - wideout and cornerback - as well. Not saying these aren't great players and top recruits. They certainly are. But the loss of, say, a Cassius Marsh or an Owa would be devastating. This should just sting a bit.

Thirdly, I wouldn't completely close the book on these guys just yet. I'm sure Neuheisel has made it clear to them that there would be a difficult road back. However, any school who signs recruits with pending felons will face plenty of critics. I would be surprised if any school jumps on them just yet, at least with the charges pending.

Now, I've heard from several people that Shirley strongly denies involvement. I've tried to reach him, but he hasn't returned my attempts, and I'd be surprised if he did any time soon. A very difficult situation, I'm sure.

Lastly, I know how important recruiting is to a program, truly the lifeblood and the future. But ultimately, a coach has to make a decision for the direction of his program. Neuheisel did. Like it or not, Neuheisel did.

American River College guard Casey Griffiths has committed to UCLA and will be available for this season, joining the team shortly.

The 6-5, 280-pound offensive lineman was an all-league OL for Wood Creek High before playing a season at ARC.

Though Griffiths will enroll this season, UCLA has been working hard on its offensive line of the future, as four linemen have verbally committed for the Class of 2011.

Griffiths could compete for a spot on the wide-open offensive line, and it will be interesting to see how he stacks up starting Aug. 9.

This was a pretty long interview, so rather than clutter than front page, I bumped this over the jump, so click on the link below.

Chatted for a long time with new UCLA commit Jacob Brendel, who blew my mind. Extremely bright kid. Extremely. He was very open with his answers, shockingly candid on some, and he sounds like he has a true understanding of himself and what he wants. I don't often expect that from a teenager.

Here's his profile, also:

Check out the first batch of weekly answers...

Jacob Brendel, Scout.com's No. 6-rated center, has reportedly committed to UCLA. Brendel has a pretty impressive list of offers, included among them Cal, Stanford and Arizona, but he now becomes the Bruins sixth verbal commit and fourth offensive line commit.

If Brendel's hometown sounds familiar, it should: Kyle and Korey Bosworth played for Brendel's rival, Plano West.

I'll try to reach Brendel tomorrow and get an interview up.

I caught up briefly with Tyler Honeycutt for my Athlon Sports UCLA hoops preview, and he sounded very confident in his performance so far this off-season. I expect big things out of Honeycutt as a sophomore, as a full year to work on his strength and conditioning will benefit him greatly. He really suffered by missing much of last summer and fall, and I have no doubt that a renewed emphasis on his body will pay dividends.

Hey guys,

Fire away with questions for this week's Q&A. Please don't post new questions on the answers section, because I don't always check the comments. Save them for next week.

I have a ton of questions to pore over, so this will be a pretty loaded Weekly Answers...

Thanks
Jon

From UCLA:

CARY, N.C. -- USA Baseball announced Sunday night the 22 members of its 2010 Collegiate National Team. The roster is headlined by pitchers Gerrit Cole (UCLA), Sonny Gray (Vanderbilt) and infielder Brad Miller (Clemson), who were all members of the 2009 National Team.

This year's squad consists of five infielders, four outfielders, two catchers, nine pitchers and a pair of two-way players. The Collegiate National Team was selected after seven days of trials that included six intra-squad games and practices as the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, N.C. Team USA is comprised of the top non-draft-eligible college players in the United States.

The U.S. will play a five-game series against Korea before squaring off against a Japanese Collegiate All-Star Team in a one-game, international friendship competition in Omaha's Rosenblatt Stadium on July 21. From there, the team will travel to Taipei, Taiwan for a four-game series against Chinese Taipei at Tien-Mu Stadium beginning July 25.

Check out the latest batch of weekly answers...

Check out the latest batch of weekly answers...

Check out the latest batch of weekly answers...

Check out the latest batch of weekly answers...

Check out the latest batch of weekly answers...

Check out the latest batch of weekly answers...

Check out the latest batch of weekly answers...

Check out the latest batch of weekly answers...

From UCLA:

LOS ANGELES - The UCLA baseball program has sent 21 players around the nation to play in the most competitive summer leagues. Beau Amaral will play for the Chatham Anglers (Massachusetts) in the Cape Cod League, while Gerrit Cole and Steve Rodriguez are vying for spots on the U.S. Collegiate National Team.

Cole and Rodriguez have been invited to National Team Trials in Cary, N.C. and will find out whether they have made the 22-man roster by Monday, July 12.

UCLA has sent 10 players to the West Coast League, two to the Northwoods League, two to the New England Collegiate League, two to the Prospect League and one to the New York Collegiate League.

Chase Brewer, Scott Griggs and Cody Regis are playing for the Bellingham Bells (Washington) of the West Coast League. Trevor Brown, Jeff Gelalich and incoming freshman Zach Weiss will compete in that league for the Wenatchee AppleSox (Washington). Dennis Holt, Adrian Williams and incoming freshman Kevin Williams are playing for the Walla Walla Sweets (Washington), in its first year with the West Coast League. Ian Williams is pitching for the Folsom Pioneers, in the West Coast League Tri-State.

In the Northwoods League, Mitchell Beacom will pitch for the Wisconsin Woodchucks, and Jordan Haver is playing for the La Crosse Loggers. Ryan Deeter and Matt Mosher have been playing for the Holyoke Blue Sox of the New England Collegiate League.

Tyler Heineman and Matt Giovinazzo are competing with the Springfield Sliders (Missouri) of the Prospect League, while Aaron Weimer is playing for the Oneonta Outlaws of the New York Collegiate League.

Brandon Lodge will pitch for the Anchorage Bucs of the Alaska Baseball League.

Check out the latest batch of weekly answers...

From UCLA:

DURHAM, N.C. - UCLA center fielder Beau Amaral has been named a second-team Freshman All-America selection by Baseball America, the national publication announced on Wednesday. Amaral led the Bruins with a .354 batting average in 64 games, starting 57 contests in center field.

Amaral, a 5-foot-10 center fielder from Huntington Beach, Calif., was one of six outfielders to earn freshmen All-America acclaim from Baseball America (three first-team honorees and three second-team selections). He finished his rookie campaign with four home runs, 12 doubles, 31 RBI, 45 runs and a team-leading 79 hits. He compiled a .442 on-base percentage, drawing 20 walks and 16 hit-by-pitches.

Check out the latest batch of weekly answers...

Check out the first batch of weekly answers...

Just had a good conversation with new UCLA offensive line commit Ben Wysocki, who picked UCLA last night over Stanford and Oregon State.

Wysocki's stock has been rising since his impressive performances at two UCLA camps in June, and he becomes the Bruins' fifth verbal commitment, joining TE Junior Pomee, OL Torian White and Marc Mustoe and WR Brandin Cooks.

DURHAM, N.C. - UCLA rising junior baseball players Gerrit Cole and Steve Rodriguez have been invited to try out for the 2010 USA Collegiate National Team, as trials are slated for July 6-11 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex (NTC) in Cary, N.C.

Cole and Rodriguez are among 39 invitees, of which 36 will compete for a spot on the final 22-man roster, while three players will be named as alternates.

Last summer, Cole went 4-0 with a 1.06 ERA in six games (five starts) for the Collegiate National Team, leading Team USA in strikeouts (46) and innings pitched (34.0). This marks the first summer in which Rodriguez, Cole's primary batterymate at UCLA, has been invited to the Collegiate National Team Trials.

Hey guys,

Fire away with questions for this week's Q&A. Please don't post new questions on the answers section, because I don't always check the comments. Save them for next week.

I have a ton of questions to pore over, so this will be a pretty loaded Weekly Answers...

Thanks
Jon

From UCLA:

UCLA junior guard Jerime Anderson had surgery yesterday to repair a nasal fracture that he sustained in a pick-up game on Wednesday, June 23 and is resting comfortably.

Incoming freshman guard Tyler Lamb had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee to remove a loose body and is expected to be out of commission for 3-4 weeks.

Hey guys,

I'm driving right now, so this probably isn't safe, but duty calls: Just confirmed with Brandon Huffman that Junior Pomee has verbally comitted to UCLA. I left a message with Pomee and I will chat with him sometime soon.

Alright, back to driving. San Francisco ETA: 430.