Check out the first batch of weekly answers…
1) Is everyone else as excited abut Stover as I am? This guy’s an animal. – The Blur
I think what he is, after last season, is a breath of fresh air. He plays with so much energy, and that was severely lacking from last season’s big men, that UCLA fans were starving for it. Especially because of the defensive tenacity that the mid-2000s group had, the lack of a high-energy guy was so evident on last year’s team. He has a long way to go offensively to become even close to a finished product, but his role is defined and he performs it pretty well.
2) Is it weird that Todd Howard was hired by Washington State 5 mins after he was dismissed by Neuheisel (in February) while Chuck Bullough (relieved since December) had his resume posted on car windshields outside of Senior Bowl (different agents)? What prompted CRN to suddenly terminate CTH? Does CRN already have a DC in negotiation who wants a different DL coach or was he displeased with CTH in some particular recent development such as recruiting? – Anonymous
Neuheisel said he had discussed the possibility with Howard as far back as December, and with the instantaneous turn-around to Washington State, there is little doubt that there was some kind of arrangement to delay the announcement. Regarding Howard’s dismissal, Neuheisel essentially said he wanted a fresh start, then implied that he wanted his new defensive coordinator to have a say in the matter.
3) Has Coach Howland run over and kissed you yet? Looks like we are on the verge of getting to 22/23 wins, which he apparently thought was impossible in December. – Jeff
No, and I’m shuddering. If he winks at me, I might just run out of the press conference.
4) Is ucla recruiting former Depaul commit Braeden Anderson? – Chris Knight
Yeah, there is some interest, and he said he was getting a visit from UCLA this week to a Canadian basketball website, but I would be very surprised if UCLA got another big in the process.
5) Do you think the basketball team’s success makes it more likely that players like Honeycutt and Lee will leave for the NBA early? Or are their decisions completely independent of the performance of the team? – Semi-Pro
I believe Honeycutt’s decision is completely independent of the team, because he would be drafted so much on potential, but given Lee’s role on the team as lockdown defender and now leading scorer, the better the team, the better the showcase, the higher Lee’s stock rises. With his skill set – decent shooter, great defender, very advanced penetration and finishing movies – a tournament run could get him some major attention.