Official Matt Carlino release
From UCLA:
LOS ANGELES - UCLA men's basketball head coach Ben Howland announced today that 6-foot-1-inch freshman guard Matt Carlino will not be returning next quarter. Carlino, from Scottsdale, Ariz., and Blooming South High School (Ind.), will transfer to play his final years at another school.
Carlino will leave UCLA immediately and hasn't made a decision as to where he will transfer.
"Matt is a good kid and I have enjoyed having him in our program," Howland said. "I wish him nothing but the best as he searches for a program where he will have a chance to play more minutes than we envision he will have here."
Carlino didn't play in a regulation collegiate game. He took a hard fall in practice after the first exhibition game and had a concussion, which sidelined him for the last exhibition game and the first three games of the season. He was medically cleared to play in the Bruins' last four games, but did not due to coaches decision.
He played nine minutes in the blowout exhibition win over Westmont (Nov. 4), registering four points, two assists, one rebound and one steal.
"It is with great humility that I declare my intentions to transfer from UCLA," Carlino said in a statement. "I want to thank the University, Coach Howland and his staff for affording me the opportunity of a lifetime. However, I believe a new destination would be much healthier for me both personally and athletically. I sincerely apologize to all those, especially those closest to me, who may find my decision disappointing, and I want to wish all of my coaches and teammates at UCLA best of luck going forward.
"I hope to be enrolled in a new educational institution by next semester, though I've not yet determined my schools of interest. I will have no further comments on this matter."
Way to battle, Matt.
Hmmm feels like last season. Deja vu
While it seems strange to leave so fast. It also seemed strange that Ben Howland convinced the kid to leave High School a year early (should be a senior this year) and then he ends up being the 10th man on a 10 man team.
I think the guy is also smart enough to see that Howland then went all out to try to bring in a one and done for PG next year.
Yes maybe the master plan was for him to develop and be the guy in 3 or 4 years. However, I doubt that is what Howland was selling him when he convinced him to leave school a year early.
So lets not be so fast to condemn the kid. It is easy to see why he might feel like he wasn't getting what he thought he was getting at UCLA.
Wow. BB is a great sport for developing the intellects of young men. A kid leaves HS before graduating, enrols at a university (how? without a HS diploma?), decides to leave after barely working up a sweat, the coach brings in a 'one-and-done', everything is just 'for the moment' in BB. Thugs rule the NBA. What kind of a sport is this? At least the NFL requires college kids to last until their junior year....doesn't it?
Losing too many players. Something is wrong. We could use Chase Stanback right about now and his 14.6 point per game.
I agree with Cliff.
It's getting hard to watch the results on the floor along with players transferring.
"I probably should've played him in that Montana game and we wouldn't have this discussion."
Really? That's kind of embarrassing. Can Howland not find a way to either (1) win more games, especially against teams like Montana?; or (2) provide enough playing time to give the players he's recruited enough hope for current or future playing time?
Something's broken. I've been a Bruin fan a long time, and I'm having a difficult time right now.
Inspite of Ben's unendearing ways, I have always been a HUGE fan and supporter of his, but this is NOT a good sign. Has any other coach in the history of UCLA had this many transfers in this time frame?
How was Ben able to control Jordan Farmar, arguably the BIGGEST Prima Donna, but not these schmucks?
This wreaks of a deeper problem. Deep communication issues. He couldn't have sat him down, gone over his current and future role with the team and convinced him to stay? You're going to tell me you can't keep a player on the team, with only 10 freaken available players and Guard depth issues? Why is Ben Howland so good at convincing players to come to UCLA, but not stay? You're stupid if you truly believe this is about playing time.
Did his L.A. Times comment really say,"maybe i should have played him more"? You mean maybe you should have just played him. Instead Ben chose to play Anderson, the human turnover no defense machine. My sister can take him off the dribble, what is going on with people wanting to get away??? Shoudn't it be the other way around?
Is Southwest Airlines our new sponsor?
Maybe Howland didn't play him because he discovered the guy isn't good enough for this level. Maybe Howland is secretly jumping for joy that he now has one sure scholarship to offer not a tentative one in case someone goes pro. Maybe he already has a guy he wants to offer. He has a great shooting guard coming in next year so Carlino isn't that important but it will be important to bring in a freshman point guard since Jones will be leaving at the end of the 2011-12 season. And if Carlino was brought in as a point guard, apparently his wasn't as good as Jeremie Anderson and that is telling. Oh, and of the six guys who have transferred, Wright, Stanback, Gordon, Morgan, Moser, and Carlino, only one of them plays at the level UCLA would like to play, the others don't or were cancers to team chemistry. It makes me wonder about Howland's recruiting but I still think he's happy to have the scholarship.
I'm with Ted! This gives UCLA an extra scholie and excises the young cancer before he metastasized!