Bruin Recruiting: Prep News Roundup (11/15)
By Bruin Basketball Report
Prep News Roundup is published every Monday.
Commits
Guard Norman Powell (San Diego, Calif./Lincoln) signed his national letter of intent Wednesday and will join the UCLA basketball program next season, the school announced on the first day of the early signing period. ESPNU ranks the 6-foot3 guard at No. 47 overall and No. 15 shooting guard in the class of 2011. Powell averaged 19.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.7 steals in guiding Lincoln to the CIF Division II state title last season. ”I’m really excited about Norman Powell joining our basketball program and family,” coach Ben Howland said in a statement released by the school. “He’s one of the most athletic kids that we will have had in this program in a while and one of the most athletic kids since I’ve been here. ESPN 11/10
Recruits
Why little drama Wednesday? Of the Sporting News top 25 players, 23 have chosen their schools. Unless a player suddenly changes his mind, it should be a quiet, business-as-expected day. The two SN25 players uncommitted are No. 19 DeAndre Daniels, a 6-8 power forward from IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., and No. 25 Cody Zeller, a 6-10 power forward from Washington, Ind. Daniels -- who backed out of a Texas commitment -- might opt to sign in the late period and has Kentucky, NC State, UCLA, UNLV and Southern Cal high on his list. Sporting News 11/9
The highest ranked player who remains uncommitted in the NBE Post-Summer Class of 2011 Top 150 will not be signing this week in the early signing period. DeAndre Daniels, who checks in as the 15th ranked player in the class, is not too worried about the recruiting process at the moment. IMG Director Andy Borman fills in Jeff Borzello about the former Texas verbal commitment and his recruitment. “His decommitment had nothing to do with Texas, it had everything to do with DeAndre,” Borman said. “He’s not worried about schools right now, he’s worried about getting better.” Kansas has been to Florida to watch Daniels, while UCLA plans on coming next week.NBE Basketball 11/10
Steve Lavin's recruiting haul gets bigger by the day. One day after introducing a five-man recruiting class, St. John's received a verbal pledge from 6-foot-10, 200-pound Los Angeles Price center Norvel Pelle, the No. 2 center in the Class of 2011 according to Rivals. "It feels like a home away from home," Pelle told ESPNU Thursday. "Coach Lavin is a very smart guy. He's a very smart coach. I just loved the way he approached the situation. "He was calm and cool. He knew other schools wanted me, and he gave me space and also made sure I knew they wanted me." Pelle was to have visited Washington this weekend, but now that visit won't be necessary. SNY.TV 11/12
BBR :: Article Link :: 11:39 AM ::
47 comments
47 Comments:
After a long hiatus, I am back. Looks like we have the same team as last year, only younger. Here's my beef. Anderson, Lane and Stover are not D1 UCLA type players...drop them after this year for real prospects...I'll blame Donny Daniels. L Jones - the jury is out. Reeves N would be a 6th man at Duke. We have no inside game and will get smoked by SUC. It makes u appreciate the run we had with Westbrook, Farmar, Love, MBah etc... still shakin my head...NIT would be an improvement...if you have a problem with it...stand up and speak now...thats my prediction....
Overall the team might be younger, but the starters are older. I'm thinking more like 20-10 and a NCAA invite.
Overall I agree with True Bruin, but 20-10 might b a stretch. If we're younger, it's because we got rid of some dead wood seniors. BruinFan is way wrong about Jones, who has proven to the jury he is very sound, and way wrong about Lane, who has shown he can hit the 3 and who has much greater strength and rebounding ability. Unfortunately, though, Stover is still a work in progress, as is Smith. On Anderson, we all agree.
These guys are so young - don't forget to factor in improvement, growth and jelling as a team. It's pointless to compare them individually with Duke. It's still a team sport.
Reeves is already exceeding expectations and the others will too.
Believe. In the coach and the team.
I watched the Bruins on ESPNU the past two nights and I wish I had a shot chart to illustrate their lack of scoring from the outside. All their points were in the paint thanks to Nelsen and putbacks from the front line.
They will struggle from the outside. I was very disappointed by Tyler Lamb against Pepperdine and Pacific. His shots are not close and these were clean open looks after going inside out. Honeycutt and Nelsen seem to be graeter threats as jump shooters. If Lee is out for a while, teams will pack it in and the Bruins will be hurting.
As I predicted, Jones has won the right to be the PG for this team. The kid plays within himself and knows his role. He seems to have a high baskball IQ which is better than Andersen who still looks like a D III player.
Lane was also impressive, but he needs to b e a lot more aggrssive on both ends of the floor.
Perhaps the biggest disappointment was the HS all American, Josh Smith. He seems out of shape, completely ineffective inside and not at all mobile in the transition or half court game. Unless he improves dramatically, Nelsen, Honeycutt, Jones and Lane will have to lead this team to respectability.
It's nice to be 3-0 but dpn't be surprised if Villanova simply runs past them in NYC and posts a double digit hammering of the young Bruins. We have no one who can stay in front of their guards; they are faster now then they were with Scottie Reynolds.
All in all, the Bruins have beaten teams they were supposed to beat. Nelsen is going to get Pac 10 honors; if Honeycutt continues to move well without the ball, Zeke will find him and if Smith builds up his Cardio, we might hit 15-18 wins because of our front line.
Stover doesn't like taking charges and swats at anything going down the lane. He just doesn't seem to want to play. That's a shame because he could give Nelsen and foul prone Smith a bit of a break if he would contribute on the defensive end on every play.
My 4 open roster spots
Anderson - we all agree
Stover - 7feet of stupid who played Div 5 high school basketball. He red-shirted last yr, he was that "raw." Not a talent
Lane reminds me of a volleyball player...Div 2 prospect
Zeke Jones will get his shoe laces tangled and fall down when we play quick guards. He already can't stand in front of Pacific and Pepperdine guards...
We don't have point guard play
We don't have an inside game.
NIT? Who's coming with me?
Carlino has not been brought up yet but I wonder why Howland recruited him...that's 5 roster spots for nxt year!!
BRUINFAN SAYS N.I.T. Don't give me this crap about "jelling" We are barely beating Pepperdine and Pacific AT HOME....B***S***
Then u let Harrison Barnes get away....
we will see how we do on the road...we barely beat Pacific and Peppermint panseys at home...painful to watch if u r a die hard BruinFan
I need Jahii Carson signed as soon as possible Coach BH....grab your b***s and clear a roster spot....
panic now, get him signed...you might make the NIT this yr without a good guard....
At least we are winning the games we are supposed to win. With that said, here is my .02 cents. The starting Five are decent(assuming Lee is the same or better). I like Zeke. He is decisive, can penetrate and kick out. Already has good chemistry with Nelson and H-cutt. Does get beat by quick guards, still a huge upgrade from you know who! Smith has a lot of improvement to focus on. If he starts OWNING the paint with his body and stays out of foul trouble, he could be a good one. If Lee, Honeycutt and Nelson share the heavy lifting, good things will happen.
The bench is ANOTHER story. Foul trouble and/or injury this season will make the difference between a 20-10 record and a 12-15 mark. Ben will have to steal minutes with this bunch. Lane, Stover, Anderson etc, are capped talent/heart/brain wise. The exception might be Lamb, he'll get better. Don't know about Carlino. The Wears can't come soon enough. The Nova game could be a blowout or (with a healthy Lee)a fun one. GO BRUINS!
Bruin66: I absolutely agree with you. I think this team has a significant upside barring major injuries. I think the defense will take a while, but I think this team will win their share of games until they really put it together by mid to late February.
While our PG arent fast, that is not the biggest problem. Teams can get by without a fast PG so long as he can manage the game well. Keep the TO low and the offense moving.
What we need to do better is rotation defense which we are still struggling at time trying to close out players.
The thing we miss the most of anything is not a fast PG, it is a play maker. We do not have a player who can create his own shot from anywhere on the court. This what makes our offense difficult as we dont have that one player who can create plays for others easily nor one who can takeover.
Honeycutt and Nelsen is doing well but beyond mid court, they really dont create their own shot much. They are more opportunist players than anything. I do like the fact that they hustle and play hard which is great.
You can't underestimate experience. I for one am thrilled simply for the reason that this team knocked off Pacific and Pepperdine--powerhouses, no, but not patsies either--is advancing to play in New York on a national stage, and will come away with some great experience. For a youthful squad this is beneficial. I take a more positive view than some right now; the Bruins have faced some competition and have been able to learn a few things and gauge their progress in victory rather than defeat. Smith looks apprehensive and lost, so experience will continue to benefit him greatly. I like that Ben is giving Stover some minutes simply because the ability to play him means getting some length and foot speed on the defensive end. You just hope he becomes more stable and competent at the offensive end while improving his defense. It appears that Honeycutt and Nelson have worked on their outside shots this past summer, so that could be an added element to the offense...though I love Nelson working around the basket for interior hoops and creating foul troubles for opponents. This team will only get better. Washington is the class of the league, yet there might be more upside for our group -- enough so that we might surprise after the calendar turns to 2011. My two cents :-)
Damn Jammer, are we long-lost brothers? I couldn't have said it better myself and I agree 1000% with everything you said. The (lack of) outside shooting scares me. Honeycutt can put them in from there but if our guards can't make the defense honor them around the 3 point line, we will have trouble.
Additionally, we have not had an effective guard stopper on defense since Afflalo. We saw what Memphis did to our guards in the final four a few years back, and my research shows that the majority of our losses have come with the opposing team's guard being their high scorer (Augustine/Texas, Brooks/Oregon, etc, etc, etc).
Unless Lamb steps up there and/or Lee springs back, any team with an agressive, physical guard is going to blast thru and cause our bigs to foul them.
But all in all, I think we definitely improve over last year. Just the fact that Nelson and Honeycutt have a year under their belts and Smith can at least help out Nelson, allowing Reeves to play his more natural position of forward. But Honeycutt lives and dies by his pass. Great at times but way too many forced as he is tour turnover leader each game.
The entire roster should stay one more year after this and get any stupid ideas like they will be NBA ready by the end of the season out of their heads. That would make next year pretty interesting for us Bruins!
Let's see how we do agianst the Corey Crew this week. I know we have a better inside game and I know ours guards are not as bad as people seem to believe. I'm telling you guy's, we will win 20, end up in the top 3 or 4 in the P10 and win at least one in the Big Show, maybe two if Smith shows up. We have the Name, we have the Coach and all the ingrediants for a successful year. Let's get cooking Bruins!!!
This team isn't a finished product, but it has a solid foundation. Reminds me of Howland's first couple of years of success. With a solid foundation to build on, this team should improve significantly over the next 4 months. We are making the tournament. And I anticipate at least a couple of HUGE and unexpected wins down the road.
So after watching the full Villanova Ucla game, things confirm my belief about this Ucla team. We are still missing many things right now. The positive factor is that we do play hard which is always needed against any opponent. The front line confirms that it is solid but still a bit raw.
The back court, offense, and team defense is still pretty bad. Our guards are just too slow to stop others. We fouled way too much in this game which means our footspeed and discipline is horrible. Too many blowbys and biting on pump fakes. The offense still lacks a play maker who can create for himself and others. Our rotating defense is still in needing of some work.
What I do really like is the potential of Josh Smith if he can shed another 20 pounds and muscle up. With average guard play and still a lack of consistent outside shooting, we really can pound it inside if our front guys shape up and get better.
The lineup of Smith, Honeycutt, Nelsen, Lee/Lamb, and Jones can really do well if Smith trims up and increase footspeed and stamina. I cant wait to see this lineup workout better.
Decent effort overall but too many fouls put this game hard to win.
Smith is at most a 2 years and out player. The offense needs to go to him. Nelson has improved. Honeycutt needs to stop playing point guard and start jamming the ball. He's really the only swag we got. Malcolm Lee is beginning to annoy me as Anderson...they just need to go away. Jones was solid although I think he was intimidated at times. Needs to shoot more. That's all folks. Happy Turkey day!
The game with Villanova clearly illustrated that these Bruins are not a team worthy of a NCAA bid (right now).
Howland has his bigs "hedge" on all pick and rolls and smart guards will bury their shoulders into Smith, Stover, Lane and Nelsen and put them in the "bonus within 7 minutes of the operning tip (this happened last night).
It was not surprising that the Wildcat guards blew by Jones, Andersen and Lee, but where was the weakside help and rotation? This is fundementally poor basketball and Howland needs to take some heat for this. He has a front line that doesn't want to take a charge and commits too many foolish fouls, simply because they don't move their feet.
Jones was outclassed; Nelsen was ineffective; Smith has been a major bust so far; he was pushed around and never established a low post presence.
Lamb -- will this kid ever make a shot at UCLA? He had one beautiful layup, but that was a very poor outing for him on both ends of the court.
They showed some "onions" with Stover in there, but missed crucial free throws that could have dwindled the lead down to four; add a couple of stops and we could have been there.
The superior team won and the Bruins looked sloppy and our of control - turning the ball over with no pressure on them at all. Honeycutt was simply horrible with his poor decision making. This team is going to go as far as Nelsen, Honeycutt and Jones take them.
The bright side ... Nelsen, Honeycutt, Lee, Smith are not going anywhere close to the NBA next year. Stick around boys and with the Wear Twins, you might go out a "winner".
Howland needs to stop using early defections and youth as an excuse. Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky, UConn all have youth and they look more seasoned.
Don't be too shocked if they lose on Wednesday toa very scrappy and sharp shooting team in the 3rd place game.
Not being negative ... just a realist. They are not good enough to only play 6-10 minutes of all out defense during a 40 minute game. There was no passion and no execution. There was also no outside shot... Roll will be missed dearly.
Let's hope these guys look at their jerseys and remember that they are representing a storied program that deserves a much greater effort and commitment to sound fundementals and unselfish play.
All this neagative talk and the Bruins were in it for the most part. They played agianst a probable NBA future backcourt on a Top 5 team.
Are you a Bruin Fan? The team rotation will adjust and respond, just give it time. UCLA is easily a top 40 team.
Jammer I disagree with your long and boring assessment. This team showed promise. The team could have just quit and been blown out by a very good Villanova team, but they showed heart by staying in the game. For a very young team, that's shows a lot. Why don't you go in your hole this year Jammer...obviously you are waiting the 2011-2012 season. We don't need your services now.
The Bruins gave this one away. Honeycutt should have had that last shot. It's almost as if their inside and outside game are not on the same page. This is something they have to work on. Defensively they gave to much away and turnovers continue to be a problem. They have a string of teams on their schedule they should beat easily, which could be bad for league preparation. Howland should have schedule some tougher teams in there. Lane, Reeves and Lee are leading with heart Honeycutt and Jones need some of that. Smith, Lamb and Stover have to pick it up as top reserves. I believe Lane has won a spot in the starting five. Anderson should be regulated as a spot player. I still see a 20-10 final record with a NCAA bid.
As I mentioned several days ago, I was welcoming this opportunity for the Bruins to head east, play on a national stage and face some top-caliber competition. They came away with two defeats -- disappointing in that they were "Ls" -- yet leaving me at least feeling that this team learned some things and should be able to compete night in and night out. That says a lot compared to last season's group. There were plenty of moments of frustration watching these two games. Turnovers -- physical and mental -- basketball IQ screw-ups,...things as I said that were frustrating. I believe the coaching staff also learned a lot from these games, i.e., who is ready to be on the floor and when...and who's not. I came away impressed with Brendan Lane for his defense around the rim, Zeke Jones for hitting some big shots from distance and in the paint, and Nelson in the paint. Yet Lane is very slow to recover after a hedge, Jones committed a few big turnovers and had some issues defending, and Nelson just doesn't demand the ball in the paint like he should. I like Smith for his presence around the basket at the offense end with the ball, but someone in this string claimed he'd be no more than a 2 and done at UCLA. My friend, I have a truckload of biscuits for you to share with Smith if that holds true. He had to come off the floor early in the VCU game because he was a defensive liability on the trap. Honeycutt was a roller coaster, making some nice plays and some that left you scratching your head. This team needs to improve at the defensive end before anything else. If you can get stops, the turnovers don't become so glaring and magnified. Weak-side help means stepping in to stop the ball...and that help wasn't there so many times. But I am optimistic. There is talent, and they should be in every game. Now they have to turn the feel-good losses into satisfying victories.
MS:
A quick word. If my postings are boring, don't read them. If they hit on some truths you Bruin slappies simply don't want to admit, then the fault lies with you.
Showing heart and not folding ... yes, let's rest our NCAA hopes on moral victories. Give me a break!
They had a chance to get two quality victories on a national stage and never led in either game for a second. They weren't supposed to beat Villanova, but could have with some better defense. They faught hard against VCU, but didn't rotate well to defend the three point shot and their power forward had a great game. They need to upset Kansas and BYU and win the PAC 10 Tournament to get to the March dance.
They are a much better team than last year ... are these the kind of statements that are going to get you through another sub par year?
The team is young, prone to mistakes, and will get better. But it will not happen for them this year. Their collective IQ is simply not there yet.
Smith is a liability; he gets beaten on pick and rolls, is prone to stupid fouls and has not made a shot outside of 8 feet all year. Honeycutt is a scorer and should quit acting as a point guard. Jones is the only true point guard on this team, but he seems to be a tad slow to keep up with quicker guards. Lane showed some promising skills. Nelsen needs to make this his team, but he is getting very little help. Lamb ...is this year's bust (so far); he can't make any open jumper.
On the plus side, they have a lot of fight and heart and Lee was impressive against VCU.
Why Bruin fans get upset when they read the truth is simply a mystery to me.
Howland needs to make these guys accountable. They are npot going to win by giving up 89 points. That is simply not a Ben Howland team. He will be the firts one to admit it.
It's time you admitted some glaring facts about this year's squad.
Better than last year? Yes
A team with some upside? Yes
A team that plays with heart? At times
A team that is capable of beating anyone in the top 25? Not right now.
A team with an unreliable backcourt? It will get there ... in one more year with Jones and Lee as seniors and if Powell is as good as advertised.
Read what the experts are saying about this team. They are not readt for Prime Time right now. Give it another year and hope RN, ML, JS, TH, LJ, all stick around and don't have allusions of grandeur like you do.
TB:
I am a diehard Bruin fan. Villanova has some great guards who will be playing at the next level very soon. They were outclassed on top.
Weakside help and rotation is not something you should be working on 5 games into the season. The Bruin guards need to funnel drivers into our big front line, but they are rotating too slowly and it will continue to be their weak point on defense. Howland does not have the bigs (Smith, Stover, Lane) that can hedge and then get back to defend the pick and roll, pick and pop a lot better.
If you watched Kansas against UA last night, you will see that things will get ugly for the Bruins by next week and they could be below .500 when PAC 10 play begins.
Granted, they played well at times, but they made too many mistakes and their shot selection was very suspect. They need to hold teams below 70 points if they are going to win; they are a much better offensive team and will score some points, but they have to stop the other team and defend the 3's a lot better.
They will get there as the season goes on, but they are NIT bound right now.
My posts will be simple this yr as a long time poster...
NIT this yr....
No inside offense
No inside defense
Stover, Anderson, Lane and Carlino need to transfer
WE ARE UCLA not the beavers from oregon st or the gamecocks from south carolina or the lame ducks of oregon
What a lost yesterday to see a great recruit that lives a few miles down from me and in southern cal commit to Arizona. Yes even though there was an Arizona connection by his coaches, I was certainly hoping we can land Grant Jerret but it wasnt so...
Last year I was so high on Terrence Jones and felt he was much superior to Leslie even when CJ Leslie was ranked higher and we didnt get him, and now we didnt get Jerret either.... *sigh* Sorry folks just venting some frustration here.
Good thing it was good times with family and friends this weekend or it was a tough week seeing our football and basketball got crushed...
Hope all had a great Thanksgiving...
I think everyone here has some valid points about the Bruins team and I do agree with some of the things Jammer said. Being critical in a constructive way is fine and doesnt make you any less of a fan. As a matter of fact, true fans just like true friends are often the most critical of us, but the important thing is that they stay supportive.
While Villanova was better than us, I am not that impressed at their team either as while we played so poorly, we still had a good chance of winning it. I was not surprised Tennessee beat them badly.
Anyhow I do like that our team as a whole are improving compared to last year yet there are tons of thing that are in need of improvement. Things like what i posted previously as well as what Jammer and some other folks said. The blessing in all of this may be the fact that we will get another year or two of the same group of players which hopefully will be much better with more time.
UCLA basketball and even the entire sports has been on a decline in the last few years. Our basketball especially has been living on the past. We keep talking about all the championships, wooden, and all that but the fact is that is wayyy back. In the last 35 years, we got 1 championship and two or was it three finals.
Coach Ben did a great job in those 3 final four runs which were really unforseen by anyone really but we certainly appreciate it. I forgot who said earlier that our continual excuse of these last two years of players leaving early and youth is used too often. Right now as much as it hurts to admit, we arent at the calibur of the UNC, Duke, and a few other schools.
Many top school have players leaving early, that is part of the management part that will see it happen. While that is uncontrollable, recruiting is and this is where we have been hurting. We need to do a better job at this.
I am sure things will turn around at UCLA because we have to! It will be interesting to see our recruiting in the class of 2012 since we will have 4-5 scholarships?
In either case, I cheer for the guys we have currently and hope we can get better results for the recruits in the future.
Whoever is recruiting for UCLA needs to be fired. I see we have good players, but there is something weird about the chemistry of players. There is no mix of older players and younger players for year to year transition. It's like a big mess of okay players year in and year out.
Finally, someone who sees things as they truly are. Thank you!
The entire UCLA athletic program is in the dumps and we simply don't recruit well in the major sports.
Hopefully the new renovations and some wins will make these kids want to come to Westwood.
It will be a real test of character against Kansas. They simply have a lot of talented and unselfish players as well as a terrific coach. They have a nice blend of youngsters and upper classmen. UCLA does not have any of the above right now; it will get better come PAC 10 conference play if they all play team basketball and make the extra pass; take a charge, rotate well and run out to defend the 3 point line.
Offensively, they will need to rely on Nelsen, Honeycutt, Jones and Lee. Smith is not ready right now. Weight and conditioning are an issue. He is a boy playing among men and that will clearly be seen against the Jayhawks who simply don't beat themselves.
Our guys have some complimentary skills that if allowed to work within a system that Howland needs to commit to, will pay dividends.
I wish people would stop thinking that Freshman will take them to the promised land. Take a look at what UConn is doing and look at their point guard; same holds true for Michigan State and Duke. They are led by seniors. The Baby Bruins just have to cut their teeth for another year and stick around. Then they will get some well deserved attention.
Howland has too many "below average" players on scholarship. Stover, Anderson, Lane, Lamb, Carlino -- none of these guys are D 1 players. That's four scholarships that are not available. Recruiting and long term planning is lacking of the court and fundementally sound skills is lacking on the court. They need to fix both of these quickly.
Let's hope AD DG will see that athletics at UCLA are resting on past achievements and the current state of the program is a mess. Just beacuse we share the same city with the big cheats "downtown" has diffused some of the problems that are clearly residing in uptown Westwood.
We are averaging 16 turnovers a game and so far after 5 games, Honeycutt has committed 30% of those. Jones is not far behind. If we are going to rely on certain individuals to get us thru by receiving a lot of touches and/or controlling the ball up the court, it is crucial the turnovers are reduced drastically. As much as I like Tyler, he needs to really work on that area. Enough fancy passes or trying to thread the needle too hard.
And I have said this before, if we don't have guards who can D-up, it will kill our bigs by forcing them to be out of position to foul good penetrating guards!
Keep Lamb, clear 4 more roster spots...
No inside O
No inside D
NIT is my chant all year...Lord, I hope
I am wrong...
Jammer, I am going to call you out because you seem to be the most outspoken about how bad this team is...this program is...the coaching is...the recruiting is. You said Smith would be a boy playing among men in the Kansas game. Well, that boy chalked up 17 and 13. And while the Bruins suffered an "L" (crap foul call with boy guys going for the ball, not committed when Kansas had control), this team again proved it has heart and won't quit. They've played catch-up in all their losses, but they're on the brink of great things. You have to feel all these guys are feeling good about going into #4's gym, facing that streak of 60+ wins, coming back from 6 down with a couple minutes left and being right there. It's frustrating that they couldn't experience a memorable win. I wanted to see BH get this as well. He had them ready to play.
Sorry -- typo: (crap foul call with BOTH guys going for the ball, not committed when Kansas had control),
That was the best game the Bruins have played. They were a completely different team than the one that played in the NIT. You have to agree that if they played in NYC as they played tonight, they would be 5-1 and in the top 25.
Please read carefully... I never said they were bad, I stated the obvious that up to the Kansas game they looked mediocre at best.
Howland wanted this one badly and he was close against a very good team.
I know some of you will be calling me out for my "about face".
They are still a long way away from being a NCAA bound team. Why?
The committe looks at quality wins and they don't have one yet and only BYU and Washington are currently ranked. Unless they have a stellar conference play (winning 80% of their games) and beat BYU, they will not be getting in.
The three losses thus far will come back to haunt them.
Honeycutt was terrific; as was Smith. Howland aobviously had them work hard all week and it showed.
They have heart ... if they can get something from the 3 L's (Lee, Lamb and Lane), they will be fine.
I'm so proud to be a Bruin today. This team has not played a game like this for over 3 years.
They are still only 7-8 deep... thus the slight on their recruiting. Can't deny it. Lamb, Lee, Anderson have all been disappointing thus far. If Lee could have helped out TH tonight we would have won.
Well done boys!
Jammer: I am so glad to see you eating some crow. Kudos for that. Way to man up. And will everyone stop dissing Smith, Lane and Stover too. Make that Lamb too. Give them all some time. Lee is a bit of another story, because he is a junior now and should be more consistent. Gotta say I was a bit disappointed with Reeves last night; he makes great plays but also too many mistakes.
Good job boys. It shows how impt it is to have Smith on the floor. Anderson - how many turnovers at crucial times did he have? Geeez...Are we minus 20 when he is on the floor...Come on Coach!
Three points:
1) I remain very optimistic. This is a talented and deep team. But more importantly, they are balanced and have a foundation upon which they can build. No wasting time this year with a zone or disgruntled players. I think we will see big growth spurts, especially when the team has lots of donwtime for practice and film (like before the Kansas game).
2) This team is just starting to develop confidence. I think we saw it for the first time in the second half against Kansas. Sort of like Neo in that first Matrix movie.
3) Don't expect Nelson or anyone else to be "on" every night. Jet lag and other things (strange hotel rooms), effect these kids a lot. And even Kobe just has off nights.....even in the playoffs.
Two guys can play in the NBA now: Honeycutt and Smith. They need to step up to the leadership role and be the go to guy (that means 20 ppg, 10 rpg). Solidifying their roles is crucial to developing the roles of the other players on the team. Of course both would be smart to stay a couple more years to increase their draft value.
Basketball gets a "W" tonight.
Fire the entire football coaching staff but keep Chow on until after the first game then fire him...we gotta get that Hundley kid to come to our school...I'll say a prayer at church
I know Neuheisal is an Alumni, but I don't like him. He's shady.
How can you have such much supposed talent and yet be so pathetic against nothing programs...looks good on paper, but have no interior defense, and no shot discipline....
9 for 38.
With two minutes left in what's about to be a home loss to Montana, the combination of Lee, Honeycutt, Nelson and Smith are 9 for 38 from the field. The only player who shot 50% or better was Lamb (2-2). Wow. When you shoot 28% and the opponent shoots 51%, you're probably not going to win very often.
I've said we r an NIT teram all yr long...anybody wanna talk sh**?
down by 15 to Montana w/ 6 min left? U frickin kidding me..watchin the gm on tv....hmmmmnm..... nobody is there...
My letter:
Dear Coach Howland drop Anderson, Stover, Lane and Carlino asap as they r not Div 1 UCLA basketball material..u received wrong info. U need to wake up and recruit for after the Wear twins leave...those guys will not save the program..."Caretaker my ass"
Bruin Nation: We r fuc^&* for the next 2 yrs at least....the Wear twins who had no competition in the OC will not salvage this program....
I will check back in 2013, but Coach BH has better start recruiting now....
Step up and talk sh** to my face on here....I welcome it.... we SUCK
Not eating any crow Swami.
They just lost to Montana.
Is Anderson this year's version of Howland's love child (aka Drags from last year).
He has no zone offense in his playbook and teams with less athleticism will play zone against these guys.
They are a joke.
How do you not build from that game against Kansas? Howland went whining to NCAA ... he should have been coaching and preparing for Montana instead.
"Ben ... it was a foul, get over it!"
Hold that crow, Jammer. We may both have to eat some crow this up and down season.
Swami:
You are a trip.
This year will be even more unbearable to take because they have some talent, but are simply not utilizing it.
BH's half court defense has his bigs come up and hedge and they are simply mot quick on their feet and get called for fouls.
He has length in TH, Stover, Lane. Smith who should be trapping down on the baseline.
They can't play against a zone; they dont have the shooters except for Honeycutt and he played the game of his life in Kansas and he won't do it again. Smith and Nelsen should be dominating inside but gurads don't know about passing angles and bigs don't seal off defenders well. This is all fundemtal stuff that coaches are paid to teach. They don't do it in practice... they won't do it in a game.
Ironies for this program:
Infraction laden USC is better off than UCLA
Renovating Pauley -- no one will fill the seats there either.
Slick hair Lavin is stealing kids right from BH's backyard and also getting NYC kids to St. John's.
Pitt caretaker (J. Dixon) has his team in top 3 in the nation.
Even beating BYU will not get them into NCAA dance.
We could be looking at another sub .500 season and if that happens, BH has got to go and we need a guy like they have up in Gonzaga; young, great recruiter, kids know their roles and play with heart. Guys that can recruit top level kids. Love was the last great recruiot we had.
Nothing more to add ... it's the same story, different season.
Time for AD DG to look in the mirror and punch out as well. This once proud athletic program is quickly becoming the laughing stock of the nation. Recruits will head for Nike Town up in Oregeon, go to a winner like UW (also led by a former Bruin who recruits better talent), Washington State, USC, UA, Stanford, Cal, will all be ahead of the Bruins when all is said and done.
Wear Twins? They might be regretting leaving UNC and a great coach to play intramural level ball at Westwood.
No matter what they do; unless they win PAC 10 tournament; they are done this year.
No pride ... this was a season dedicated to the great JW. Shameful!
BH let these guys go to the Rose Bowl to watch USC rip apart the football team on Saturday instead of practicing (Unvbelievable; how irresponsonsible); then gave them Monday and Tuesday off (for their great showing against Montana.
Montana players are stating that the Bruins were pointing fingers and jawing at each other out of frustration. Would not have thought too much about that statement, but Howland made it a point to say; "these guys like each other." Why state that unless there was some discontent?
Howland failed to prepare them for this game against Montana and it should cost him his job at the end of the year. Unfortunately, it's not going to happen; who would want to coach these guys?
This team is in disarray; BH had the perfect opportunity to build on what they did in Kansas; instead, he is looking at a team that is below .500 and it's going to get much worse.
All is not well in Westwood and there is something amiss. I don't think the old boy can relate to these kids or vice versa.
Let's see what happens in their next game; these guys are not mentally tough at all; they are a symbol of their coach right now; and he better right this ship before it gets run aground.
Anderson better not see the court and Lee, Honeycutt and Nelsen better play with a chip on their shoulder.
Smith is not in any shape to play at this level; he is 50 pounds away from whee he should be. It's a shame .. kid seems like a winner but he let himself go to Taco Bell far too many nights.
Lee might go to point guard again if Jones doesn't produce; but it's the bigs that have been disappointing. Come on Reeves... get mad and deck someone coming through the lane. Smith, play like an All American and Tyler, use your quickness against your opponents.
Oh yeah ... BH, you will be seeing Zone again tjis year. Don't let it bite you yet again.
Don't use that crap about preparing these guys for the NBA and thus playing man to man. Not one dude could play in the NBA.
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