Sat down with Rick Neuheisel for a long interview the other day, and here are some of his quotes…
ON Josh Shirley, Paul Richardson and Shaq Richardson:“The three freshmen thing…while disappointing from a standpoint of the incident and the lesson learned, was a good thing for our program. Only from a standpoint of setting in place an expectation of behavior, not only for our team, but for everybody looking from outside in as to what kind of guy goes to UCLA. We’re not mistake-free, kids are still going to make mistakes and we’re going to correct them, but there is going to be a spotlight on character. We’re going to ask guys to make good decisions and understand that’s part of the responsibility of team membership.”
ON good character leading to better play on the field:“Certainly you have to have the requisite amount of skill to be competitive. But assuming you have the requisite amount of skill, good character definitely will help you, especially when adversity strikes. And it inevitably will; we’ve tasted a little adversity over the summer, with respect to academic ineligibility, injury and some of the things that have happened to guys we’d have thought to be really key performers as we’ve entered the season. Yeah, that’s been a tough pill to swallow, but again we go back to character. The guys understand this is just part of it and you don’t feel sorry for yourself, you pick up and you go. We’re a ship that’s got to get to shore, and we don’t get to sit and think about what other ships have. This is our ship, let’s make it work.”
ON competing for championships:“I think we are physically at a point where – and I said this prior to these injuries, but if we’re fortunate with injuries from here on out – that we can start to compete for a championship again. I think you always start the season believing that’s the case, but I really believe we’re close to that level of work combined with talent. That gives you the seeds to grow a championship team. That’s where we are, and as we get better and deeper, expectations will continue to rise.”
On comparing the talent level now to in Karl Dorrell’s last season:“It’s not necessary for me to do that. It’s for some other people to do that. My job is to go and get the very best and brightest to come to UCLA, and if I showcase this university as it can be showcased – with effort and with the ability to take them on the tour myself – if I do that, I know it’s a tough thing to turn down. The proof is in the pudding. We’ve done a nice job with the guys we’ve gotten to campus, in terms of our percentages. Our batting average is always going to be high, because this is as beautiful a campus as there is in the country and an unbelievable environment for which to go to school. It’s got great historical roots and it’s still a romantic place to call home.”