Pauley Pavilion did its best Superdome impression Monday night during the first-ever L.A. Tennis Challenge. As Novak Djokovic and Pete Sampras teamed up against the Bryan brothers for a doubles exhibition match — one guest-judged by actor Rainn Wilson — the main lights cut out and forced an early tiebreaker set. It would take 15 minutes for the lights to return, so Wilson asked the crowd of 8,500 to use their phones to help out.
Q: Larry Scott has been very active since becoming commissioner, expanding the conference from ten to twelve, creating the Pac-12 Networks, and bringing a tremendous amount of new revenue to each member school. Any idea that the next big thing from Scott will be?
A: Most pressing is getting a DirecTV deal nailed down, but that’s not exactly a “big thing” so much as a necessary one. Scott has said consistently over the past few months that the conference isn’t looking to expand, so the Pac-12 probably won’t be leading the country into an era of 16-team superconferences. What he might look to do next is push for some significant reform in the NCAA, especially as the institution’s enforcement policies look more and more like a joke. Scott has been candid about the need for change in the past, something he reaffirmed again on Saturday.
Q: What is the latest news on RB Craig Lee commitment status? Also, we heard of the great recruiting class UCLA had this year but did not hear of any high school seniors that flipped their commitment. Were there any? Continue reading “Weekly Q&A — 3/2/13 Answers” »
If you weren’t allowed into Pauley Pavilion last night, here are some shots from the festivities.
You can see Shabazz Muhammad dunking just after the 2:00 mark. Ben Howland said Muhammad’s shoulder is still sore, but the freshman didn’t look banged up during warm-ups. Center Josh Smith said afterward that the team is preparing to open the season with the assumption that their star freshman won’t be available.
Belated, but here’s a look at the unveiling of the Wooden statue if you didn’t make it out Friday afternoon. Skip to the 4:00 mark if you want to skip Dan Guerrero’s comments and get right to the curtain pull.
Also, here’s the story that appeared on today’s front page: Continue reading “VIDEO: Wooden statue unveiling” »
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On Tuesday, the media went on a tour of Pauley Pavilion but weren’t allowed to release anything until tonight. Here are some quick shots I took on the walkthrough. For all those interested, John Wooden’s eight-foot statue will be unveiled … Continue reading