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.”
Continue reading “Recruiting reset with Scout.com’s Brandon Huffman Pt. 4” »

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.”
Continue reading “Recruiting reset with Brandon Huffman Pt. 3” »

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.