Kevin Love Chosen For Cover of EA Sports NCAA '09

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – September 11, 2009 – Electronic Arts Inc., (NASDAQ: ERTS) today revealed that former UCLA student-athlete basketball star Kevin Love has been chosen for the cover of the newly named EA SPORTS™ college basketball videogame NCAA® Basketball 09 for Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system, and the PLAYSTATION®3 and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment systems.

“There is more to college basketball than just the 65 team post season NCAA Tournament, and our new name reflects this,” said Peter Moore, President, EA SPORTS. “College basketball is about the entire season, focusing on the fantastic school rivalries, recruiting, home court advantage, student sections, mascots, and loud arenas. The culmination of all of this is the tournament and NCAA March Madness, but to get there it takes so much more.”

NCAA Basketball 09 is not just a new name; it introduces a new way to play college basketball that mirrors real life. A new, strategic gameplay feature challenges gamers to replicate their school’s style of play, set the tempo and win. Whether your school plays up tempo looking to push the ball in transition, runs a half-court offense that utilizes the clock and limits possessions or features a balanced attack that combines transition offense with set plays, NCAA Basketball 09 rewards the strategic gamer and emphasizes team specific styles of play.

NCAA Basketball 09 will feature Division I coaches in-game for the first time. Each coach will provide real time instruction and feedback, helping gamers control the tempo by executing their team’s offense and defense to perfection.

This year on Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3, NCAA Basketball 09 will operate on a new gameplay engine with over 1,000 new animation sequences that deliver a more responsive experience with improved ball physics and more intelligent AI. The new animation system enables gamers to apply pressure defense with new full-court presses and traps. Plus, improved AI and animations enable quicker players to get up and down the floor faster and make better decisions running the lanes and driving to the rim. Animations can be interrupted at any time, enabling you to read and respond to the action on the floor, just like real life.

Love is the first UCLA basketball player to be featured on the cover of the EA SPORTS college basketball game. A student-athlete with a 3.2 grade point average, Love was a first team All-American while leading the Bruins in scoring at 17.5 points per game and rebounding at 10.6 rebounds per game as a true freshman. Named 2008 Pac-10 Freshman and Player of the Year, Love led UCLA to the Men’s Final Four®. He was the fifth pick in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Memphis Grizzlies and later traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

“It is quite an honor to be named cover athlete of NCAA Basketball 09,” Love said. “When you look back at some of the great players who have had this opportunity, it’s exciting to be a part of the EA SPORTS family and contribute to a game I’ve been playing for a long time.”

NCAA Basketball 09 will build upon the authenticity that epitomized the No. 1 selling* NCAA® March Madness® franchise by capturing the emotion, intensity, and atmosphere of a real college basketball game. Feel the excitement of game night with the band playing fight songs, the student section leading the cheers and popular ESPN college basketball broadcasters Dick Vitale, Brad Nessler, and Erin Andrews providing the commentary.

NCAA Basketball 09 is in development at EA Canada in Burnaby, B.C. It will ship to stores in fall 2008. The game is not yet rated by the ESRB. To learn more about the game visit www.ncaabasketball09.com. Box art of NCAA Basketball 09 can be downloaded at http://info.ea.com.

Bruin Recruiting: Prep News Roundup (9/8)

By Bruin Basketball Report

Prep News Roundup is published every Monday.

Commits

Junior Tyler Lamb (video) gave UCLA his verbal commitment last week to join its 2010 freshman class. Lamb, a skilled 6'5 190 lb shooting guard, is an excellent perimeter player with a great feel for the game. He had attended Colony High School in Ontario the past two years but is expected to enroll and play at Mater Dei this season. Bruin Basketball Report 9/2

Ontario Colony Coach Jerry DeFabiis, in a text message Wednesday night, told The Times that his team's standout junior guard, Tyler Lamb, is "already there," referring to Mater Dei. "Been done deal for awhile." Lamb, who committed to UCLA last week, said Wednesday night he could not comment on possibly transferring but indicated he was "in the process." He said he was not enrolled in a school as of Wednesday. Lamb averaged 27 points for Colony. His arrival at Mater Dei would give the Monarchs the best starting five in California. LA Times 9/3

Riverbank opens up TVL play by hosting the talented Modesto Christian Crusaders on Oct. 17. The new-look Crusaders will be featuring UCLA-bound basketball recruit Reeves Nelson in shoulder pads and helmet for Modesto Christian. Riverbank News 9/3

Recruits

The Missouri basketball team's backcourt of the future could be in Columbia this weekend as Michael Dixon and Michael Snaer will make officials visits to the MU campus. Dixon, a senior point guard at Lee's Summit West, has already committed to join Mike Anderson's 2009 recruiting class. Snaer, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard from Rancho Verde High School in Moreno Valley Calif., whom Rivals.com ranks as the 11th best player in the 2009 recruiting class, could still join him, but he will reportedly visit as many as five schools -- Missouri, Florida State, Marquette, UCLA and Stanford -- before making up his mind. The two recruits should be on hand as the current MU players hold an open gym on Saturday afternoon at Mizzou Arena. Columbia Tribune 9/3

Avery Bradley will attend Findlay College Prep in Henderson, Nev., said Garry Ward, Bradley's AAU coach. "He just left the state on a plane at three o'clock," Ward said. Bradley, one of the nation's most heralded high school basketball players, withdrew from Bellarmine Prep last week. Ward said Bradley needed to raise his core GPA to become eligible to play basketball in college as a freshman. According to Ward, Bradley has whittled his college choices to three schools -- Kansas, Texas and UCLA -- and will announce his decision "later this week or early next week." Ward said Bradley was on track to graduate at Bellarmine Prep in June 2009 and was academically eligible under Bellarmine Prep and Washington Interscholastic Activities Association rules. "His GPA has got to be higher," Ward said, "and we all know that Bellarmine Prep is one of the toughest academic schools in the state." News Tribune 9/3

Point guard Abdul Gaddy of Bellarmine Prep in Tacoma, Wash., was on campus today as part of his official visit, and was meeting with UCLA coach Ben Howland this afternoon. Gaddy is expected to play pickup with many of the Bruins, as well as the NBA players that come around today, in the men's gym. LA Daily News 9/4

The father of highly regarded big man prospect Daniel Orton said on Wednesday that Kentucky was the favorite in the recruiting race for his son. "I would kind of say that," Larry Orton said. When asked why Kentucky was the favorite, the elder Orton had a one-word response: "Basketball," he said. Orton, the son, plans to visit basketball country at an optimal time. He has set up an official campus visit for Oct. 9-11, the weekend Kentucky will stage its Big Blue Madness celebration. Orton, the son, a 6-foot-10, 256-pound center/forward, said Kentucky was among his top three schools, along with Kansas and Ohio State. Orton, who lives in Oklahoma City, also mentioned Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas. Kentucky Sports 9/4

Heard some whispers over the summer that Anthony Stover was thinking about leaving Renaissance Academy, and as it turns out, the rumors appear to be true. The Daily News blogged that the 6-foot-10 senior enrolled at Windward, but I needed confirmation, and got it. "There's nothing we can do about Anthony not being here,'' Renaissance Academy Coach Sid Cooke said. "If he does well at Windward, great for him. I wish him the best, honestly. You know, maybe it will be a better fit for him. We're going to move on. Unfortunately, that's all we can do now, at this point.'' Stover is being recruited by several Division I programs and recently received an offer from UCLA. He'll join Michigan-bound Darius Morris at Windward, which all of a sudden looks like a force to be reckoned with. LA Times 9/4

Marquette has scheduled an official visit with Michael Snaer for the weekend of Sept. 19-21, to coincide with Al's Run. Snaer is a 6-foot-5 shooting guard from Moreno Valley, Calif., and a top-15 recruit nationally. He's also being recruited heavily by Florida State, Missouri and UCLA. Snaer will be the only player Marquette hosts that weekend, which is something of a break from years past, when a handful of players would be brought in at the same time. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 9/5

The Antlers — that venerable student group that loves to get under the skin of Missouri basketball opponents — was playing nice Saturday afternoon. Oh, they stood and screamed incessantly inside Mizzou Arena. But they were yelling for, not at, Class of 2009 national recruit Michael Snaer. “Michael Snaer! M-I-Z! Sign MU!” The Antlers called. Snaer looked up, and grinned.
Which MU coach Mike Anderson would have enjoyed. But he did not attend the open gym workout of his current players, oral commitment Mike Dixon from Lee’s Summit West and Snaer — that would be against NCAA rules. KansasCity.com 9/7