UCLA's Season Ends, Lose In Semifinals

By The Associated Press

Box Score

ATLANTA (AP) - Billyball lives on for at least one more game at Florida. After what felt like a Final Four instant replay, UCLA has certainly had its fill.

The Gators and their in-demand coach, Billy Donovan, moved one win away from a second straight national championship Saturday night, defeating the Bruins 76-66 behind 19 points from Corey Brewer, 16 from Chris Richard and 14 more from Lee Humphrey.

Donovan got the best of Ben Howland and Florida got the best of UCLA for the second straight year at the Final Four, adding this semifinal win to a 73-57 rout in last year's title game.

"This is what it's all about," Gators forward Joakim Noah said. "We know it's not over yet. We're happy, but we're not satisfied."

This victory for the Gators (34-5) set up another sort of rematch. They'll play Ohio State on Monday in the final, hoping for the same kind of result as their 27-point victory in the championship football game earlier this year. The Buckeyes beat Georgetown 67-60 in the first semifinal Saturday.

The football coaches, OSU's Jim Tressel and Florida's Urban Meyer, were on the sidelines for this one, too, but only as spectators. The real stars were Brewer, Humphrey (three 3-pointers in the second half), Noah and, of course, Donovan, who the Gator faithful hope will rebuff a possible offer from Kentucky come season's end to keep building on the small dynasty he's created in Gainesville.

That drama will have to wait at least a couple more days, thanks to a wear-'em-down kind of effort that looked pretty much like what the Gators did to the Bruins last year.

The entire starting lineup came back for a repeat and with one more win, Florida will become the first team to go back-to-back since Duke in 1992 and the first ever to do it with the same starting five.

UCLA (30-6), still stuck on 11 titles, thought it brought a more experienced, better team to Atlanta, and that might have been true. But Bruins guard Arron Afflalo sat on the bench for almost the entire first half with foul trouble and center Lorenzo Mata joined him.

That took a bite out of UCLA's early tenacious defensive effort, and when Brewer started going off - swishing two 3-pointers in consecutive trips down the floor - the Gators were running to a 26-16 lead and UCLA never much threatened after that.

As impressive as Brewer looked on offense, it was a pair of defensive sequences during that stretch that told the bigger story.

Once, UCLA had a fast break and some decent numbers, but 6-foot-10 forward Al Horford simply stood under the basket and swatted away Alfred Aboya's shot for one stop. A moment later, Noah got in the way of Luc Richard Mbah a Moute in his attempt to go up strong in the paint. Mbah a Moute's head fake shook Noah, but Brewer simply came from behind to swat the shot.

There was plenty more of that.

Led by Horford's 17 rebounds, Florida outboarded UCLA 43-26, blocked six shots and altered countless more. Noah, supposedly Florida's best player, finished with only eight points but had 11 rebounds and four blocks - typical of the star player on a team that hasn't seemed to care who gets the credit this season.

In fact, all five Florida starters average in double figures this season yet not one of them averages more than 10 shots a game. On this day, it was Brewer and Humphrey's turn to score.

Brewer did the damage in the first half, making all eight shots he took - three from 3, four free throws and one layup. Humphrey put the dagger in late, making three 3-pointers in an early second-half run similar to the one he fashioned to put George Mason away in last year's semis.

As for UCLA - well, what really is there to say after a loss in which the final, 10-point margin belied the actual game? The Bruins rolled through the Pac-10 again this season and looked like championship material in dispatching Kansas and Howland's old team, Pittsburgh, on their way to the Final Four.

But they were overmatched again, and getting their best players in foul trouble early certainly didn't help. Afflalo finished with 17 points, but they all came after the game was out of reach. Mata, not a big scorer, was no factor anywhere on the court, finishing with six points and two rebounds before he fouled out.

Mbah a Moute was at least willing to take the ball up in the paint despite constant rejections. His night ended when he picked up his fifth foul with 9:02 left after scoring four points.

Josh Ship, absent last year and thought to be a possible difference-maker in this matchup, led the Bruins with 18 points, but he couldn't do it on his own.

In the leadup to this game, many of the Bruins said they thought Florida celebrated a little too hard at their expense last year in Indianapolis. The Gators didn't hold back this time, either.

Noah tugged on his jersey and thumped his chest a couple of times. Brewer pointed at the crowd, shouted and mugged for the camera. Of course, who wouldn't be pumped watching the kind of tomahawk jams Horford and Richard put back when noboby boxed them out after their teammates missed shots?

The meeting against the Buckeyes will be a rematch of a regular-season game in Gainesville that Florida won 86-60. Ohio State was a much different team then, mainly because freshman center Greg Oden was just coming back from a torn ligament in his right wrist and hadn't rounded into form.

(photo credit: AP)

UCLA vs. Florida: Game Day Stories

http://w66.photobucket.com/pbwidget.swf?pbwurl=http://w66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/bruinbasketballreport/1175323991.pbw

By Bruin Basketball Report

Stories from outside the L.A. Writer's Beat Beltway

One of those major differences is in the development of the backcourt
of Arron Afflalo and Darren Collison. Jordan Farmer, who ran the
offense a year ago, is gone. Afflalo started last year's national title
game and had 10 assists, but made just 3 of 10 shots. Collison came off
the bench and missed all three of his shots.
CBS's Clark Kellogg said of Collison and Farmer: "They're different
types of players. Collison is terrific pressuring the ball defensively.
He's got speed that you don't see that often with the ball, as well as
without it." Florida Today 

Collison pointing the way for UCLA: "Collison does a good job of pushing the tempo and running their
offense,'' said Florida's Taurean Green, the player who must deal with
UCLA's best ball-hawking defender. "He also gets up and pressures the
other team's guards.'' In a world where instant playing time is
the most seductive carrot a recruiter can offer, Collison came to
college with a star (Farmar) firmly set in front of him. But with UCLA
and San Diego State being his most active suitors, Collison was up for
the challenge. Fox Sports

And on the other side sits Kentucky's one great hope: that Donovan
wants to be king of what Pitino once called "The Roman Empire of
college basketball." The basketball coach never takes a back seat to
the football coach at Kentucky, never has to wonder whether the games
will sell out, never has to scrounge for media attention. As one prominent college coach put it, "It's still the Yankees." So Donovan is in the power position of deciding whether to revive a
flagship program (and get a huge raise) or further stamp himself as the
program patriarch at Florida (and get a huge raise). ESPN

As rumors and reports swirl about Billy Donovan's imminent departure to
Kentucky, including ESPN.com saying Friday that Wildcats officials are
prepared to offer him an annual raise of more than $1-million next week
as part of a contract that would make him one of the highest-paid
coaches in college basketball, the Florida players insist it hasn't
affected them and the way they prepare for tonight's national semifinal
against UCLA. St. Petersburg Times 

Just consider: Florida coach Billy Donovan, the obvious No. 1
candidate to replace Tubby Smith at Kentucky, was asked nine questions
in his session with the media Friday. Three of them, either directly or
indirectly, were about the Kentucky job. The biggest news to come from the Final Four? ESPN reported
Friday afternoon -- minutes before Donovan went to the podium -- that
Kentucky will offer him a guaranteed $2.8 million annual contract once
Florida's season ends. Memphis Commercial Appeal

Right now Brewer's primary concern is how to stop UCLA's Arron
Afflalo and try to get back to the championship game. A year ago, he
held Afflalo to just 10 points on 3-of-10 shooting. "He's a
great player and has improved a lot," Brewer said of Afflalo. "I just
can't let him get anything easy. I've got to make him work for
everything."Brewer will make him work. You can be certain of that. Fox Sports

Be angry because the Gators are in the Final
Four for the second consecutive season. Fume because they are two
victories away from becoming the first school to win back-to-back NCAA
titles in 15 years. Gnash your teeth because all your Gator-fan friends will be waving orange and blue in your face if that happens. It's OK. Junior forward Joakim Noah wants you to feel that way.He likes being hated.  Florida Times-Union

Before the NCAA Tournament, Wooden said he
hoped for a UCLA-Florida rematch in the national championship. He got
the next best thing: Florida (33-5) plays UCLA (30-5) at 8:47 on
Saturday night in a national semifinal. It is the first time since 1998
that two teams have appeared in consecutive Final Fours. Florida
is attempting to become the first team since Duke in 1992 to repeat as
NCAA champion. Wooden knows a thing or two about repeating. His Bruins
won seven consecutive titles, from 1967 to 1973. “You learn so much on the way,” Wooden said. “It’s much easier to stay on top.” The Olympian

Two years into the greatest run in Florida basketball history and it's still hard to tell who the Gators' money player is. Which, by the way, tickles the dickens out of the Gators. Imagine
the moment. There are 20 seconds to go, and the score is tied, and the
noise is deafening. If you are Florida coach Billy Donovan, who do you
want to have the ball in his hands? St. Petersburg Times

There will be a new NCAA champion this year -- that is, if Electronic Arts' simulation holds true. UCLA
will return to the NCAA basketball final this year to meet Ohio State,
according to a simulation performed by EA on its NCAA March Madness '07
game. Hamilton Spectator

One thing the Florida Gators probably won't
say against UCLA in today's NCAA Tournament national semifinal game is
"give me the ball." Blame coach Billy Donovan for the Gators
being so unselfish. Me-first attitudes often lead to missed
opportunities for open shots and turnovers, something he hopes to avoid
when Florida (33-5) meets UCLA (30-5). Playing unselfish basketball, the Gators defeated the Bruins 73-57 last season in the national championship game. Pensacola News Journal

You want to talk about repeating? Fine. Then allow Florida's Joakim Noah a little repetition. "Talk, talk, talk," the Gators' 6-foot-11
center said Friday afternoon, blinking, doe-eyed, into TV lights and
back at the couple dozen faces surrounding him. "I feel like all we do is talk; let's talk
for a half-hour here, a half-hour there... I have a game to play. To
me, that's why this is so hard." Virginia Pilot

If Florida wins another national title, it will be the first Division I men's team to repeat since Duke in 1991-92. So does that put the Gators among the elite in college hoops, in a class with Kansas, UCLA and some of the other all-time great programs?
Slow down, say the experts. Florida Today

Thomas Hill said he talks often with Christian Laettner and Brian
Davis at this time of year. Hill confessed that the Duke champions from
1991 and 1992 enjoy their status as the only team to win back-to-back
NCAA men's basketball titles since UCLA did it in 1973.With defending
champion Florida two wins from repeating, Hill has a rooting interest
in today's semifinal. "Go UCLA," he said, laughing. "We wish them
[Florida] well, but we don't wish them well." News Observer

(photo credit: AP)

Press Conference Notes Final 4: Afflalo and Shipp

By Bruin Basketball Report

Q&A with Arron Afflalo and Josh Ship

Q. Arron, you've talked at the other locations about how difficult
it was for you, last year's Florida game. With that and the rematch
aspect, also the fact that Florida has a lot of players who came back
specifically to be here, is there a greater sense of desperation in
this game than there might be in other semifinals or big games?
ARRON AFFLALO: Well, obviously we have the memory of last year. But
this is a brand-new team, brand-new personnel. They've grown a lot and
matured a lot, have gotten a lot better. So have we since that point.

This is not a rematch; this is UCLA versus Florida from the '07 season.
We're really looking forward to competing against. the No. 1 overall team.

Q. Before the season, everybody was talking about how Darren was
such a key in replacing Jordan. Why has he been able to excel at the
level he has?
ARRON AFFLALO: First of all, Jordan was very
good, as well. He played the game with a high IQ. He was a mature floor
leader who was willing to take some big shots.

You know, Darren has a certain competitive spirit and some natural
athleticism, some natural quickness that allows him to do some
different things for us as a team, and that extends on the defensive
floor and on the offensive end as well.

Q. You were here last year. You understand the unique nature of
getting this far. What does it take? What does a team have to have to
survive this format with the quick turnarounds?
JOSH SHIPP:  For me, my experience was a little different because I was sitting watching last year. But, I mean, the team, it takes a lot of hard work and dedication,
sacrifice, luck at times. It's just a lot of things that go into
getting back here.

All the teams that make it here are good teams.  It's definitely going to be a war out there in the next couple games.

Q. Not really as UCLA players, but guys into college basketball, do
you think the NCAA tournament and the Final Four specifically are
better when there isn't one of these Cinderella stories?
ARRON AFFLALO: You know, as a fan, I know I enjoy both. I know the
Cinderella teams are exciting to watch. You can see their competitive
spirit, the joy they create, not for only the university, but within
the communities that have a lot of underdog situations. They play for a
lot more than just the game usually.

But in a stage like this one where we have a lot of powerhouse teams,
it's good for the basketball world as well as the outside world simply
because it is so competitive and the games are going to be great. It's
just good basketball.

JOSH SHIPP: He pretty much said it all. I enjoy watching teams get
knocked off. Hopefully it wouldn't happen to us (smiling).

Those guys, they deserve to be here just like any of the other teams.
They work just as hard as we do. When they upset, I mean, they're good
teams and they prove themselves out there. Like I said, it's just a fun
experience watching that.

Q. Arron, last year when they defeated you, celebrated after the
game, what do you remember from watching that? Did you feel any mixed
emotions, sadness or jealousy, maybe even a little happy for them?
ARRON AFFLALO: Well, definitely wasn't happy (smiling). I had a lot of
anger, a lot of pain as well. You know, I'm a guy at those point in
times, me personally, I have a lot of humility about what I do. It's
just a little different to watch other people celebrate against you. It
brings about some different feelings.

But those times are gone. They came out. They came out and competed.
They played very hard. We didn't put forth the effort that night that
we needed to. They were well deserving of that championship last year.

Q. Arron, obviously a lot is made of your coach's film work. If you
listen to him up here, he's obviously very detailed. Have you, over
time, learned to kind of take what you really need to know into a game
and not get really consumed and caught up with all the information he
gives you? How easy is that?
ARRON AFFLALO: Well, no,
actually. You know, we have to take in each and every detail because
those are the little things that make us good as a team. The minute we
begin to overlook those, start focusing on the bigger picture, will be
the time that we lose, and generally is the time we have lost. Paying attention to detail has been an important thing for us.

Q. As a player with such a great reputation as a defender, have you
been impressed by what you have done in this tournament? The field goal
percentage, points allowed. Has it impressed you and Coach Howland?
ARRON AFFLALO: Yes. But in the end, we have the personnel to play that
type of defense. The way Josh sees the floor on that end,
the way Darren can pressure the ball, my willingness to try to stop
whoever, the physicality and the mobility of our bigs allow us to play
a certain type of defense that has really worked for us throughout the
whole season.

Q. When your coach was in here earlier, he described you as having
your hands full with Florida. Went into great detail about how dominant
they are, how strong they are. Does he take a different tone with you,
give you a sense of confidence about your chances?
JOSH
SHIPP: I mean, he's pretty much the same way with us. I mean, Florida
is a great team. We know that. He reminds us every day in practice.
Just watching them on film, they have great bigs, they have great
outside players. So it's definitely going to be a hard game for us. I
think the main thing he tries to focus on, the little details that are
the key for us to winning games.

Q. A lot of championships are determined different ways. Can you
imagine this tournament, a basketball championship, being decided a
different way than it is now? What would be some of your ideas?
ARRON AFFLALO: I really don't have any because I really enjoy the whole
tournament experience. It's just a lot of excitement, it's a lot of
anxiety, some different pressures because it's all or nothing. It
causes great players to do great things and great teams to do great
things. You appreciate it for the entire three weeks. There isn't four
more deserving teams than the ones here.

Q. Arron, by the time most teams get here they have a go-to player
who has led them here. As you look at Florida, who do you think would
have the ball with 10 seconds to go with the score tied? Who do you
think is their best player?
ARRON AFFLALO: Well, you know,
they're a pretty versatile team. They have a lot of confident guys who
are willing to make plays. I mean, just assuming with 10 seconds left,
chances are you want the ball in your point guard's hand. Taurean Green
has done a great job of leading them as well as being an assist man,
keeping the composure of the team.  That's not to take away from what
their bigs do offensively.  I just think in those situations he's
probably their guy.

Q. Considering where you were born, where you grew up, grew up
rooting for, you're almost sort of destined to be in this role, weren't
you?
ARRON AFFLALO: Yeah, you know, I was born at UCLA. I
guess it's not coincidental. I'm from L.A. from Compton. I'm enjoying
this experience, trying to take pride in not only defending my school
but defending our city and defending everything that we stand for as a
West Coast team, as an L.A. team, for everybody in the UCLA family.

Q. How much attention, if any, can you pay to the other national
semifinal, and do you have just a passing curiosity as a basketball fan
of seeing two seven-footers go at each other?
JOSH SHIPP: I
mean, we're really focused on our game. That's a tough question to
answer. All our attention is going to Florida, and hopefully we can win
that game and then look forward to the other team.

ARRON AFFLALO: It is going to be a joy for a lot of people to see those
guys go at it. Like Josh said, it's strictly preparation for what we
have to do.

(photo credit: AP)

Press Conference Notes Final 4: Ben Howland

By Bruin Basketball Report

Q&A with UCLA Coach Ben Howland

Q. When you take a look at this grouping of teams, do you see this
as being a very competitive Final Four? If you do, how come?
COACH HOWLAND: Well, I think you look, there's a 1-2, 1-2 again
match-up in the semifinals of the national championship. That speaks to
how outstanding a job was done in terms of picking the field and how it
was seeded.

We had to go a -- I'm speaking from our own experience -- a very tough
road just to get to this point, to beat Weber State, who had a great
year, to win over Indiana, who is very, very well-coached.

Kelvin Sampson does an incredible job. We were up 16 in that game. Had
to fight back after having the game tied late in the game. To have to
match up and face my very best friend and old team, University of
Pittsburgh, Jamie Dixon, was very difficult. A great team again.

Then to go through Kansas. Kansas is definitely the best team we've
played to this point and now we're on to I think the best team we'll
have played all year in Florida.

You look at the other side of the bracket with Ohio State, who has had
just an incredible season. Especially when you consider three of their
top four scorers are freshmen.

Lewis is an outstanding senior who made the big shot against Xavier.
Their freshman class has to be the best in the country obviously with
big Greg inside and Cook. I just love Conley, Jr. He is an unbelievably
good point guard. He plays like he's 30 years old when I watch Conley
play.

On the other side, Georgetown, I'm so happy for John Thompson, III. His
father, who I had a chance to get to know having been in the Big East,
knowing the tradition of the Big East Conference. He is a great
teacher, John Thompson, III.

I think Pete Carril, you go back to the old school, Pete Carril is
truly a genius in college basketball. His philosophies you see how not
only at Georgetown, but you've seen the NBA over the last decade both
in Sacramento with the Wizards right now, a different number of teams
that employ that offense.

We all thought of Princeton being the slow-down offense. If you employ
it at the NBA level, these are the highest-scoring games. It's about
passing, moving out the ball, cutting, knowing how to play without the
basketball. It's really fun for a coach to watch.

My hat's off to John Thompson, III and Georgetown to be back in the
Final Four, their first one since '85. I'm sure they'll be in here
quite a few more times in their future the way they're recruiting.

Q. Noah and Horford are such dominant, big players. What kind of
approach do you take when you're trying to get past guys like that?
What attitude do you want your big men to take in the game?
COACH HOWLAND: Well, we know we're up against the two best big guys on
the same team in the country. When you say "guys like that," there just
aren't guys like that. I mean, they're obviously a rarefied duo. I
can't think of another one in recent memory that has two lottery picks,
because they are both NBA lottery picks when they decide to come out
either this year or a year from now.

Everybody thought, for example, Noah would come out last year. I just
really think it's special that he's having so much fun in college,
doesn't need to do it financially to help his family, that he came back
to have fun and stay a Gator for another year. He would have been the
No. 1 pick.

Horford has a dad who is a pro, former pro player. Tito is a great guy.
These guys, their fathers were former professional athletes. They have
a special framework and point of reference that's probably unique
compared to most other kids. They're big, tough, strong, physical,
skilled, great passers.

One of the things I think when you see a good basketball player, if you
see someone who is a good passer, he really -- you can't be a good
passer and not have a good understanding. Good passing skills,
understanding of the game, correlate. I love Coach Wooden's philosophy:
If you're a good offensive player you that definitely be able to be a
good defensive player.

They both defend. You go to the Florida team, they're shooting 53% on
the year from the field. They're shooting 40% from three on the field.
42.3 in the last 22 games.

The way I look at things, when you shoot 40% from three, that's like
shooting 60% from two 'cause you're making 12 points on 10 shots. You
throw out their threes, you just look at the shots that they attempt.
Inside the three-point line, they're shooting 59.8% as a team. This
team in reality is shooting 60% from the field on the year. They're
holding their opponents to 40%. That's a 20 percentage point
differential. They outboard their opponents by seven boards a game.
That is domination. They lead the country in points margin of victory
over their opponents.

I mean, this is an incredible team. This is one of the great basketball
teams in college basketball, in history. You have to give it to 'em.
They would be the first team to win back-to-back championships since
the Duke teams in the early '90s. So we know we're facing a very, very
daunting challenge starting with their big guys.

They play inside out. They also have great guard play. Brewer is
another kid who will be a top draft pick when he decides to go to the
NBA. I love Green. I love Green. I remember coaching against his father
as an assistant at UC Santa Barbara when I worked for Jerry Pimm. That
guy is a great point guard, so tough. He's continued to improve his
game. Humphrey may be the best shooter.

If they weren't playing here right now he'd be winning the three-point
contest. I guess they had it yesterday. He's shooting 49% from three
over the last 23 games, which to me is like shooting about 75% from
two.

So they have a great team. Richard comes off the bench. Hodge comes off
the bench. Those guys would start for most teams in the country. We've
got our hands full.

Q. You've already alluded to this is the year of the heavyweight,
the four of you here plus Kansas and Carolina. The six teams are all
dominated by non-seniors, with the exception of Lewis, Butler. It's and
underclass year with terrific freshmen in the first year of the NBA
rule. Is this the face of college basketball for the near future at
least?
COACH HOWLAND: Yeah, I think that rule is in place. It
obviously helps college basketball from the standpoint of having the
star players, the last 10 to 15 years would have gone straight into the
pros right out of high school.

Again, I've been outspoken on the fact that I don't think it's fair to
not allow a kid to go straight from high school to the NBA. I don't
think it's right. I think I have great respect and love our kids in the
armed services. They can go in the armed services when they're age 18.
You can vote at a young age. You should be able to make that choice.

What I like the idea of that's been thrown out is that if you do elect
to go to college, then it should be a two-year commitment. I do think
that's a good idea. It's somewhat what they do in college baseball. You
can go right out of high school to the pros, as many do. But if you
actually go to college you have to stay for three years.

Football is a different animal because of the fact that it's such a
violent physical sport. I totally agree with what they've done with
football. To throw a 20-year-old out there with the men in the NFL is
irresponsible just in fear for their safety, physical safety.

That being said, to have Oden playing right now, to have Kevin Durant
playing. Kevin Durant, what a special talent he is. What a joy to
watch. What a great player. We're going to have at UCLA next year the
best high school player in the country coming to UCLA, which we're very
pleased about, in Kevin Love.

Kevin Love is a big man at 6'10", 250 pounds, out of Lake Oswego,
Oregon, who will be one of the best passing big men in years, years,
years. Just great fundamentals. UCLA fans are excited about that.

Q.  Can you talk about Luc Richard was going to have a family reunion, but it didn't happen.
COACH HOWLAND: Apparently his dad had to have some eye surgery. I don't
know the exact details. It was in Geneva. His dad is a diplomat in
Cameroon and spends a lot of time abroad, both in Geneva as well as in
France.

Unfortunately, he was not able to make it because of the operation he
had on his eye. He didn't want to worry his son or even tell him about
it for fear he would worry for his health. He didn't even know about
it. He didn't know about it till two days ago. He's fine. He's going to
be okay.  That's why he's not able to make it.

Q.  Can you comment on Luc's growth as a player and as a person as he's played so far from home and really excelled?
COACH HOWLAND: Well, first of all, as a person, you couldn't have a
finer person. The person is a big part of why he's the great player he
is. He is so disciplined, so tough, so team oriented, so unselfish, has
a great ability to sacrifice, give himself up for his team. He's an
outstanding student who takes his academics very seriously.

Speaking of his father, first time I ever talked to his dad in the
recruiting process, his dad, I know Luc likes basketball, but that's
not what's important to me. What's important to me is he gets a great
education, which is why his dad signed off on UCLA, because he knows
the value of a UC education and how that is looked upon
internationally.

But Luc is a player who has grown. He does all the dirty work. He does
so many of the little things that only people can really truly
appreciate Luc are people that really know the game and really are able
to study off the ball things that are happening both offensively and
defensively, the great intensity level that he plays with, the passion.He's a joy to be able to coach.  Feel very blessed that we were able to recruit him to UCLA.

He has not been home to Cameroon since 2003. One of the things that's
going to be really nice is there is a plan for him to go home, see his
family, his friends, this summer when we get out of school in mid to
late June, which both he and Alfred will be able to do this summer.

They've been in summer school the last two years. They're way ahead.
They're both, at the end of this quarter, going to be on the three-year
plan to graduate. They're going to be about a year away, maybe four
quarters at most. They've done incredibly well academically in the
classroom.

Q. I know when you had to play Pittsburgh that was kind of a
difficult situation. Could you reflect on a few years back when you had
to make the decision to leave there to come to UCLA. How tough was it?
I know leaving a program you built, that can never be easy.
COACH HOWLAND:  No, it was tough.  That was four years ago just about here in another couple days that I came to UCLA.  We loved Pittsburgh, number one, my wife and I and our children. Had a
great experience there. My daughter's graduating from the University of
Pittsburgh in April. I'll be back for her graduation on the 28th, which
I believe is a Friday, from the nursing school at Pitt, which is a
great, great medical program. She's doing wonderfully. Her name is
Meredith.

I've been very, very happy she stayed in Pittsburgh and finished her
degree there. She was a freshman there my last year. Really it's been a
dream come true to come back, for me to home. My mom and dad were
living, lived in Santa Barbara, when I came back to UCLA. That was
something that was very important to me, to be closer to family and
friends.

But also just the fact that UCLA has always been the dream for me. As a
child, watching the Wooden teams play with Dick Enberg doing the call.
Each and every replay game on KTLA back in the day at 11:00. You know,
watching those teams as I grew up as a young player, idolizing all the
players, wanting to be a player, not being good enough to play at the
level of UCLA.

Then as a young coach. That was always to me the pinnacle job: UCLA.
That was the dream job since a kid growing up following it. So to have
that opportunity was a once in a lifetime thing. There's no way I could
pass it up.

Would have been very happy to have stayed at Pitt the rest of my
coaching career had it not worked out. Loved the people there. You
know, what a great family and setting it has. Very proud of what the
great job that Jamie Dixon has done, continuing the program, which just
finished again its sixth straight year in the NCAA tournament, and four
out of six years in the Sweet 16. That program's on very solid footing.
I'm very, very proud to have been a part of helping that. Especially the most important part is hiring Jamie Dixon, how we got it going to begin with.

(photo credit: AP)

UCLA vs. Florida - Tournament Game Preview

By Bruin Basketball Report

UCLA continues its quest for a 12th national men's basketball championship on Saturday when it meets the Florida Gators in the semifinals of the Final Four at the Georgia Dome.

It is the Bruins second consecutive trip and seventeenth overall appearance in a Final Four.

Standing in their way of advancing to the title game are the Florida Gators led by Coach Billy Donovan.  The Gators trounced the Bruins, 73-57, in last year's championship.

Entering the NCAA tourney as the defending champions and No.1 overall seed, the Gators are a formidable and experienced team, returning all five starters from last year.  They aim to become the first repeat college basketball champions since the 1991-1992 Duke Blue Devils.

After playing well for most of the season, the Gators struggled towards the end, losing three of their last four regular season games.  However, they
rebounded to sweep through the SEC conference tournament and victories through the first four rounds of the NCAA tourney.

Florida averages 79.8 points a game while shooting a nation's best 52.7% from the field.  They also shoot an impressive 40.5% from three-point distance. The Gators have a balanced offensive attack.  All five of their starters average in double figures, yet all
are within 2.4 shot attempts of each other and none attempt more than
10 field goals a game.

The Gators have a formidable front line of big athletic players in 6'9 Corey Brewer, 6'10 Al Horford, and 6'11 Joakim Noah who are difficult match-ups for any team.  In addition, they have an effective backcourt tandem in Taurean Green who is excellent off the dribble and Lee Humphrey, a deadly three-point shooter averaging 45.5% from beyond the arc.

While teams have to be concerned with Florida's offense, they have an equally tough defense.  The Gators allow just 62.2 points a game while allowing just 40.6 field goal shooting.  The are excellent on the boards, out-rebounding teams by a margin of 8.2 a game (4th best in the nation).

PLAYER	POS	HT	WT	YR	MIN	PTS	REB	AST
Taurean Green*	G	6-0	177	Jr.	33.1	13.3	2.3	3.6
Al Horford*	F-C	6-10	245	Jr.	27.7	13.2	9.2	2.1
Corey Brewer*	F	6-9	185	Jr.	28.4	13.1	4.7	3.1
Joakim Noah*	F-C	6-11	232	Jr.	25.8	12.2	8.5	2.3
Lee Humphrey*	G	6-2	192	Sr.	30.0	10.1	1.3	1.3
Chris Richard	F-C	6-9	255	Sr.	18.3	5.9	3.6	0.4
Walter Hodge	G	6-0	170	So.	18.0	5.8	1.2	1.5
Dan Werner	F	6-7	235	Fr.	9.1	1.8	1.3	0.8

*denotes probable starter

UCLA returns a different team that faced the Gators last season.  Gone are starters Jordan Farmar, Cedric Bozeman, and Ryan Hollins, and in their place are Darren Collison, Josh Shipp, and Lorenzo Mata. This year's Bruins are quicker on the defensive perimeter, score more points in transition, and tougher defensively in the paint.

The point-guard match-up will be one of the keys to the game.

Last year UCLA Coach Ben Howland assigned 6'6 Cedric Bozeman to handle point-guard Taurean Green, but Florida cleverly spread the court on offense which allowed the quicker Green to dribble drive past Bozeman for a game-high eight assists with many of the baskets resulting in slams by Horford and Noah.

The Bruins will benefit from having speedy Darren Collison, their best on-ball defender, to put on Green on Saturday.  Collison needs to aggressively pressure Green on the perimeter to make it difficult for him to set-up the offense or make post-entry passes. 

Against Kansas, Collison's defensive pressure on the Jayhawks' guards forced them to set-up their offense further out than they were normally used to, he'll need to do the same against the Gators in order to slow their attack and negate their size advantage inside.

With Florida's Lee Humphrey sizzling from beyond the arc, Josh Shipp needs to do a good job closing out on Humphrey at the three-point line.  Shipp has been playing well on the defensive end during the tournament and the Bruins will need another solid effort.   

Offensively, he gives UCLA the third scoring option they lacked last year.  Shipp is shooting 42.5% from three-point distance and has been excellent in transition.  In addition, his ability to drive to the basket and finish will make him a difficult match-up for Florida, especially for the smaller Humphrey.

Last year Corey Brewer used his size and length to hound Arron Afflalo into a sub-par 3-10 shooting performance.  But with Afflalo scoring more effectively off the dribble, as he showed against Kansas, and Shipp available as another scoring option, Florida will be more challenged on the defensive end.  Can Humphrey guard the more physical Shipp? Or does Florida switch Brewer onto Shipp instead of Afflalo?   

Along the front line, Al Horford has been a beast in the low blocks all season.  He is averaging 13.2 points and 9.2 rebounds per game while shooting 61.8% from the field.  He is the team's best low-post scorer and has overpowered opponents throughout the tourney.

UCLA's Lorenzo Mata and Alfred Aboya are as tough a pair of players down low as they come. If they both can stay out of foul trouble, their combined minutes and physicality might be able to wear Horford down by game's end.

Florida's Joakim Noah ran wild on the Bruins in last year's game.  On defense his shot-blocking intimidated the Bruins inside, while his ability to run the floor and pass to the open man keyed the Gator offense.  Luc Richard Mbah a Moute will likely guard Noah for most of the game and needs to match Noah's intensity on the floor, at least on the defensive end.  He'll also need to keep Noah off the offensive boards

Last year Coach Ben Howland's defensive strategy of doubling the post was ineffective against Florida, but it was mostly due to the Bruins' slow rotation from the weak side.  Expect UCLA to double down on the lost post again, especially against Horford, but do a better job this time of mixing the coverage and timing of the double.

Its not very often two teams get the opportunity to face each other in two consecutive Final Fours.  While Florida will be seeking a place in history with back-to-back titles, the Bruins will not only be seeking a chance to play for the championship again themselves but some redemption from last year's game as well.

This is what March Madness is all about.  Let's tip it off. 

BBR Notes: The UCLA-Florida game is scheduled to start at 5:45PM PDT.

(photo credit:AP)

UCLA Superlative Statistics 3/30

By Bruin Basketball Report

College basketball fans are familiar with published statistics such
as rebounds, assists, points scored, and field goal and free throw
percentage as a marker of a player's performance and contribution to
his team.

Those
who follow UCLA basketball and know the value Head Coach Ben Howland
places on hustle, toughness, and performance under pressure will
appreciate a different set of statistics kept by the team. Statistics
referred to as the "Superlative Statistics".

Charges Taken
1. Alfred Aboya - 21
2. Lorenzo Mata - 17
3. Russell Westbrook - 4
4. Ryan Wright - 3
4. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute -3
UCLA 49, Opponents 29

Dives For Loose Balls
1. Lorenzo Mata - 24
1. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute - 24
3. Darren Collison - 17
4. Russell Westbrook - 12
UCLA 123, Opponents 86

Second Chance Points
1. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute - 80
2. Josh Shipp - 68
3. Lorenzo Mata - 57
4. Arron Afflalo - 54
5. Alfred Aboya  - 41
UCLA 370, Opponents 298

Points in the Paint
1. Josh Shipp - 212
2. Lorenzo Mata - 180
3. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute - 178
4. Arron Afflalo  - 150
5. Darren Collison - 146
UCLA 1082, Opponents 836

3-PT Plays Attempted
1. Josh Shipp - 13
1. Arron Afflalo - 13
3. Darren Collison - 10
4. Lorenzo Mata - 6
UCLA 58, Opponents 54

FT% Last Four Minutes in Game (more than 2 attempts)
1. Josh Shipp - 28 of 33 (.848)
1. Arron Afflalo - 28 of 33 (.848)
3. Darren Collison - 34 of 43 (.791)
4. Alfred Aboya - 5 of 7 (.714)
UCLA 117 of 155 (.755), Opponents 76 of 110 (.691)

Last Second Shot Percentage
1. Arron Afflalo - 4 of 6 (.667)
2. Darren Collison - 4 of 7 (.571)
3. Josh Shipp - 1 of 3 (.333)
UCLA 9 of 20 (.450), Opponents 4 of 10 (.400)

Control the Tip
1. Lorenzo Mata - 20 of 36 (.556)

Source: UCLA Athletic Department (3/30/07)

(photo credit: Jack Rosenfeld)

Shipp's Return Key To Bruins' Chances

By Bruin Basketball Report

If UCLA expects to dethrone the current NCAA champions Florida Gators on Saturday, they'll need a solid performance from sophomore forward Josh Shipp.

Of this year's starting Bruin line-up, only Shipp did not play in the 2006 NCAA championship final against Florida.  He had red-shirted two months earlier as a result of a surgically repaired hip which was still causing severe pain and required more time to heal.

Instead of running the floor with his teammates at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Shipp was cheering helplessly from the end of the bench as the Bruins went down in defeat.

As a result, Shipp dedicated himself to work hard over the offseason to get back into shape.  He started the 2006-07 campaign promisingly enough, averaging 14.7 points, 4.7 rebounds while shooting 46.6% from the field and 34% from three-point distance in his first 15 games.

But in a game against Oregon in Eugene, Shipp suffered a hamstring injury which forced him to miss the following contest against crosstown rival USC. 

In the nine games following the injury, his performance numbers plummeted. Shipp was averaging just 10.0 points a game and shooting a
meek 2-17 for 11.8% on three-pointers while averaging only 2.7 rebounds during the span. And in some quarters, he was being criticized for lackadaisical defensive effort.

But time heals all.  In his last ten games, including all three NCAA tournament contests, Shipp has returned to form by averaging 14.0 points on 48.1% field goal shooting, including a sizzling 42.5% from three-point distance, while grabbing 4.6 rebounds a game.  In addition, he has played solid defense during the tournament which included a four steal performance against Kansas.

With Shipp back on track, UCLA now has the third-option on offense they sorely lacked against Florida in last year's game.   

We'll find out if its enough to make the difference.  A healthy and active Josh Shipp, as much as anything else, will be a key to a UCLA victory on Saturday.

(photo credit: Jack Rosenfeld)

Press Conference Notes Final Four: Coach Ben Howland

By Bruin Basketball Report

Prior to leaving with the team for Atlanta, UCLA Coach Ben Howland participated in a Q&A with media.

Q&A with UCLA Coach Ben Howland

Q. How much time did you spend in your summer dwelling on that
championship game loss, looking at the tapes, so forth? What did you
learn from it?
COACH HOWLAND: You know, I was obviously
disappointed we lost the game, but I was also very proud of our team
last year, all that they accomplished. There's only one team that's
going to be truly happy at the end of the year, and that's the team
that wins on Monday night.

That didn't diminish the great year we had last year. Of course, you
always try to learn from games that you lose, from defeat, from
adversity. You watch the tape. There's a lot of things. Just about
everything we could have done better, but also have to credit Florida,
the great game they played a year ago, how they handled every aspect,
phase of the game.

Q. If you look around this tournament, prevailing theme is the size
with Hibbert, Oden, Noah, Horford. You have Mbah a Moute. How do you
see the role of the big man evolving? What do you think the NBA age
limit plays on that?
COACH HOWLAND: You threw Luc in there, a
7'2" guy, a seven-footer, a couple of 6'11" guys. Luc is 6'7". We are
by far the smallest team in this last remaining Final Four.

I think it's great to see the big man in college basketball. UCLA
boasts possibly the two greatest big men at the college level ever in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton. Those were obviously special eras
where players stayed for four years of college. In fact, both of them
weren't eligible to play as freshmen.
Today a much different landscape with kids that were allowed to go
straight to the pros right out of high school until just two years ago.

I think it's great for the college game. I don't think it's fair to the
student-athlete that they don't have the right to go right out of high
school to the pros. I do like the idea if a player does go to college,
then he's got to stay for two years, but if he goes right out of high
school, that's his right, and I understand that.

We have a number of young men representing this country around the
world, in the Armed Forces, that are 17, 18, 19 years old. I have great
respect for them. I think it's been great for college basketball to
have Oden have to go to college for a year. Dwight Howard would have
been in that same situation a couple years ago. LeBron James. I don't
know how long they'll remain. I like the idea for them to go to
college. Kind of like college baseball, except I think they have to go
for three years.

Q. What is it that makes Darren Collison so special? Has his
improvement been that significant this year? Was he that good last
year?
COACH HOWLAND: Darren had a great year for us last year
as a freshman, playing 19 minutes a game. Had some big games for us
where he made huge plays. At Michigan he made some huge plays. He was
outstanding at Arizona a year ago as a freshman. Those are three that
come to mind against very good opponents.

He's also just normal maturation from freshman to a sophomore, having
gained all the experience. Compound it and combine it with the fact
that he worked very, very hard in the off-season between his freshman
and sophomore year.

One of the things he really improved on was his shooting. I think last
year he was in the low 30s from three, now he's at 46%, which is an
incredible jump, and a real credit to his work ethic, his desire to be
the very best.

Q.  Other than being top seeds, what common traits do you see among these Final Four teams, comebacks or anything else?
COACH HOWLAND: The common traits are that they've all had outstanding
years, come out of power conferences where you're tested every night
you go on the road in the PAC-10 or at home. The same is true in the
Big East, in the SEC, obviously in the Big-10.

Also in the Big 12 and the ACC.  Those six conferences really force those players, those programs, to bring it every day.

It's very, very competitive. Our league boasted six teams that went to
the NCAA tournament this year. Oregon played Florida tough; were in the
Elite 8. Obviously SC was in the Sweet 16. Washington State was very
close to Vanderbilt, double overtime loss. I think that's helped all
four of the teams get to where they are, is being pushed throughout the
season by the competition within their own league.

Q. You went against Georgetown for a while before moving out west.
What was missing during those years for that Georgetown program? What
do you think they got back now?
COACH HOWLAND: John Thompson,
III is doing just a terrific job, both recruiting, where it all starts
from. Those Georgetown teams when I was at Pitt were good. One year
they went to the Sweet 16, went to Boise. I can't remember who they
played, who finally beat them. They had a very good team. Seems like
Georgetown always has a lot of big guys year in and year out. They
continue to have that during my tenure there. Sweeney I always loved as
a player. They had very good players.

I think John Thompson, III has definitely proven he's one of the very
best coaches in the country in a short time at the high major level.
His time having played for Pete Carril, having coached at Princeton,
has influenced him to where I think they have a great system that is
very difficult to prepare for.
You have to commend what an outstanding job the players and coach have done there in that program.

Q. Last year Arron Afflalo had a difficult time shaking Corey
Brewer in the title game. Did that motivate him to improve? What
improvements has he made this year?
COACH HOWLAND: Everybody
had a problem, not just Arron. Our whole team had a problem with
Florida last year in the championship game. They thoroughly dominated
us in that game. I don't think there's any secret about that.

But you have to credit their whole team, not just Corey. It's a team
defense that wins and a team on offense that wins. Although Corey I
think is a great player. Arron was definitely motivated more than
anything by the loss of his team in the championship game to come back
and be better this year.
I think he's better off the bounce this year. I think he continues to
do a better job reading screens. I think he's done a better job at
playing without the basketball. I think he continues to take great
pride in his defense, guarding the other team's players.

Q.  Could you talk about how different you are from last year when you played against Florida, how different your team is?
COACH HOWLAND: Well, we're different in that we're a year older.
There's six players on this team currently that played in that game
last year. Four really significant minutes. We had Josh Shipp who was
there but wasn't applying for us. We've added two freshmen.

The biggest thing is just a year of experience, getting a year older, a
year of maturity. But I don't know that that gives us any great
advantage over Florida in that they have everybody back starting from
there team a year ago.

I'm so impressed at the Florida team. When you look at their numbers,
the numbers are just shocking. The balance, number one, of having five
starters that all average in double figures. They shoot 40% from three.
The way to equate that is like shooting 60% from two. Twelve points on
four shots out of ten, shooting 60% from two, that's how I look at a
three-point shot. Then they shoot 59.8% inside of three as a team.

Basically they're shooting 60% from the field as a team, the way I look
at it. Then they also are holding their opponents to 40%. That's a 20%
differential between the two teams. They outboard their opponents by
seven boards a game, which is incredible. Their blocked shots, 185, are
just really, really impressive. They outscore their opponents by 17
points a game. They force a number of turnovers.
They're the No. 1 overall seed.  Deservedly so.

Q. Is too much being made of your team's desire, being motivated
because of losing in that championship game last year? How much has it
driven them since that game?
COACH HOWLAND: I think the
motivation is to win. Again, we were very, very proud of our team last
year, disappointed in the last game last season, but overall had a
great year. There are only four teams that get to make it to this each
and every year. It's a great honor to be in the Final Four.

Our team is motivated to do its very best, to play the best that we can
possibly play. We're more concerned about UCLA than anything else about
trying to reach our potential and be the best team that we can be.

Q. You look at the team, all five starters are back from last year,
but Billy Donovan says they're a different team because of the
experiences. Can you see a difference now going back to the
championship game, something in the way they play?
COACH
HOWLAND: I would say when he uses the word "differently" I would say --
they're better than they were a year ago. I guess that is different.
They've even taken it to a new level.

Again, you have to commend them so much. To be the defending national
champion, have all five starters back, to go through and have the kind
of year they've had, with everybody shooting at 'em because they're No.
1, is quite a feat in its own right.

As you read their comments about how it was harder this year, I'm sure
it was because everybody coming at 'em. Yet they dominated the SEC. The
SEC had three teams in the Sweet 16. They're just an incredible team.

Billy is obviously a great coach who has really done a great job at
both ends of the floor, off the floor, in helping these kids reach
their potential.

Q.  You're different and better as well from last year.  In what ways?
COACH HOWLAND: I think the biggest way is our experience level. I think
we're better in terms of having gone through a successful campaign a
year ago, and now another one this year. Just being a year older, a
year more experience. You all see, for example, the change that we
talked about in Darren Collison earlier in this conversation.

One of the reasons that he's better than he was, he's a year older. He
worked hard in the off-season. A year of maturity, going from a
freshman to a sophomore. In the case of Noah and Horford, sophomore to
juniors. Each year good players continue to improve and get better.
That's what good players do.

We have very good players. Obviously they have great players. It's a
thing where I think experience really matters, especially when you're
having experience in a successful framework where you're winning,
getting to conference championships and getting a chance to move on to
the NCAA tournament.

(photo credit: AP)

Afflalo Named To AP All-America Team

By Bruin Basketball Report

UCLA junior Arron Afflalo was named to the Associated Press' 2007 All-America team. 

The last time a Bruin was featured on a first-team
All-American roster was in 1995 when Ed O'Bannon led the UCLA to it last national title.

The junior guard hopes to accomplish a similar feat this weekend as he leads his team into a semifinal game against Florida on Saturday with the winner advancing to the championship game on Monday.

"I am very happy about it. But again this is a team sport and I am
focused on this upcoming weekend," Afflalo said. "I haven't really
thought about it too much. I am after one thing and these individual
honors come because of that."

Afflalo is averaging 16.9 points a game and is considered one of the best defenders in college basketball.  The
6-foot-5 guard was earlier named the Pacific-10 Conference Player of the Year.

He is joined on the All-America team by Kevin
Durant (Texas), Alando Tucker (Wisconsin), Acie Law
(Texas A&M), and Greg Oden (Ohio State).  Durant and Oden were the first
freshmen honored since 1990.

"I am very excited for Arron," UCLA coach Ben Howland said. "He
is a great representative of UCLA and UCLA basketball as well as
college basketball.

(photo credit: Jack Rosenfeld)

'Don't call me Coach'

By Steve Hanlon
hanlon@nwitimes.com
Times of Northwest Indiana

(reprinted with permission)
 

Pete Trgovich played for UCLA under Coach John Wooden from 1972-75

John Calipari was inside the John A. Baratto Center in September. The
men's basketball coach at Memphis was watching the E.C. Central players
at an open gym. He was observing junior Angel Garcia, whom Calipari is
recruiting.

As the balls bounced on the floor, Cardinals coach
Pete Trgovich spoke strategy with the coach who has made nine NCAA
tournaments in 14 years of Division I coaching and one Final Four.
Calipari spent an hour diagraming his new offensive system on the
chalkboard, as Trgovich took notes.

As the weeks went on, Trgovich and Calipari spoke on the phone every week or two.

A
long-distance friendship developed, which has helped Trgovich's team
advance to Saturday's Class 4A Lafayette Jeff Semistate against
seven-time state champion Marion. The winner moves on to the state
championship game at Conseco Fieldhouse.

"We haven't had a great
chance of running his stuff, because once we do, we see a zone,"
Trgovich said of Calipari's intricate motion offense, which opens up
the floor for individual one-on-one play. "We've seen a lot of zone
this year."

With three D-I athletes -- Purdue-bound E'Twaun
Moore, Garcia and Kawann Short -- on the floor, that's another reason
people play zone versus E.C. But against Valparaiso in Saturday's
regional championship, when Garcia and Short were in foul trouble,
Trgovich "went small." The perimeter-oriented players ran Calipari's
offense to perfection, continuously getting to the basket against
6-foot-8 standouts Scott Martin and Rob Hummel.

"When you speak
to college coaches, they seem more willing to share stuff," Trgovich
said. "It's a little different with high school coaches."

Trgovich's
resume has the greatest college coach in history, UCLA's John Wooden,
on it. After leading E.C. Washington to the 1971 Indiana state
championship, he played for Wooden and was a part of two Bruins
national championship teams. Wooden's shadow hangs over Trgovich, even
if he isn't comfortable with it.

"I tell people, 'Don't call me
Coach,'" Trgovich said. "To me, there was only one coach and that's
John Wooden. Everything we do fundamentally I learned from Coach
Wooden. I want to give him credit. My critics see what we're doing and
they say, 'That's not what Wooden did.'

"And they're right. That's why he's John Wooden and I'm not."

When
Trgovich moved back to the Region from Southern California, he had no
interest in coaching. Then, he got an itch and became a volunteer
assistant at Purdue Cal and the die was cast. From there, he took over
at South Suburban College, where he was the head coach for four years,
followed by four years as an assistant at Loyola of Chicago.

Every place he's been, Wooden's voice remains in Trgovich's head. And this rings true with these Cardinals.

"We
feel like we're the best conditioned team in the state," Trgovich said.
"Our practices, the kids are always moving, always running."

Trgovich
then laughed about his UCLA days, where the Bruins were told by Wooden
they were the best conditioned team in the country. But the second-year
E.C. coach learned something when he read a book by Wooden a couple of
years ago.

"He said that even if we weren't the best conditioned
team in the country, if we thought we were, then he had done his job as
a coach," Trgovich said.

Like UCLA under the Wizard of Westwood,
E.C. plays a brutal schedule, rated the 27th toughest in the state by
Jeff Sagarin's computer. No other Region team was close. Playing in the
Indianapolis North Central tournament, the Region Roundball Rumble,
along with games against Indianapolis Pike and Arlington, made his team
ready for March.

"We were always playing big games with Wooden,"
Trgovich said. "I agree with that. Those games got us ready for the
postseason, more than anything else."

Another area where
Wooden's shadow hits the gym walls in East Chicago is the expanded time
spent in practice shooting, which was a Wooden trait. While Moore and
Garcia are the best perimeter marksmen, other Cardinals have won
postseason games by knocking down free throws late.

In the past, that didn't happen and E.C. lost big games.

"Hey, we work hard at those," Moore said. "We don't overlook free throws. We can't. If we did we would've lost already."

Moore
has brought a lot of college coaches into E.C.'s gym the last three
years. But he said that Calipari's schemes have helped to give the
Cardinals options they didn't have before.

"We've tried that
offense a few times and it's worked pretty good," Moore said. "Because
of what teams have done, we can't do it all the time. But it's been
good when we've used it, like against Valpo."

Trgovich and his
staff have influenced this team in ways the public doesn't always see.
But the shadow of great basketball minds are behind some of the
success. For Trgovich, he just wants to keep the focus on his players.

"If people come up to me and call me Coach, I tell them to just call me Pete," he said.

Note: Pete Trgovich's East Chicago Central Cardinals won the Indiana Class 4A State championship last Saturday, defeating Indianapolis North Central led by stand-out Eric Gordon, 87-83, before a sold-out Conseco Fieldhouse.

Wooden: 2007 Bruins Defense Is Better

By Bill Dwyre

Los Angeles Times

(reprinted with permission)

Legendary UCLA coach rates Howland's double-teaming style better than the Bruins' mid-1960s brand

Ben Howland can win the NCAA title this Monday in Atlanta. He is well aware of that, as is all of college basketball.

What he isn't aware of is that he has already won a basketball coaches'
lottery, something priceless. It comes in the form of a quote, uttered
Sunday night by college basketball's greatest coach ever.

"I don't think my teams played as good a defense as Ben's teams," John Wooden said.

Wooden is 96 and exaggerates now as much as he ever did. Which is
never. He has no hidden agendas. He loves his Bruins but can still look
at them objectively, as he looks at all of life. He still watches
games, either in person or on TV, like a biology teacher with a frog.
Others see, Wooden dissects.

Wooden coached UCLA to 10 NCAA titles, and he says Howland's teams play
better defense. Read it again. Let it sink in. You hear something like
that from Dick Vitale, you turn the volume down. From Wooden, spoken
softly and presented matter-of-factly, it is a wow.

Wooden won't be in Atlanta this weekend for the Bruins' run at the
title. He will be in Kentucky early in the week for a high school event
that he committed to, and that's enough travel for him for one week.
He'll be back Thursday, ready to watch a team and a coach he's grown
quite fond of.

"I don't get all ruffled up, at least not on the outside," Wooden said.
"But when things aren't going well for them, I'm hurting inside."

In a lengthy interview, Wooden says he has been impressed with how
Howland builds programs, noting that, in each of his head-coaching jobs
— at Northern Arizona, Pittsburgh and now UCLA — he struggled in the
first season and then brought rapid improvement.

"I think here, in his first season, he couldn't get the players to buy into what he wanted," Wooden said. "Now, they have.

"I've always said, in any sport, defense most often will be the
deciding factor. I still love to watch a 1-0 or 2-1 baseball game.

"Players always want to play offense more than defense, but Ben's got
them understanding the job. We never doubled on the ball as much as Ben
does. He just took the big kids from Pitt out of the game the other
night doing that. When I watch his team, I see good fundamentals, and
you know how much I like to see that. I like the way they keep the
floor balanced."

Wooden said his teams, for the most part, played a version of a triangle-and-two defense.

"We'd play three men man-to-man and let the other two float and zone,"
Wooden said, adding that his mid-'60s teams — the Fred Slaughter, Gail
Goodrich, Jack Hirsch years — were as close as any of his teams to the
sort of defensive attacking Howland's teams play.

"I didn't want to do that when I had Lewis [Kareem Abdul-Jabbar] and
later when I had Bill [Walton]," Wooden said. "But [in the years]
between them, we'd go at it like that."

Wooden says he worries about a hot-shooting team counteracting UCLA's double teams.

"Something has to be open when you do that," he said. "Indiana got hot against us."

Wooden also worries about the sometimes helter-skelter nature of
today's game and admits to getting nervous watching Bruins point guard
Darren Collison, as Collison repeatedly drives the middle.

"In practice, I used to put a chair on the free-throw line," Wooden
said. "That's where I wanted the penetration to stop, that's where I
wanted the passes to start from. Now, of course, if you can get a
layup, certainly you do it."

Wooden says he likes the Bruins' game pace. One of his tenets is to be quick but don't hurry.

"We've been behind in a number of games this year," he said, "but I've been liking a lot how we never hurried."

He said he saw the opposite in the Bruins' regional game against Kansas
and that he was surprised how the Jayhawks, as good a team as they
were, hurried too much and got a bit out of control.

"I call that activity without achievement," Wooden said.

He says he understands the game is different now, that things such as
the shot clock and the three-point arc have changed some of the
strategy. He says he doesn't want any of his observations to be taken
as criticism. He also says he is amazed, and somewhat disappointed, at
how physical the game has become, and how much the referees let go.

"My daughter, Nan, made an interesting observation the other night,"
Wooden said. "She said she couldn't ever remember seeing so many
players down on the floor."

Last year, while Howland and the Bruins were making their run all the
way to a loss to Florida in the national title game, Wooden was ill and
eventually hospitalized with an attack of diverticulitis that, it was
eventually revealed, was serious enough to be life-threatening.

Now, he is feeling as fine as one can at 96, staying as active as you
can when all the cartilage in your knees is gone, enjoying dozens of
grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and continuing to make more
public commitments and appearances than daughter Nan would prefer.

And yes, he still drives. His 1988 Ford Taurus — "It's really an '89
because I got it in December of '88," he says — has some trips ahead
down the street for breakfast and lunch at some of his favorite
restaurants in the Valley. The odometer reading, now at 36,000 miles,
might someday hit that magic 40,000 mark.

"My driver's license renewal came, and I've got five more years," Wooden said. "Guess I'm going to have to live to 101."

Don't bet against it.

*

Bill Dwyre can be reached at bill.dwyre@latimes.com.

(photo credit: Christine Cotter / LAT)

Final Four at a Glance

By Bruin Basketball Report

Four of college basketball's heavyweights clash in the Final Four of the NCAA men's basketball tournament in Atlanta.  In one semifinal game, the Florida Gators match-up with the UCLA Bruins and in the other contest Ohio State meets Georgetown.

After losing three of their last four regular season games, the Gators rebounded to sweep through the SEC conference tournament and appear to be back on track to defend their NCAA title. 

Florida returns all five starters from their championship squad but don't appear to be taking any of the remaining games for granted.

“I don’t think your past equals your future." Gator Coach Billy Donovan said. "Last year’s game was already played. Last year is over"

Gator center/forward Joakim Noah is not taking UCLA lightly or their tournament appearance for granted.

“We’ve played UCLA before, but they have different personnel." Noah said. "That’s the thing about the tournament though. On any given night anyone can beat you. It doesn’t matter if you are the better team or not.  If you have an off night, you’re going home and your season is over.”

The Bruins have flexed their muscles in the tourney, defeating tough-minded defensive teams in Indiana and Pittsburgh and then out-playing an athletic Kansas squad.  Against Florida, UCLA needs to keep up the intensity and aggressiveness if they expect to advance to the title game again.

In the Ohio State and Georgetown game, the country gets to watch two giants do battle in the middle as the Buckeyes' 7'0 280lb Greg Oden and Hoyas' 7'2 278lb Roy Hibbert face off on Saturday. 

The freshman sensation Oden arrived at Ohio State amid a lot of hoopla, and for the most part has met all expectations. While the junior Hibbert started the season as a work in progress, but has improved logarithmically becoming one of the most dominant big men in college this season.   

Both teams have faced a tough road in getting to the Final Four.  Ohio State beat Xavier in overtime and then had to rally from a 17 point deficit to defeat  Tennessee in a Sweet 16 game.  While Georgetown had to survive a tough Vanderbilt game and then ran away from No.1 seed North Carolina in overtime to advance to Atlanta. 

A glance at the Final Four teams.

No. 1 Florida Gators (33-5), SEC

Road to Final Four
Def. Jackson State (112-69), Def. Purdue (74-67), Def. Butler (65-57), Def. Oregon (85-77)

Probable Starters
F-Corey Brewer (Jr, 6'9, 185), F/C-Joakim Noah (Jr, 6'11, 232), F/C-Al Horford (Jr, 6'10, 245), G-Lee Humphrey (Sr, 6'2, 192) ,
G-Taurean Green (Jr, 6'0, 177)

Key Reserves
F/C-Chris Richard (Sr, 6'9, 255), G-Walter Hodge (So, 6'0, 170), F-Dan Werner (Fr, 6'7, 235)

No. 2 UCLA Bruins (20-5), Pac 10

Road to Final Four
Def. Weber State (70-42), Def. Indiana (54-49), Def. Pittsburgh (64-55), Def. Kansas (68-55)

Probable Starters

F-Josh Shipp (So, 6'5, 220) F-Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (So, 6'8,
230), C-Lorenzo Mata (Jr, 6'9, 240), G-Darren Collison (So, 6'1, 170),
G-Arron Afflalo (Jr, 6'5, 215)

Key Reserves
F/C-Alfred Aboya (So, 6'8, 235), G/F-Michael Roll (So, 6'5, 200), G-Russell Westbrook (Fr, 6'3, 190)

 

No. 1 Ohio State (34-3), Big 10

Road to Final Four
Def. Central Conn. State (78-57), Def Xavier (78-71), Def. Tennessee (85-84), Def. Memphis (92-76)

Probable Starters
F- Ivan Harris(Sr, 6'7, 220) C-Greg Oden (Fr, 7'0,
280), G-Ron Lewis (Sr, 6'4, 230), G-James Butler (Jr, 6'2, 205),
G-Mike Conley Jr (Fr, 6'1, 180)

Key Reserves
G-Daequan Cook (Fr, 6'5, 210), F-Othello Hunter (Jr, 6'9, 225), G-David Lighty (Fr, 6'6, 220)

No. 2 Georgetown (30-6), Big East

Road to Final Four
Def.Belmont (80-55), Def. Boston College (62-55), Def Vanderbilt (66-65), Def. North Carolina (96-84)

Probable Starters
F-DaJuanSummers (Fr, 6'8, 241), F-Jeff Green (Jr, 6'9, 235), C-Roy Hibbert (Jr, 7'2, 278), G-Jonathan Wallace (Jr, 6'1, 188),
G-Jessie Sapp (So, 6'3, 205)

Key Reserves
G-Ewing (Jr, 6'8, 238), G-Jeremiah Rivers (Fr, 6'4, 205), F-Vernon Macklin (Fr, 6'9, 227)

Bruin Recruiting: Prep News Roundup (3/26)

By Bruin Basketball Report

Prep News Roundup is published every Monday.

Commits

It only makes sense that two of the top prep basketball
players in Oregon history would end their illustrious
careers in historic fashion. In a rare twist, the state's coaches have named Lake
Oswego senior Kevin Love and South Medford senior Kyle
Singler co-players of the year on The Oregonian Class 6A
all-state boys basketball team. Oregonian 3/21

"He wasn't strong enough to finish against guys two and three years older," Coach Harvey Kitani said. Everyone envisioned a day Chace Stanback's body would begin to mature. It
started last summer. Suddenly, there were muscle sightings and times
he'd drive down the key, get hit and finish the play. It has carried over to a magnificent senior season in which the
6-foot-8 Stanback is averaging double figures in rebounds, making
three-point shots in bunches, driving the middle with no hesitation and
becoming a talent like few others. LA Times 3/23

On Saturday night, the City Section champion Lions (28-5) concluded
their most successful season in school history, benefiting from a wave
of missed shots by Oakland McClymonds to come away with a 54-29 victory
in the Division I boys' championship game....Ja'Shon Hampton led Fairfax on offense with 14 points, and Chace
Stanback, Rod Singleton and Chris Solomon added 10 points apiece. LA Times 3/25

Recruits

Sophomore forward Renardo Sidney is nearing the end of his first
season with the Artesia High boys basketball team and over this past
weekend, he admitted he's sad to see it go for several reasons. After transferring in from Mississippi, the 6-foot-10
Sidney has been magnificent for the Pioneers this season. He's
averaging 18 points and 8 rebounds a game Press-Telegram 3/20

His stats aren't mind-blowing, but as Foster says: "He could score no points and dominate a game." It is Drew Gordon's potential that excites coaches most. Only 16, he's still growing into his frame. Gordon is being courted by nearly every major-college program in the
country.  Gordon has made unofficial recruiting visits to Cal, Duke, North
Carolina, UCLA and Washington and soon will take one to Arizona. He has
plenty more schools on his list and plans to narrow his choices to five
within the next couple of weeks. A decision is likely by summer. San Jose Mercury News 3/22

With Southern Section co-Player of the Year
James Harden (with Mater Dei's King) moving on to Arizona State and
Story headed to the East Coast, some are wondering if 6-10 sophomore
Renardo Sidney, who transferred to Artesia from Mississippi last
summer, might look to move somewhere else. "I don't think Renardo is going anywhere," Artesia coach Loren Grover told the Times. Sacramento Bee 3/23

Mater Dei Coach Gary McKnight stood with his arms and fists extended
upwards in triumph -- or relief -- as his players converged on the
court to celebrate their 69-64 overtime victory over San Jose Mitty. Sophomore David Wear had 10 points and seven rebounds, and senior
Kamyron Brown made seven of 12 free throws and finished with nine
points.... It was barely enough to off-set 20 points by 6-5 junior Collin
Chiverton and 17 points, 13 rebounds and four blocked shots from 6-9
junior Drew Gordon. LA Times 3/24

Justin Holiday hoisted the championship plaque over his head after
Campbell Hall High of North Hollywood's 70-34 victory over Cardinal
Newman of Santa Rosa in the CIF Div. IV state title game Saturday....Jrue Holiday finished with 20 points, Justin Holiday and Ford added 15 each, and Hornbuckle contributed 10 points.  LA Daily News 3/24

Renardo Sidney once considered high school basketball unimportant.
Fast forward to Saturday afternoon, and he had a change of heart.The
sophomore from Artesia High School of Lakewood led his team to a 91-64
pounding of Bishop O'Dowd of Oakland in the California Interscholastic
Federation Division III Boys State Basketball Championships at Arco
Arena.After the game, the 6-foot-10, 235-pound Sidney
bear-hugged and high-fived his teammates, celebrating Artesia's second
consecutive D-III title and fifth overall state championship.
"I love high school now," he said. "Everybody wants me to hurry up,
graduate and move on to the next level. But I've always said I want to
enjoy my high school career. It's not better than AAU, but the high
school game does get you ready for college." Sacramento Bee 3/24

(photo credit: LA Times)