May 2011 Archives

Trevor Bauer was awarded Pac-10 pitcher of the year on Tuesday, and in other news, the earth is round.

Bauer won six conference pitcher of the week awards, after all, went 12-2, struck out a nation-high 189 batters and posted a conference-leading 1.27 ERA. The three-time all-conference pick becomes the first Bruin to win conference pitcher of the year honors since 1992.

Joined by Bauer on the all-conference team are second-team selections, pitcher Adam Plutko and outfielder Beau Amaral, and honorable mention picks in pitchers Gerrit Cole, Nick Vander Tuig and Mitchell Beacom, catcher Steve Rodriguez and outfielder Cody Keefer.

Here's the full release from UCLA: Check it out

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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.

Thanks
Jon

The UCLA baseball team, which won its first outright Pac-10 title since 1986 and was picked of one of 16 host sites for the upcoming NCAA Regionals, will also play host to No. 2 Fresno State, No. 3 UC Irvine and No. 4 University of San Francisco in the upcoming baseball regionals, which begin Friday at Jackie Robinson Stadium.

The Bruins open with the Dons with Gerrit Cole on the mound, and they have to be feeling pretty good: They swept three games from USF to open the season by a combined score of 8-1, and they also went 1-1 against the Anteaters.

If UCLA survives the regionals, the road gets much steeper, almost at an incline, as a potential matchup with overall No. 1 seed Virginia, which boasts one of the top pitchers in the country in Danny Hultzen.

The Bruins, of course, counter with Cole and Trevor Bauer, who helped lead the team to an 11-6 record down the stretch as they propelled back into, and then ultimately prevailed in, the Pac-10 race.

FROM UCLA:

TEMPE, Ariz. - The No. 23 UCLA baseball team captured the Pac-10 Championship on Sunday, maintaining its one-game lead in the conference standings despite losing, 10-5, at No. 8 Arizona State in the regular-season finale before 2,889 fans at Packard Stadium.

UCLA (33-22, 18-9) earned its first outright Pac-10 Conference title since 1986. Earlier on Sunday, the Bruins were awarded one of 16 NCAA Regional host sites for the second consecutive season.

Oregon's 6-0 victory at home against Oregon State allowed UCLA to remain one game ahead of Oregon State in the Pac-10 standings on the final day of college baseball's regular season.

In Sunday's ballgame, the host Sun Devils (39-16, 17-10) scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth to secure a 6-3 lead and never trailed the rest of the way.

UCLA right-hander Adam Plutko (6-4) was tagged with the loss, allowing six runs and 11 hits in 4.2 innings. Plutko struck out three batters and issued three walks.

Arizona State left-hander Mitchell Lambson (5-3) earned the victory, limiting the Bruins to three runs and six hits in five innings. Lambson had six strikeouts and one walk in his first start of the season (27th overall appearance).

Matt Newman led Arizona State at the plate, going 4-for-5 with one home run, two doubles, three RBI and two runs. Xorge Carrillo went 3-for-5 with one run and one RBI, and four other Sun Devils each recorded at least two hits.

UCLA's Chris Giovinazzo went 2-for-3 with one triple, one double, one RBI and two runs.

The Bruins scored one run in the top of the first, before Arizona State took a 2-1 lead in the third inning.

UCLA plated two runs in the top of the fifth to secure a 3-2 advantage With Jeff Gelalich at third base, Giovinazzo doubled down the right-field line and moved to third on a fielding error by Newman. A single up the middle on a two-out, two-strike count by Beau Amaral scored Giovinazzo.

The Sun Devils recaptured the lead, scoring four runs in the bottom of the fifth to lead, 6-3. Deven Marrero led off with a double to right field, moved to third base by tagging up on a fly out to center field and scored on Joey DeMichele's single through the left side. With two outs, Newman belted a two-run home run to right field. Later in the frame, Johnny Ruettiger drew a bases-loaded walk to send home Carrillo.

Arizona State added one run with two outs on a run-scoring double by Newman in the sixth inning and scored one pair of runs in the seventh to assume a 9-3 cushion.

With the bases loaded in the top of the eighth, Trevor Brown grounded a two-run single through the left side of the infield, sending home Cody Keefer and Pat Valaika.

The Sun Devils added one run off two hits in the bottom of the eighth inning.

UCLA returns to action at the NCAA Los Angeles Regional beginning Friday, June 3. The NCAA Tournament's 16 Regional host sites were announced earlier on Sunday. The entire 64-team tournament field will be announced Monday at 9:30 a.m. on ESPN.

Game Notes: In the final game of the regular season, UCLA surrendered a season-high in runs (10) and hits (18) ... since the conference became the "Pac-10" in baseball in 1979, UCLA has earned four conference championships (shared the Pac-10 title in 2000, won the title outright in 2011, 1986 and 1979) ... the Bruins earned the first series victory (weekend series) at Arizona State since Oregon State won two of three at Packard Stadium in April 2008 ... UCLA finished its regular season with a 9-4-1 record in weekend series (including a 7-2 mark in Pac-10 action).

Trevor Bauer is an enigma, hard to figure out but forthcoming with his opinions.

A sportswriter's dream.

I enjoyed writing this story on Bauer because he is not only a fascinating character study, but a ruthless competitor, never satisfied with his play and always hungry for the next bit of intel. He is a truly mad scientist, as his study habits and attention to detail bely a voracious appetite for victory.

He moved to 12-2 with a 7-0 win over Arizona State on Saturday, a 14-strikeout, five-hit masterpiece that gave UCLA at least a share of the Pac-10 championship. It was Bauer's eighth straight complete game and third shutout of the season, and he now has a nation-leading 189 strikeouts and a 1.27 ERA.

Hope you enjoy the story: Check it out

The UCLA baseball team was just announced as one of 16 hosts for the upcoming NCAA Division I Baseball Championship regionals. The Bruins also hosted a regional, and subsequent super-regional, on their way to a College World Series runner-up finish.

The Bruins are surging at the right time, having won six-of-eight after dropping three straight, including consecutive wins over Arizona State. Coupled with four straight Oregon State losses, that has propelled UCLA to the top of the Pac-10 with at least a share of the conference title, the team's first since 2000.

The fact that the Bruins, who have the lowest win-loss record among the 16 regional hosts, were selected to host along with the Sun Devils and Beavers and nearby rival Cal State Fullerton, speaks to the strength of the conference. It doesn't hurt that the Bruins have perhaps the toughest 1-2 punch in the nation in Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer.

In a season of ups and downs, the UCLA baseball team is going up, up, up at just the right time.

Behind Gerrit Cole on Friday night and Trevor Bauer on Saturday, the Bruins have won two straight at Arizona State, guaranteeing at least a share of the Pac-10 title, the team's first since 2000.

Tonight, Bauer - who I feature in tomorrow's Daily News in an 95-inch feature (Yay for newsprint! Yay for space!) - was masterful once more, moving to 12-2 with his eighth straight complete game, a 14-strikeout, five-hit, one-walk demolition of the Sun Devils. It was Bauer's third shutout of the year in his 14th career complete game, as the Bruins became the first team since April 2008 to take a series in Tempe from ASU, which had won four straight conference titles.

Fabulous freshman Adam Plutko takes the mound tomorrow with a chance to win the conference title outright, though the Bruins can do no worse than a tie for first. Plutko is 6-3 with a 1.70 ERA and 83 strikeouts in 95 1/3 innings.

From UCLA:

The Pac-10 has launched Make Your Pick, an online logo poll that is literally giving college football fans a chance to leave their mark on the 2011 Pac-12 Football Championship Game, it was announced today.

With polling beginning Friday, May 27 at www.pac-10.org/logocontest.aspx, fans will choose between four logos to determine which mark the Conference uses for its inaugural Football Championship Game December 2 on Fox. The four-day contest ends Monday, May 30 at 5:00 p.m. PT and the logo with the most votes will become the official mark for the game and will be seen on the field, on television and on championship game merchandise. The winning logo will be revealed Tuesday, May 31.

"With our championship game being played on one of our campuses, we already know the fans are going to have a huge impact on the game come December," Pac-10 Chief Marketing Officer Danette Leighton said. "We are very thankful to the fans and alumni that make up the Pac-12 and we thought this would be a fun way to get them involved early and help influence the first-ever Pac-12 Football Championship game."

With the addition of the University of Colorado and the University of Utah, the Pac-10 officially becomes the Pac-12 on July 1, 2011 and will host its inaugural football championship game December 2 on the home field of the top team in the conference standings. Fox will televise the game. The 2011 season kicks off Thursday, September 1.

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The news today that USC has lost its appeal for myriad sanctions handed down last year has instant ramifications for UCLA.

The Trojans recruited at a blistering pace last season, and even early in this recruiting period, with eight verbal commitments so far. USC will likely go into next season with around 65-68 on the roster, and with the 75-scholarship max, the Trojans class could be that small, only around 7-11 kids.

That means the Bruins must pounce, and pounce quickly, on local talent. Scouring the country for players who want to come west is all well and good, but there is a stockpile of talent in California, and UCLA can't afford to let Stanford, Cal and Oregon fill the gap. If the Bruins even get two top-level players per year over the next three years because of sanctions, that's a huge shift.

It's not as if the see-saw has completely flipped, though. USC still has good talent for the next two years, even if that talent is thinning. As repeated ad nauseum, UCLA has to win - and win now - for a real shift to take place.

From UCLA:

Today, the NCAA released Academic Progress Rates (APR) for all sports teams at Division I colleges and universities. The latest averages cover the four-year period from 2006-07 through 2009-10.

Each of UCLA'S 24 sports had four-year APR averages above the 925 score the NCAA uses as a threshold for penalties. In fact, 18 of UCLA's 24 sports (75%) had four-year averages of 970 or higher. Twenty-two sports had scores of at least 950 with a 23rd at 948.

"Our student-athletes work extremely hard to be just as successful in the classroom as they are on the field of competition," said UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero. "The data released by the NCAA is a tribute to the determination of those student-athletes. The data also speaks volumes about all of our outstanding academic support personnel and our coaches, who continuously stress the importance of taking advantage of the educational opportunities at UCLA."

An APR score of 925 is the minimum level of academic success; teams scoring below 925 can lose scholarships and face other sanctions over time, including bans on postseason play.

Since the inception of the APR system, UCLA has never suffered a loss of scholarship in any sport due to a low APR average.

Here are UCLA's four-year APR averages by sport:
Baseball - 979 (national average 959)
Football - 956 (national average 946)
Men's Basketball - 948 (national average 945)
Men's Cross Country - 989
Men's Golf - 930
Men's Soccer - 972
Men's Tennis - 985
Men's Track, Indoor - 968
Men's Track, Outdoor - 956
Men's Volleyball - 972
Men's Water Polo - 970
Softball - 993
Women's Basketball - 973
Women's Cross Country - 977
Women's Golf - 1000 (Top 10 percent nationally in sport)
Women's Gymnastics - 973
Women's Rowing - 979
Women's Soccer - 957
Women's Swimming - 984
Women's Tennis - 979
Women's Track, Indoor - 982
Women's Track, Outdoor - 976
Women's Volleyball - 976
Women's Water Polo - 987

Check out the latest batch of weekly answers...

Check out the latest batch of weekly answers...

Check out the first batch of weekly answers...

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.

Thanks
Jon

From UCLA:

San Diego, CA - The No. 2/ No. 4 (Golfstat/Golfweek) ranked UCLA men's golf team came back from four strokes down entering the day to win the NCAA West Regional by three shots over rivals USC. In addition, freshman Patrick Cantlay earned individual medalist honors by shooting 13 under par for the tournament.

The victory is Coach Derek Freeman's 12th win as UCLA head coach and the 4th tournament win for the Bruins this year. This also marks the second time in Freeman's tenure that the Bruins have won the NCAA Regional title, with the team winning the NCAA Central Regional back in 2009. In addition, the Bruins have now qualified for the NCAA Championship nine years in a row, a school record.

The Bruins shot a final round 282 (-6), giving them a total score of 854 (-10). As mentioned before, they finished three strokes ahead second place USC, who posted a final round 289 (+1) to finish at 857 (-7). The two teams will move on to the NCAA Championship in Stillwater, OK along with San Diego, Ohio State and Texas.

"We are very excited about winning the NCAA Regional Championship," Head Coach Derek Freeman said. "Patrick played very well and carried us to the victory. This will give us some positive momentum as we prepare for the national championship."

Individually, freshman Patrick Cantlay fired a final round 67 (-5) to secure medalist honors at the Regional with a score of 203 (-13). The win was Patrick's 4th of the year, expanding the single-season freshman record that he set earlier this year. He also now has an astounding 18 rounds under par, eight top 10 finishes and is currently shooting 26 under par through 34 rounds of golf. Finally, with the win, Cantlay became just the third UCLA golfer to win an NCAA Regional individual title, joining Travis Johnson in 2004 and Kevin Chappell in 2006.

"I'm really happy with the way myself and the team played this week," said Cantlay. "The golf course was in great shape and I'm looking forward to the NCAA Finals in Oklahoma."

As for the rest of the Bruins, junior Alex Shi Yup Kim tied for 13th place at 217 (+1) after recording three birdies on his round to give him a final round score of 70 (-2). Sophomore Pedro Figueiredo shot a final round 72 (E) to finish in a tie for 17th at 218 (+2). Finally, sophomore Pontus Widegren and junior Gregor Main tied for 28th place at 220 (+4) after they posted final round scores of 74 (+2) and 73 (+1) respectively.

The Bruins will be back out on the course for the final time this year from Tuesday, May 31st to Sunday, June 5th at the NCAA Championship in Stillwater, OK at Karsten Creek Golf Course. UCLA played this course earlier in the year at the Fall Preview back in September, finishing in 2nd place. The format of the NCAA Championship will be 54 holes of stroke play played from Tuesday to Thursday, after which the field will be cut down to the top eight finishers. Those top eight teams will then play three rounds of single elimination match play against each other.

From UCLA:

College Station, TX - The No. 2 ranked UCLA women's golf team battled through tough weather conditions all week and brought home UCLA's third NCAA title in women's golf. UCLA has now won a national-best 107 NCAA titles.

The title is Head Coach Carrie Forsyth's second National Championship as UCLA head coach as she also won back in 2004. This is also her 40th tournament victory as the Bruins' head coach.

"This was huge for us," Forsyth said. "I'm just really proud. We had some struggles on the front nine and we just kept telling ourselves that our rounds were kind of the same. We just made more birdies in the other rounds and we weren't making any birdies. Then things started to go when Stephanie got it back to one-over. Then Lee got one and we just started making some birdies and it just sort of turned the tide a little bit. But it was still really close."

The Bruins won by four strokes after posting a final round score of 295 (+7), giving them a total of 1,173 (+21). They had to hold off a late charge by the Purdue Boilermakers, who posted a final round 292 (+4) to give them an overall score of 1,177 (+25). The Bruins were also helped out by a disqualification by a Purdue golfer after she signed an incorrect scorecard.

"It was very unfortunate what happened with (the Purdue golfer)," remarked Forsyth. "I know at the end of the day it didn't make the difference but you don't want that to happen."

LSU finished in third at 1,181 (+29) while Virginia finished in fourth at 1,186 (+34). Arkansas and USC tied for fifth with a score of 1,190 (+38).

When asked about how this compared to her first NCAA title back in 2004, Coach Forsyth said, "The first time is amazing, but after the first time you wonder if you can ever do it again. It's different, but it's just as awesome as the first time."

UCLA got a stellar effort from all five players today as each member of the team came up with big plays down the stretch. Purdue had taken over the lead from the Bruins after the 11th hole and things started to get tense before the Bruins took over on the back nine.

"The back nine for me was a little bit of a blur," sophomore Tiffany Lua said. "But I can say this for everyone, all we try to do is play one shot at a time and try to hit fairways and greens. We just fought for every shot out there."

From UCLA:

UCLA senior center Kai Maiava has been named to the 2011 Rimington Trophy Spring Watch List. The Rimington Trophy is presented annually to the nation's top center.

The list includes 14 returning players from the 2010 Watch List, including Maiava. In all, there are 42 players on the Watch List.

Maiava missed the entire 2010 season due to a fractured left ankle suffered during the Fall Scrimmage. He started all 12 regular-season games in 2009 after sitting out the 2008 season following his transfer from Colorado.

Psalm Wooching , a running back/linebacker from Hawaii's Kealakehe High, just confirmed numerous reports that he has committed to UCLA.

I fly back from New York tomorrow and have an interview set up with him for tomorrow night, barring any unforeseen complications, and I'm really looking forward to the talk. We emailed back and forth briefly, and he seems like a great kid. Last thing he said was, "Happy to become a Bruin," and that was just him saying goodbye.

I've long talked about UCLA getting this type of player, and it's the second one in two days, as Scout.com's Brandon Huffman reported yesterday that the Bruins picked up another commitment from Honolulu Punahou High running back Steven Lakalaka. Inoke Breckterfield is doing well so far with his new recruiting commitment, something Huffman foresaw in our recent chat.

Take a look at his film, and watch how Wooching reads blockers. Pretty good. He'll have to put on some weight to play at the next level, but he seems to have some real football instincts.

JG: Who else is a guy that UCLA needs to zero in on and not let go?
BH: "I would say a guy like Travis Averill from Servite. Guy comes from one of the best-coached programs in the state, can play tackle and play guard. UCLA can't afford to lose him. They cant lose a Travis Averill to a Boise State. He may be a three-star now, but did you watch the draft? Guys drafted in the first round who were two- or three-stars were all offensive linemen. Some guys develop differently. A Jordan Simmons would be great, but more realistically, Erik Magnusson is a guy they should really focus on. Kwayde Miller doesn't have an offer yet, but he likes UCLA, and Lacy Westbrook, that's a guy they need. A Westbrook, an Averill, a Magnusson, even a Max Tuerk. Those are guys UCLA needs to put the press on."

JG: What about tight end? Wide receiver?
BH: "They've got to get a tight end. I don't know John Young is going to be a pass-catching tight end. He's going to be more in the Cory Harkey mold, Ryan Moya, Marceded Lewis, even though Marcedes could catch. Raymond Nelson has a chance to be a good tight for them. But between then who? Jalen Cope-Fitzpatrick is one of those key recruits. Can block, can run, is a top kid nationally. He could end up growing out of tight end and be a tackle, but he'd be an athletic offensive lineman at that. He becomes huge for them. Christo Kourtzidis has offers from Florida, Florida State, Alabama. Taylor McNamara. Ian Taubler is a guy like Raymond Nelson. But Cope-Fitzpatrick is certainly one of their key offensive targets."

I'm gone until the 19th in New York for guess what....a wedding (my cousin, Alison's, and oh by the way, congrats!)...and a vacation. If anything major breaks, I'll be in touch with my editors.

Thanks for understanding,
Jon

JG: So getting down to brass tacks, we talked about guys UCLA has gotten in late on, a guy like a Richard Mullaney, or a Blair Holliday. Who CAN'T they miss on this year? Who's a backyard guy that they just need to get?
BH: First of all, you're darn right about Mullaney, and there's Dylan Wynn.
I'll say on record right now: Butch Pau, 5-11 linebacker at Servite, pound-for-pound there's not a better linebacker in the west. Not a better one. And he'll get overlooked because of his size and then go out and become a stud like they all do. Gosh, look at Oregon State. Mullaney and Wynn. That's the kind of guy Mike Riley wins with."

JG: Looking back after spring ball, with a few players gone from the program and a few players in, what is the one major position of need for this class?
BH: They need offensive linemen. There has never been a better class than this year's. You look at losing Nik Abele, Jeff Baca going down, just how fragile the offensive line has been with freak injuries. Losing Su'a-Filo? That's one thing that is definitely encouraging - their biggest recruit is a guy who already started 13 games for them. They need Sua back, and that solves a lot of problems. Franchise left tackle. Granted, he may be coming back in different shape. But making sure he comes back will alleviate a lot of that. You look at that 2012 line, slide Sua in at left tackle, Baca in at right, Chris Ward, whoever takes center and your line is pretty well set. But that position more than anything."

Al Scates is the King Midas of college volleyball, his golden touch bringing great fortune to the UCLA's men's program.

And now it's been announced that he'll be leaving after his golden anniversary.

The UCLA athletic department today announced that the venerable coach will be retiring after 50 years at UCLA following the 2012 season, after an unsurpassed 21 national championships.

"Al Scates stands alone in his contributions to the sport of men's volleyball," UCLA athletic directory Dan Guerrero said in a statement. "His dedication, passion, and stewardship of the game ushered UCLA into an era of widespread achievement in Olympic sports and broadened athletic opportunities for collegiate men across the country. While bittersweet, Coach Scates' final year at the helm of Bruin volleyball will be a well-deserved season-long celebration for an individual whose lifetime achievements are truly remarkable. Al is among the greatest coaches in the history of college sports and a legend in the annals of UCLA Athletics. He is a Bruin in every sense of the word and we are so thankful for his 50 years of service to the university."

Scates led the Bruins to 19 NCAA championships and 24 conference titles, and in 49 seasons, he has coached 52 first-team All-Americans and 27 Olympians.

Scates was selected national coach of the year six times and has been inducted into four halls of fame, including the America Volleyball Coaches Association and the Volleyball Hall of Fame.

"It is a privilege to coach the fine men that have participated and continue to compete for UCLA volleyball," Scates said in a release. "I have enjoyed being a continuous member of UCLA volleyball since I walked onto the team as a junior in 1959. Our coach at the time, Dr. Glen Egstrom, taught me how to play the game and after I earned my Master's degree in 1962, Glen encouraged me to apply for the head coaching job when he left campus. I was hired by Athletic Director Wilbur Johns to coach the 1962-63 UCLA team and I've enjoyed every minute of it."

From UCLA:

The Pac-12 Conference and television partner ESPN/ABC announced their early selections for the 2011 season this afternoon.

Two UCLA football games will be televised on a national basis with the possibility that others will be selected by ESPN/ABC during the season.

ABC and ESPN will televise UCLA's Sept. 17 game against Texas at the Rose Bowl. The portions of the country that do not receive the ABC telecast will see the game on ESPN. Kickoff is set for 12:30 pm.

ESPN will televise the Bruins' game at Arizona on Thursday, Oct. 20. Kickoff is set for 6:00 pm PT/MT.

ABC/ESPN still has windows on Nov. 5 (Arizona State), Nov. 12 (at Utah), Nov. 19 (Colorado) and Nov. 26 (USC) that will be filled 12 days prior to the date of the game.

In early June, the Pac-12 will announce additional telecasts and broadcast windows from Fox Sports Net and its licensees FX and Versus. Following that, UCLA will work on its local TV package, although some arrangements will not be final until the two Pac-12 TV partners make their 12-day selections.

JG: Is that lack of dynamism what you think led Rick Neuheisel to make so many changes?
BH: "I think so. That was definitely an effort that Neuheisel realized. He has to get other recruiters. The only aggressive recruiter in 2010 was Clark Lea. Daronte Jones was good, but was limited because he was a GA. Now you bring in in Johnson, Breckterfield, and then you bring Angus McClure out of the office and bring him back into the recruiting circle. He has been the guy who identified a lot of the guys in the fall as juniors. Now you're able to utilize him on the road. In essence, three aggresseive recruiters to come on staff."

JG: You mentioned McClure getting on guys early as juniors, but the common knock on UCLA is that they're too often late to the party...
BH: "I think that's a misconception. You look at Josh Garnett, a 5-star guard, No. 1 guard in the country. UCLA offered him before he played a down of high school football. He was at camp between 8th and 9th grade. Three years later he has offers from the majority of the conference and country. See, UCLA, Stanford and other Pac-12 schools are different. Stanford can offer a lot of guys early, but if guys don't cut it academically, they can go with that. ASU, Colorado, Utah, they have that chance, because they don't have a huge crop in the state to recruit from. A lot of those kids aren't going to jump on those offers, they're going to see if anyone out-of-state offers. UCLA has to be a little bit more deliberate in their offering."

JG: True, but UCLA has seemed to focus too much nationally, or at least "pipe-dream" nationally, going for major recruits only to finish second or third, while being late on some key SoCal guys. It's like UCLA is the geek asking the prom queen to junior prom way back in freshman year, and then being confused why she ends up going with the good-looking quarterback. How many times can they finish second or third on a major prospect?
BH: "That's very valid. That's really true on the national scale. Neuheisel is trying to be more aggressive nationally, but the danger is you forget guys in your backyard. It's not so much the geek and prom queen when you can sell yourself to players around the country, get in on a lot of kids. But that's the problem. You get a couple kids like AO and Kevin McReynolds, but that's the problem: the batting percentage is not very high. If you land one guy, that's great and all, but now you've forgotten about guys in your backyard."

From UCLA:

A MESSAGE FROM UCLA ATHLETIC DIRECTOR DAN GUERRERO

Members of the Bruin Family:

I would like to take this opportunity to inform you that we will continue to have sideline floor seating for students when Pauley Pavilion reopens for the 2012-13 season. Students will occupy the floor level seats along the south sideline and floor level seats behind the west basket, which was originally announced in the summer of 2009, in addition to upper level seats behind the west basket. This configuration can be viewed at campaignofchampions.com. The Pauley Pavilion Virtual Venue site will be updated by June 1.

Over the past few months, Athletic Department staff had worked with student leadership groups regarding the design of a cohesive student section behind the basket adjacent to the visiting team bench. After receiving the support of various student leadership and student focus groups, we announced the shift in the student section on March 30.

Two weeks ago, the Undergraduate Student Association Council (USAC), one of the leadership groups with which we consulted, decided to solicit additional student feedback by adding an advisory question regarding student seating to the Undergraduate Student Elections ballot. We respected and supported that decision. The results of the election showed that a majority of the students would rather retain the sideline floor level seats than have the unified section behind the visiting team basket.

On April 29, I stated that we would discuss the election results with numerous leaders on USAC, along with leaders of the other groups that are involved with student spirit and we did so before announcing this decision. This is a great group of young people who are completely committed to creating the most energetic and exciting atmosphere for our teams. We are committed to working with these student leaders to do everything we can to increase student attendance and make the experience of "being there" a memorable one. That includes the creation of the Student Enhancement Committee, consisting of student leaders, including newly elected undergraduate President Emily Resnick, who is very enthusiastic about working with the spirit group leaders.

This process reconfirms the tremendous passion that exists on campus surrounding our intercollegiate athletic events. As I have said before, the importance of creating a home-court advantage cannot be understated. An energetic and supportive student section is essential to the success of any team and it is my hope that all of the students who have been involved in this process will support our student-athletes and continue the great tradition of Pauley Pavilion.

Earlier this morning, Scout.com's Brandon Huffman reported that Citrus College offensive guard Albert Cid committed to UCLA recently, spurning offers from Arizona and Utah.

I just spoke with the ready-to-contribute guard, and he had some interesting things to say about his college decision, and what he hopes to bring to the UCLA offensive line.

JG: Albert, talk about your decision to pick UCLA and how it feels to be done with the recruiting process...
Albert Cid: "It was a really relieving decision I made. It was a dream school. It's a dream school of mine. It felt good making that decision."

JG: What finally made you pick UCLA?
AC: "I felt that the education, getting a UCLA degree, would be really good for me. Growing up I didn't care about education, but now I see how important it is. A degree from UCLA means a lot in life."

JG: I talk to kids all the time who've had that kind of epiphany; when did it happen for you?
AC: "It was in high school; my high school coach told me daily to do well in school. Entering my junior year, I said, 'I'm going to change my life.' I knew I wasn't going to get an academic scholarship, but if I got good grades, and did well with football, I thought I could get into a university."

JG: What made you look past the team's record last season?
AC: "I feel like I can impact the team right away. I can upgrade the offensive line. I carry myself with a lot of confidence on the football field. No matter where I would go, I feel O could play. I'm physical. I like to play nasty. And I think that's what the line needs at UCLA. A little nasty."

JG: Describe nasty...
AC: "I've always been a very physical person. When I used to play basketball, I used to foul out a lot. I would be in for two, three minutes, and I would already have three fouls. I've always been a physical person and I've always played that way."

JG: What about the football program made you pick UCLA?
AC: "I want UCLA to be a winning program again. I want to be a part of that. I really like head coach Rick Neuheisel. I trust him."

JG: So tell me about yourself as a football player?
"I'm 6-3, 325 pounds. I'll pull, pass block, block a defensive tackle, a defensive player, in any way, any way I have to. One thing I like doing is blocking to the whistle. A lot of people make the block and watch the game. No, you block until the whistle. I just like to dominate people. I like the feeling when you dominate somebody and they know you're going to keep coming for four quarters and not one play."

Jon Gold: Last year, as the team collapsed to 4-8, all the momentum and all the excitement from early in the recruiting period dried up by October. This year, there's almost no buzz. Is it even worth following UCLA recruiting now, given how much the in-season performance will mean for the overall class?
Brandon Huffman: Exactly. If you look at the spring going into what became Karl Dorrell's final season, he had nine commits one day in march. Coming off a win over USC, not that uncertainty of 4-8, some were pegging it as a Top-25 team, and then the wheels fall off. Now you look at this season, and it's kind of a make-or-break year for Neuheisel, and they still don't have any guys commit. And it might take a while, too. Probably the earliest would be June when they have their camps. It's kind of funny because if you look at the year coming off Neuheisel's first season, their first commit was Julious Moore, he didnt stick, and Tevin McDonald and Wesley Flowers, and that was middle of June. And that was selling a 4-8 season, too.

JG: But isn't it to be expected, given all the turmoil on the coaching staff and the lack of success...
"No, I don't think this is what should've been expected, especially when you think they went 7-6 in Year Two, but I understand it. Going 4-8 in Year One isn't tough. You're just building a program. You go 7-6 and you tell the class, see we just won the bowl game. Now they were 4-8, worse than they were even in Neuheisel's first season to me, and now what are you selling? You're selling a true freshman quarterback - albeit with a lot of potential - a lot of turnover with positional coaches, especially at key parts, especially defensive line coach/LA recruiter in Todd Howard. Recruiting has changed so much - you have to get on these guys as sophomores and juniors. You lose that if you fire a coach in January or February of a kid's junior year.

From UCLA:

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - UCLA freshman right-hander Adam Plutko has secured Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week acclaim for the first time in his career. Plutko threw a two-hit complete game shutout on Sunday afternoon in UCLA's 4-0 victory, helping the Bruins sweep a three-game Pac-10 series at Oregon.

Plutko faced three batters over the minimum in the Bruins' 4-0 win on Sunday, recording seven strikeouts and one walk. The resident of Upland, Calif., allowed just one baserunner through the final five innings. He has gone 4-3 with a 1.59 ERA in 12 games (11 starts) as a freshman this spring.

With three weeks remaining in the regular season, Plutko ranks second in the Pac-10 in ERA (behind teammate Trevor Bauer) and has posted the sixth-lowest opponent batting average (.194). He is tied for 10th in the conference with 68 strikeouts.

Plutko is the second UCLA pitcher this season to earn the conference's weekly accolade. Trevor Bauer, a junior from Valencia, Calif., has secured Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week acclaim five times.

Ranked No. 24 in the nation by Baseball America and No. 13 by Collegiate Baseball, UCLA plays five games this week. The Bruins play at Long Beach State on Tuesday (6:30 p.m.) and host UC Santa Barbara at Jackie Robinson Stadium on Wednesday (6 p.m.). UCLA hosts a three-game non-conference series against Cal State Bakersfield beginning Friday, May 13.

The problem with college football is that sometimes talented players get lost in the shuffle, and no matter how much promise they show or how much they may tantalize with size or speed, it just doesn't come to fruition.

In Morrell Presley's brief time at UCLA, all that was coupled with myriad off-the-field issues and lapses in judgment. Then pretty soon after Anthony Barr got on campus, it was clear that he would push for time in the lineup. Then after the two went relatively back-and-forth last year, Barr's productivity took a massive leap this spring and Presley somewhat disappeared.

The top-ranked tight end in the country out of high school appeared was back at that spot for much of spring ball, but still, Cory Harkey and Joseph Fauria were roadblocks for the rising junior.

So his decision to move on is understandable. New coach, but same system, same tweener body and same hole to dig out of when trying to prove maturity and good behavior. I expect him to go to a good school, and who knows, maybe he could develop into a major player. But I don't think it would've happened at UCLA.

Then there's Viney, who I thought should have played more all along and was stuck behind Rick Neuheisel's infatuation with bigger players. I think his decision to leave is more perplexing - despite the fact that he'll graduate from UCLA and still be able to transfer to a FBS school. If it were me, I'd probably stay and close out my career. But I understand the desire to play, and all the power to him.

From UCLA:

UCLA head football coach Rick Neuheisel announced today that senior cornerback Courtney Viney and junior tight end Morrell Presley have been granted their release from the program and will transfer.

Viney will graduate in June and be eligible to compete at another FBS school without having to sit out a season.

"I know that both Courtney and Morrell want to go where they can be starters and I certainly wish them both well," said Neuheisel. "I am happy that Courtney will earn his UCLA degree prior to his departure."

My bosses gave me some time off following the NFL Draft and spring ball, and I'll also be in New York from the 11th through the 19th. I'll periodically be back on the blog before the 11th and after the 20th, so check in as often as you'd like. There is not much breaking news aside from the new Pac-12 TV deal - which Tom Hoffarth wrote about here - but when there is, I'll chime in.

Thanks for the understanding and thanks for checking in.

Do you kind of feel like your ability was just ready to come out?
"I had the game to do it, but I learned how to use my body, use my hands. Run like I'm supposed to, rush at a certain angle. I already had the tools, the power, the speed, but I learned certain moves, new moves. I learned from a real defensive tackle how to play defensive tackle. That worked really well for me. Coach Howard was a great defensive end coach, but he never played defensive tackle. He knew how to play, but he didn't know the tricks. I needed to learn from a defensive tackle."

Is there any regret, like, if I'd only been taught this sooner?
"Yeah. I told somebody, if I had learned how to play for the East-West game before my senior year, I would've been the No. 1 pick. I would've had so many sacks. I already had the ability. I would've thrown myself on the scene. I didn't mess up, but I feel like, man...I wish I would've known. I would've been able to make so much more money, instead of hoping and waiting. But I'm glad I got drafted in sixth, I got my foot in the door. Now it's my chance. It's up to me to take it and run with it."

I'm a former bad defensive lineman, so I get the wording, be as specific as possible: What'd you learn?
"I learned how to use my hands, really. I was really just going out and trying too bullrush people. I learned how to run at certain angle, how to clear my chest. Jon, they couldn't touch me. If an offensive lineman can't touch you, they can't block you. I was unstoppable at the East-West game. I'm going to surprise a lot of people. I feel that haterism, and that's going to be the fuel at the next level."

There are some guys who go early but might not have the work ethic or motor to succeed at the next level, and they might feel like the work is done. Clearly you don't feel that...
"Oh man, I can't wait to get out there. OTAs, play ball. I have to shut a lot of people up, my brother and me. This whole time, that's been our motivation. We've been having to prove a lot of people wrong. I'm ready to go out there."

Last question: You sound like a different person from when we last talked in depth last fall; do you feel different?
"You know what, I feel confidence. I feel like I'm in a good position. I'm a Cardinal. I have a lot on my shoulders, I have a lot of work to do, I know. I'm having a good time today, but tomorrow I'm in the gym. It's nowhere near over yet. I'm making more money in a year than most people make in three. But I have a lot of work to do. It's not over yet. That's how people get kicked off or traded after a year, because they feel that they're in the league, and it's all gravy. That's what got me in the draft. I work hard. I know what I have to do, and I know that I just got drafted, but it's my turn to go out and show what I can do."

The center court jump circle at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion sold for $325,085, SCP Auctions announced today.

The amount is a record for any piece of college basketball memorabilia, and comes from an item that was used for 17 years, including eight men's basketball national championships, and the 1978 women's championship.