SB Nation - Jrue Holiday

Something Special Brewin? Malcolm Jones Honored As Gatorade National Player Of The Year

Nestor — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:08:15 -0000

Many of us have followed college athletics long enough to know that we shouldn't always get too excited about hype around big time recruits. It is especially true these days in the world of college basketball. Sometimes recruits in hoops such as JF, AA, and KL live up to all the hype. Other times, well I don't think I have to go through the details of the Ben Ball ~~warriors~~ class of 2008 (you can also read the comments in this thread which will go back much further).

Same dynamics also play out in football to a certain extent (even though in football it takes recruits traditionally a year or two to make discernible impact in the program). I think we can write post after posts on who has worked out (MJD, Brian Price, Akeem Ayers, Rahim Moore, XSF) and who hasn't (Ben Olson, Aundre Dean ) in recent years in Westwood. Yet, every once in a while we read and hear about a recruit in football or hoops, and we can't help but hope for something special when everything looks and sounds right about his arrival to Westwood. Well, if you haven't yet then meet Malcolm Jones. He just became the first UCLA football recruit ever to be honored as the Gatorade National High School Player Of The Year:

The LAT writeup provides the eye popping numbers:

Jones, a running back-linebacker, has scored 109 touchdowns in his four-year prep career. This season, he has rushed for 2,156 yards, putting him 40 yards short of tying the single-season school record held by Marc Tyler. He has 36 touchdowns and is nearing 6,000 yards rushing in his career.

Jon Gold from the Daily News had the following comment from MJ's team-mate on how emotional he was yesterday:

"You should have seen the expressions on his face when he was walking out of class," Oaks Christian quarterback Nick Montana said with a wide smile. "He was with his family, biggest smile on his face; I haven't seen him smile like that in a while. He was tearing up a little bit - it was awesome to see."

Well congrats to Malcolm from the entire BN. We have a little more on him after the jump.

Gold sheds a little more light on Malcolm as a student and person off the field:

Jones maintains a 3.46 grade-point average and announced in early October that he would play for UCLA, choosing the Bruins over expected front-runner Stanford. Additionally, Jones is a peer tutor and a youth basketball volunteer referee.

"He's realizes I think that he's really blessed," Marshall Jones Sr. said. "He takes his blessings as something he should utilize for the good of himself and others. And that's what makes me proud of him.

"He's a better person than he is a football player."

He also has the right perspective heading into UCLA next season:

"I really wanted to go to a school where I can really make a name for myself, not just be the "next" star running back at a USC or one of those big-time colleges," Jones said. "I want to prove to everyone that I can really help turn the program around, get them back on top."

Sounds like a Bruin already. lol Here he was few weeks ago reflecting on his team's season, his commitment to UCLA, and the looming CIF playoffs:

Well, Malcolm is going to lead his 13-0 Oaks Christian team into tonight Northwest Division championship game against Gardena Serra. He has played on three consecutive section championship teams.

In terms of some previous history on this award, I should note in hoops it was KL and Jrue Holiday who were also honored as Gatorade NPOY (as I said in my opening grafs, we have mixed records). Previous honorees as Gatorade NPOY includes names such as Peyton Manning, Emmitt Smith and Jeff George. The list also includes Matt disrespected Barkely (won the award in his junior season), who hasn't really done all that much considering the talent he was surrounded with at Southern Cal.

All that said, it's still a big deal. As noted above Malcolm is the first Bruin recruit to win this award. As excited as we all are about him, what I am even more excited is listening to him, he comes as as the perfect Bruin in the mold of ATV. Keeping my fingers crossed, Malcolm experiences the same level of success as our current senior captain both on and off the field starting next year at UCLA.

GO BRUINS.

Monday Merges Into Tuesday, Thanks To A Marathon

Chris Dobbertean — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:00:14 -0000

by Mark J. Terrill - AP

Drew Gordon and UCLA start the ESPN Tip-Off Marathon at midnight Eastern Tuesday..(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

View full size photo »

Starting at midnight Eastern with Cal State Fullerton at UCLA, ESPN will run more than 24 straight hours of college hoops. Since I'm nuts for this stuff, I'm going to try to follow the bulk of the marathon over at SBNation.com. However, since I'll be sleeping from the time I get home from work until some point in the Titans-Bruins tilt, I won't be able to catch any of Monday's action. Expect to see a Monday night recap at some point on Tuesday morning.

After the jump, I'll provide a comprehensive look at the marathon, culled from my earlier piece about it (with some updated information). I'll also have a brief rundown of the other games on the Tuesday slate.

ESPN has the bulk of the action overnight and during the day. Right after the clock strikes midnight on the East Coast (a perfectly reasonable 9 p.m. Pacific time tip), UCLA hosts Cal-State Fullerton. It will be the first chance for most of America to see how the Bruins cope after losing Jrue Holiday, Alfred Aboya, Darren Collison, and Josh Shipp. The Titans meanwhile lost Big West POY Josh Akognon and his 24 points per game and have six new faces (including 3 D1 transfers) on the roster.

In the 2 a.m. Eastern slot, St. Mary's, without Paddy Mills but with fellow Aussie Andrew Dellavedova attempting to fill the void, faces San Diego State, a team that will again challenge in the Mountain West, even though they only return one starter, F Billy White. The Aztecs knocked the Gaels out of the NIT at the end of last year.

Hawai'i again gets a 4 a.m. Eastern game. Last year, the Warriors defeated Idaho State in a game that was in overtime when I woke up at 6 Eastern. This year, it's another Big Sky opponent for UH, Northern Colorado.

According to Andy Katz's Daily Word, this will be the first time ESPN has ever carried games at 6 and 8 a.m. Eastern. The 6 a.m. offering, features a rising St. Peter's squad hosting a Monmouth side that's been down of late. My quibble with this matchup is the location, as the Hawks are opening up a new arena this year, yet they're on the road for this one. Go figure.

The 8 a.m. game could be a real donnybrook, however, and it takes place just a couple of miles from where I spent my first few years. Niagara, who finished behind Siena in the MAAC last year and is ready to challenge them again hosts Drexel, the team I foolishly picked to take the CAA's auto bid late last year. The Dragons problem then was scoring (61.7 ppg), an issue that won't get better as they lost their only double-digit scorer, Scott Rodgers, to graduation.

At 10, Clemson visits Liberty, a game that would've been more attractive had Seth Curry not transferred to Duke. The Tigers lost Terrence Oglesby to Europe, but gained Trevor Booker's younger brother Devin. He and 6-9 frosh Milton Jennings (a McDonald's All-American) give Clemson a significant post presence.

There is a nice little matchup in the East Coast lunch hour, as CAA contender Northeastern visits MAAC power Siena. Even though the Saints lost Kenny Hasbrouck to graduation, they return their other four starters (watch Edwin Ubiles closely). Bill Coen's Huskies also return four starters, including G/F Matt Janning.

At 2 p.m., Arkansas-Little Rock visits Tulsa, the team many think will usurp Memphis as the standard bearer for Conference USA.

Temple-Georgetown game, follows at 4 p.m. The Owls will be challenged this season without Deonte Christmas, while the Hoyas look to improve on last season's disappointment.

ESPN2 gives viewers a second option at 5:30 Eastern. Pitt hosts Binghamton in a preliminary game in the CBE Classic, where the Panthers are already guaranteed a trip to the finals in Kansas City. This game won't be quite as competitive as originally thought, thanks to the scandal that decimated the Bearcats' roster.

The 6 p.m. offering is the East regional final of the NIT Season Tip-Off. Barring a huge upset, Duke will take on Charlotte or Elon.

At 7:30 on ESPN2, it will be the first of two from the Hall of Fame Classic in St. Louis. (Save yourself $200 and watch this doubleheader at home.) Arkansas, a program that's been in a bit of turmoil during the offseason, takes on Louisville, another team that's been the focus of a lot of offseason news.

At 8 on ESPN, Gonzaga visits Michigan State. The Spartans are among the favorites to make it to Indy, while the Bulldogs will be good, even with the loss of four starters and a boatload of new recruits. This may not be the time to watch them, however.

If the TV action isn't enough, you can also see Northern Illinois-Illinois online at 8.

ESPNU picks up another CBE Classic preliminary that's not really a preliminary at 9. Duquesne, who--don't laugh--will build on last year and be a serious challenger in the A-10 this year--even without the services of leading scorer (and only loss) Aaron Jackson, visits Iowa. The Hawkeyes, just like they every year under Todd Lickliter, have personnel issues. Leading scorer Jake Kelly transferred to Indiana State and PG Jeff Peterson, the no. 3 scorer on the roster, transferred to Arkansas.

ESPN has the second Hall of Fame Showcase game at 10 p.m. It's a rematch of that 2008 National Championship game that the NCAA wants to wipe from our collective memories. Preseason No. 1 Kansas takes on Memphis in one we can only hope is as memorable as the game that didn't happen (but really did).

If you're still conscious at 11:30 Eastern, you can watch the final of the West regional of the NIT Season Tip-Off. Arizona State--presuming they knock off Texas State--will take on Cal State-Northridge or TCU in the final game of the day.

Here's a quick look at the non-marathon games slated for TV.

UConn should feature in the NIT North Region final which will air at 7 on the Big East Network and Full Court.
UNC Asheville at Tennessee (select FSN outlets/Full Court, 7)
Bowling Green at Xavier (FS Ohio [outside of Cavaliers' territory, 7:30)
Fairfield at Maryland (CSN Washington, 8)
UT-Martin at Missouri (FS Midwest/Full Court, 8)
Louisiana-Monroe at Oklahoma (Full Court, 8)
Fresno State at Northern Arizona in the West Coast Classic (UniversityHouse/FS Arizona/FCS Pacific, 8:30)
Columbia at DePaul (Lakeshore/SNY/Full Court, 9)
New Mexico at New Mexico State (Full Court, 9)

Visit Matt Sarz's College Sports on TV site for games telecast only locally or online.

Preseason Q&A with Sports Illustrated's Luke Winn

SFBE.NF — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 11:15:26 -0000

While relevant college basketball games don't tip off for another month, the sport will open for business this Friday! To celebrate, err... observe this exciting day, we thought it would be shrewd of us to bring in some real college basketball writers on here to shower us with words that carry much more weight than a couple of twentysomething bloggers.

To close out our Preseason Q&A series, we have the magnificent Luke Winn of Sports Illustrated (or SI.com for those who helped make "print versions" a thing of the past). Over the summer, Luke crossed paths with some Polygamists while minding his own business enjoying ice cream in Utah. Just yesterday he released this season's first Power Rankings. Plenty more college basketball talk below.

Where could we find you this summer? On the beach, on the golf course, or in a gym filled with DI prospects? I mixed it up. I was at the USA Basketball trials in Colorado Springs in June. That was for the Under-19 and the World University Games teams; the guys who left the biggest impressions there were Butler's Gordon Hayward, Ole Miss' Terrico White, and Kansas' Tyshawn Taylor. All three should be breakout stars this year. (As long as Taylor recovers from this dislocated thumb, that is.)

In July I hit the Reebok All-America camp in Philly, and after that I moved off of basketball and worked on a magazine story on baseball cards, or specifically how Ken Griffey Jr.'s '89 Upper Deck rookie is the last iconic baseball card. I'm a big baseball fan on the side, so it's nice to dabble in baseball writing at least once a summer.

I went camping in Utah, and at a rural Dairy Queen there, got to see a polygamist farmer (or maybe rancher?) walk in with his four wives. That real-life Big Love moment was probably more eye-opening than learning about Terrico White.

Quickly, your reflections on last year. Was a talent-limited NBA draft just proof that the 2008-2009 college basketball season lacked excitement and raw talent? The draft was an indictment on the poor freshman class. After Tyreke Evans -- who only became good later in the season -- there really weren't any major impact freshmen. The next three taken were DeMar DeRozan, Jrue Holiday and B.J. Mullens, none of whom left any kind of imprint on the college game. Another problem that contributed to a down season was that the nation's power was almost too concentrated in the Big East. That made for amazing Big East games ... but it was almost like the SEC, Pac-10 and Big Ten were afterthoughts.

There seems to still be a gray area as to what defines a "mid-major." In the hierarchy of college basketball, at what program do you draw the line? I subscribe to (Kyle) Whelliston's Red Line theory, even if there are A-10 teams that don't want to be lumped into that category. I should disclose that there's presently a Bally on my bookshelf.

OK, focusing on 2009-2010, what is the best conference in the land? It looks as though the Big East won't be king this season. I think the Big East has three preseason top-10 teams, but you're right -- the league isn't going to put the rest of college hoops to shame this season. The Big Ten might actually be the deepest conference. Michigan State is a title contender, Purdue is a Final Four possibility if everyone's healthy, and Ohio State, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Penn State and even Northwestern will chase NCAA bids. For the sake of its national rep, though, the Big Ten needs some legitimate non-conference wins next year. Its rep was essentially ruined last season after UNC killed Michigan State and Duke killed Purdue and Wisconsin.

What do you expect from Kentucky? How many years until they play for a national title? And, when his tenure is over, will John Calipari leave the program in good hands, or in disarray like Memphis and UMASS? Kentucky is in more of a right-now situation than a building situation. Its three best players, John Wall, Patrick Patterson and DeMarcus Cousins (in that order) are probably gone after this season, so this could be one of Cal's best chances of chasing a title. I kind of expect them to start slow, while everyone meshes, and then be pretty dangerous in March. As for Calipari, I wonder if he might actually defy the odds and not leave Kentucky in trouble with the NCAA. You need to take fewer risks to get major recruits to come to Kentucky, as opposed to say, luring a future No. 1 draft pick to the Conference USA.

What would you like to see the NCAA implement/change/get rid of, to better the overall product of college basketball? Loosen restrictions on offseason workouts. The limits put on coaches' interaction with players prior to Midnight Madness are excessive. Give them more time, and you'll get a better product. The reason elite Europeans don't even consider coming over here isn't just money -- it's also because they can get an unlimited amount of skill development in the club setting.

Your premature surprise team of the season…I think there's a chance Cincinnati could be nationally relevant again -- and a legit team in the Big East -- with its trio of Deonta Vaughn, Yancy Gates and Lance Stephenson. Of course, Stephenson still has to be cleared by the NCAA, and of course, since it's Stephenson, things could also go horribly wrong. But I think the kid is driven, and could make a huge impact if he's OK'd to play.

Your premature Final Four picks…I have to save these for SI.com's preview (sorry!). But I will say I think UConn is being overlooked in plenty of the preseason polls that are coming out. I'm seriously considering them as a Final Four team in 2010.

Because of the name of our blog, we ask all journalists who come on here and give us the time of day to name their favorite forgotten college basketball player. Name a few of your favorites who never established themselves at the next level. I grew up going to Wisconsin games with my dad, and I remember being fascinated with Duany Duany, a Sudanese forward who played for Dick Bennett. That's still probably the greatest name in the history of Badgers basketball. Another guy who I followed was Sam Okey (please, please click this link), a McDonald's All-American who went to UW, transferred to Iowa and then sort of flamed out. He was an absolute legend in Wisconsin high school basketball, a 6-8 (or around there) athletic white kid who played in a tiny division. It was unfair for the opposition -- almost like Kevin Garnett being unleashed on a JCC middle school team.

Finish this sentence: I like using twitter because...Umm ... I'm not sure if I like it yet. I like that the players I'm following are largely unfiltered, but I'm disappointed that 95 percent of their tweets reveal nothing. It's one area where college hoopsters need to step up their game.

Ben Ball Roundup: UCLA = PointGuardU, Collison's Night & Other Draft Notes

Nestor — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:04:21 -0000

More photos » by Seth Wenig - AP

DC's Big Night In The Big Apple

Browse more photos »

Still feeling jazzed this morning about how it all worked out for one of the great Bruins of all time. While it was amusing to see how the much hyped Jrue Holiday (who never lived up to his reputation of being an all world basketball player out of high school and failed to display the will and passion to win and defensive intensity necessary to excel in Coach Howland's basketball program) kept dropping out of the lottery round, the best part of the night was to see a sharp dressed DC up on that podium.

DC became a special Ben Ball warrior last night elevating him to another level beyond AA, JF, RW, LRMAM and KL. He becomes the first four year player under Ben Howland to get drafted in NBA's first round and I think that is pretty significant. Most of you have already read the emotional tone DC struck when he was asked about his four years at UCLA. You can't put any price around those words and you can bet DC will officially now serve as the perfect posterboy for Coach Howland's UCLA program when he is going out to the living room of parents of elite recruits who are looking to UCLA as more than just a one year stop at a five star hotel with a basketball gym. Oh and with DC's selection we can officially start calling Howlandwood PointGuardU with alums such as JF, RW and Baron Davis already shining in the league.

Going back to DC, as Dohn notes in his coverage today he is going into a great situation and he sounds prepared and well briefed about his new team:

"I didn't know if it was for sure I was going there, but I did know a lot about their organization," Collison said. "I didn't know they were going to pick me up until the minute before I got picked."

Collison, who played four seasons and went to three Final Fours with UCLA, said he knew the Hornets were highly interested because coach Byron Scott was in contact with him several times. He was the Hornets' only draft pick and will back up Paul, who averaged 10.4 assists, but also 40.2 minutes per game.

"Everybody in this generation wants to learn from the (best) point guards, Chris Paul or (Utah's) Deron Williams," said the 6-foot Collison. "I have an opportunity to compete against him every day in practice and get better. I know the reason they drafted me is because they needed help for that second string to take the load off him."

So one of my favorite Bruins (I am talking not just about Ben Ball) gets to learn from one of my favorite Lakers of all time. DC is fired up to play for Coach Bryon Scott:

Collison, in particular, knew that New Orleans was interested but did not think the Hornets would pick him so high. He enters seemingly perfect circumstances, backing up Chris Paul. There won't be as much pressure to produce while he learns from Coach Byron Scott and one of the best point guards in the game.

"It's a great situation," Collison said. "The draft board went exactly how I wanted it to go."

Coach Howland also made the same points in UCLA's official release:

"Darren is going to be in a great situation in the league, playing for an outstanding coach in Byron Scott and playing behind maybe the best point guard in the NBA," UCLA head coach Ben Howland said. "I'm really happy for both these kids and just real excited for them. It's a great situation for Darren."

Great situation indeed. More on DC in the official site which notes DC became the 106th UCLA player to be selected in NBA draft history (UCLA is the all-time collegiate leader in NBA Draft selections, since 1948). UCLA has had at least one player taken in the NBA Draft for the last 13 years (since the 1997 draft), which is the longest streak in the nation.

As for the other player with UCLA affiliation(on paper) in the draft, Jrue Holiday sounded fairly clueless about his new team, the 76ers:

"They're a young team, they definitely get up and down," he said. "It definitely fits my description, an up-and-down point guard who loves to run, loves to pass."

Uhhh. If Jrue had used the Google he would have known that 76ers are actually going to run a Princeton offense this season under Eddie Jordan. If you are an UCLA basketball fan, I don't need to go on and describe how a Princeton "offense" works. It should be burned into your brain for rest of your life. Oh, another note Jrue is going to be playing for a retread NBA basketball coach, who just got fired from the Washington Wizards. Jrue isn't the only one who sounds unprepared and clueless in this situation. From the Philadelphia Inquirer:

Tonight, Stefanski spoke about Holiday. Reading between the lines, it sounded like Stefanski (76ers Generam Manager Ed Stefanski) didn't think Holiday would come in right away and earn all kinds of playing time, but he did say he was impressed with Holiday's defensive abilities and added that defense might be a way for Holiday to find some playing time.

LOL. I guess Stefanski or his staff didn't do their due diligence and watched the tapes of oh I don't know - the last game that Holiday played in a UCLA uniform right in their backyard? Guess they didn't bother looking up his tapes against A.J. Abrams and James Harden either. Oh they also drafted him without even watching him workout in person:

They took Holiday without watching him workout:

''When (his advisors) thought he'd go in the top 10, he cancelled,'' said Tony DiLeo, the Sixers senior vice-president/assistant general manager. ''We interviewed him in Chicago (at the predraft combine). We studied him. He fits our team.''

LOL at the line of his "advisors" thinking he'd be a top 10 pick. Guess they were the one who told Holiday to spin out of that by saying they were coming in from a perspective where Holiday would be a late first round/early second round pick? Holiday and his new team are already off message and out of sync with each other:

Only minutes after Holiday was selected, assistant GM Tony DiLeo said the Sixers did not expect Holiday to make an impact this coming season. A few minutes later, on a conference call from Madison Square Garden, Holiday said he disagreed with that, saying he expects to contribute right away.

Note the contrast with DC's comments above.

Good luck to him and hope he has "fun" playing infront of the warm and cuddly fans from Philadelphia. I am sure they are going to be very undesrtanding if he lollygags on defense, shies away from pressure and is afraid to step in big games (no doubt the Philly fans will not get tired of the lines about how he was just deferring to his more experienced team-mates when passing up wide open Js he is supposed to make). Whatever.

The most important thing out of last night is once again how it all ended for DC. As for his team-mates - JS and PAA - Coach Howland as always is thinking with optimism:

Howland said he expected both to receive invitations to NBA summer camps.

"Both of those kids will probably end up playing on NBA summer league teams," Howland said. "Both have good situations already on the table from high-level European (teams) if that doesn't work out for them."

I am not too worried about them either. It will work out all right with them and they have that degree to fall back on.

GO BRUINS.

BN Roundup: NBA Draft Night & Football Recruiting Updates

Nestor — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:13:41 -0000

This should be a big day on Bruins Nation. We are getting set for the NBA draft night. We will have an open thread up around 3 pm PST to follow all the festivities from NYC. We are hoping it will be a good night for DC and who knows perhaps there will be a miracle and JS will get picked in the second. While PAA is the longest of long shot, we will still use the thread to pay one more tribute to him and our other two seniors. Also, later today around noon PST, rye will be posting something very special concerning about our baseball team. I think you will want to come back for that.

Now let's get to some of our news and notes for today. Greg Biggins fom ESPN had a nice write up on the two commitments Neuheisel picked up earlier this week. Wesley Flowers told Biggins how staying close to his family was an important factor in his decision:

"My grandmother has raised me since I was three years old," Flowers said. "She wanted me to stay close by and her sister lives in Los Angeles. I have a lot of other family in Los Angeles as well so it's cool to have a nice support group. Plus Tevin will be with me and like I said, we're real close and always wanted to play together.

"I still want to take my trips, just to have my fun but my commitment is solid. I know I want to check out Washington and a few others. I've only been outside of California one time so I want to see what's out there but I'm solid with UCLA and excited to be a Bruin for sure."

Flowers is also willing to be flexible in terms of where UCLA coaches plug him in:

"So I camped on Sunday and did my thing and they liked me a lot. I worked out at both end and tackle and they asked me where I wanted to play in college. I said I'll play wherever helps the team win. I told them they were the experts and I trusted they would put me in the best place to maximize my ability. I have a frame for defensive end but could easily put on 40 pounds and play tackle so we'll just see how it goes."

Per Biggins Flowers will be playing "all over the line" in his senior year at Edison. So he is on track to develop as multidimensional lineman before coming into UCLA. As for Nottingham the word Biggins used is "polished":

He's very polished and will have a short learning curve when he gets to college, compared to most high school signal callers, because of the coaching he has already received and the pro-style offense he plays in.

As he continues to work out his mechanics, look for Nottingham's arm strength to improve as well. He has a college frame right now, is very accurate and understands where to go with the football.

As I said yesterday it is going to fun to find out what he can do when he is ready to compete for the starting job in about 2-3 years at UCLA. Staying on the topic of recruiting, look who was camping at UCLA:

The youngsters began their camps at UCLA today, and proud papa and former USC star Keyshawn Johnson was there to watch his son, Keyshawn Jr., participate.

LOL. One of my best college sports memories was to see our football team repeatedly beating up Meshawn's bunch from South Central. Of course now if his son wants to come over to the good side we will gladly welcome him just like we did with Tevin McDonald. Still it will be especially hilarious to see Meshawn having to put on a UCLA polo (just like Bill Walton had to out on those ugly red polos during Arizona games few years ago) if Keyshawn Jr. ends up in Westwood. Either way best of luck to the kid.

Speaking of athletes who are all about "me" Jrue Holiday opened his mouth again about life being not "fair" under Coach Howland:

Holiday is a viable option for the Knicks at No. 8. Holiday said Howland initially told him he would be the backup point guard when Collison was out of the game, but that didn't happen. "I didn't complain about it,'' Holiday said. "I asked him if I could play point a bit. But life isn't always fair."

Well few points here to add context for poor poor Mr. Holiday.

Many of us here including yours truly suggested earlier this past season perhaps Howland should have plugged in Holiday a little more at the 1 spot since he seemed to be a natural at him. However, Coach Howland used JA to back up DC for one major reason: he knew Holiday was going to leave after one year in Westwood. He didn't want UCLA to be in a situation going into next season where the roster wouldn't have anyone with legit college experience at the 1 spot. Coach Howland used JA as the backup because he wanted to get him a little seasoned before his sophomore year. In other words, Coach Howland used JA at the 1 spot over Holiday because he had his team's best interest in mind.

So for Holiday to mouth off to the press that "life isn't fair" because he didn't get to play pg at UCLA is just selfish and obnoxious. Yeah, like we are going to sit around and feel sorry for a primadonna who is about to make millions based on sheer hype without ever proving himself at the college game. Whatever.

Anyway, we will see how the NBA draft unfolds tonight. As mentioned up top we will have an open thread up starting around 3 pm PST. Here is to a good night for Ben Ball warriors who always put the team and the four letters above their own interests.

GO BRUINS.

Polling GSOM: Who do you WANT the Warriors to draft in the 2009 NBA Draft?

Fantasy Junkie — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 19:00:23 -0000

Originally posted Jun 24, 2009 12:00 PM PDT

Spread the word and tell everyone to vote!

There are two NBA draft polls on GSOM, make sure to vote in each. In this second one, who do you want the Warriors to draft? The first poll, who do you think the Warriors will draft, asked you to be pretend you're Don Nelson and make the 7th pick. This poll has the identical poll selections, but we want you to choose the draft pick who you want the Warriors to draft. Your reasons for wanting a player are your own, but I'd like to think you'll want the guy who will benefit the Warriors the most, not who will cause Rowell the biggest heartache or will most likely sit behind Marco and give him more playing time because you have a secret man crush on Marco. Again, choose the guy who you WANT the Warriors to draft.

Spread the word and tell all your friends to vote in the poll. Choose the guy who you WANT the Warriors to draft.

In 2005 and 2006, the GSOM community voted and Chris Mullin decided to pick that guy. In 2005 it was Ike Diogu (ooops) and in 2006 it was Patrick O'Bryant (ooops again). The GSOM community's draft record has not been so stellar. For the record, I voted for Danny Granger (2005) and Rodney Carney (2006). In 2007, the community voted for Yi (oops) and he turned out to not be available so we went with Brandan Wright instead. Then last year, Anthony Randolph wasn't even a possible selection since he wasn't expected to fall so far. Looks like picking by committee isn't such a good thing but that's not going to stop us.

Just like the previous poll, I've tried to limit the selections to who might be available (no Blake Griffin, Ricky Rubio, Hasheem Thabeet, or James Harden) and also left out guys that probably won't be the pick (DeJuan Blair, Tyler Hansborough, Gerald Henderson, Earl Clark). That said, there are still a lot of guys to choose from because this draft seems pretty wide open. It's not clear who will be available. For instance, ESPN has Tyreke Evans going 4th, Draft Express has him going 6th, and NBA Draft.net has him going 8th. He could be available to the Warriors. Additionally, all that hype around Brandon Jennings seems to be gone now. He's 19th on ESPN, 17th on Draft Express, and, drum roll please, 7th on NBA Draft.net.

Also, be sure to check out Bill Simmons' podcast with Chad Ford (see the top right of the page) covering a lot of the draft picks. Tyreke Evans? It's a joke to think he could be an NBA point guard. Ricky Rubio? Special player and it's unfathomable as to why he would drop. Lots of good entertaining stuff in there.

Poll

Who do you want the Warriors to draft?

Terrence Williams

43 votes

Brandon Jennings

397 votes

Jrue Holiday

58 votes

Jordan Hill

266 votes

Jonny Flynn

127 votes

Tyreke Evans

234 votes

DeMar DeRozan

64 votes

Stephen Curry

394 votes

1583 votes | Poll has closed

Polling GSOM: Who do you think the Warriors will draft in the 2009 NBA Draft?

Fantasy Junkie — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 19:00:22 -0000

Originally posted Jun 24, 2009 12:00 PM PDT

Which draft pick will be wearing this tomorrow?

There are two NBA draft polls on GSOM, make sure to vote in each. In this first one, who do you think the Warriors will draft? The second will be who you want the Warriors to draft. Using your best ~~Robert Rowell~~ ~~Larry Riley~~ Don Nelson impression, pick the player who you think we'll end up with in the 7th pick.

I've tried to limit the selections to who might be available (no Blake Griffin, Ricky Rubio, Hasheem Thabeet, or James Harden) and also left out guys that probably won't be the pick (DeJuan Blair, Tyler Hansborough, Gerald Henderson, Earl Clark). That said, there are still a lot of guys to choose from because this draft seems pretty wide open. It's not clear who will be available. For instance, ESPN has Tyreke Evans going 4th, Draft Express has him going 6th, and NBA Draft.net has him going 8th. He could be available to the Warriors. Additionally, all that hype around Brandon Jennings seems to be gone now. He's 19th on ESPN, 17th on Draft Express, and, drum roll please, 7th on NBA Draft.net.

Choose the guy who you think the Warriors will draft. Release your inner Nostradamus.

Poll

Who do you think the Warriors will draft?

Stephen Curry

154 votes

DeMar DeRozan

33 votes

Jonny Flynn

40 votes

Tyreke Evans

49 votes

Jordan Hill

420 votes

Jrue Holiday

27 votes

Brandon Jennings

173 votes

Terrence Williams

19 votes

915 votes | Poll has closed

2009 NBA Draft Q&A: Aran Smith of NBADraft.net (Part 3 of 3)

Atma Brother ONE — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:00:19 -0000

Don't forget to check out Part 1 and Part 2 of this trilogy with Aran Smith from NBADraft.net.

How high would AR go in this draft? [via www.nba.com]

We get right down to business in this part. Do the same by J-U-M-P-ing!

Atma Brother #1 (Golden State of Mind): Anthony Randolph is coming off a very intriguing rookie season with the Warriors. How does he stack up against this draft class? Where would you project him to go in this draft?

Aran Smith (NBADraft.net): If the Randolph that played this year for the Warriors somehow was thrown back into the draft, he'd be the #2 pick. I think Randolph has a lot of upside and really liked that pick since he was the player with the most upside of anyone at 14. No sense in taking safe picks when you can pick up those types of players in free agency.

Atma Brother #1 (Golden State of Mind): With names like Ricky Rubio, Brandon Jennings, Stephen Curry, Jonny Flynn, Tyreke Evans, Ty Lawson, Jeff Teague, Patrick Mills, and Jrue Holiday this draft seems like it has plenty of point guard options to help the Warriors shore up their biggest glaring weakness. Is there a big difference between them in terms of talent and upside? Do you see any All-Star appearances out of this group?

Aran Smith (NBADraft.net): There likely will be a few all star appearances from one or two of these guys. As far as difference in talent, yes there are a few tiers. Rubio and Jennings have the most upside. Flynn is a guy who combines solid potential with current ability. Teague might actually have even more upside than Flynn, but he's got a ways to go. Evans is not a true point guard in my book, and I'm also not sure why people haven't caught onto the fact that the big point guard is a failed experiment. The rest of those guys are late first round types.

Atma Brother #1 (Golden State of Mind): With the 7th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft the Golden State Warriors SHOULD select... Why?

Aran Smith (NBADraft.net): The Warriors should take the best player available. I would take Jennings if he's there. He makes the most sense long term for them and goes along with the swing for the fences approach that brought them Randolph last year. DeRozan has a lot of upside and would make for an interesting pick. I also like Hill, but if they take him, we may never find out how good Wright is until he gets a fresh start with a new
team.

Atma Brother #1 (Golden State of Mind): With the 7th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft the Golden State Warriors WILL select... Why?

Aran Smith (NBADraft.net): Nellie wants to win now so I anticipate they will go with the most NBA ready PG at their pick: Jonny Flynn. Flynn isn't a bad pick, but there will be other guys available with more upside. That would mean taking a risk and rolling the dice on a player for the future, so that may not be in the cards.

**********

All of us at GSoM wanted to thank Aran for taking the time to field these questions. NBADraft.net has long remained one of my favorite hoops destinations. It's ridiculously easy to lose hours on the site just flipping back through the draft archives (which is exactly what I did when I wrote this piece: Golden State Warriors 1st Round Draft History and Just My Imagination) and reading up about players that won't even be drafted till 2010!

Poll

Would Golden State Warriors sophomore forward Anthony Randolph go #2 overall in the 2009 NBA Draft?

YES: No Doubt

406 votes

NO-a: Definite lottery pick though

267 votes

NO-b: Post-lotto 1st round pick

18 votes

NO-c: 2nd round pick (I don't know hoops)

6 votes

NO-d: Undrafted (I'm just being silly)

7 votes

704 votes | Poll has closed

Fired Up & Ready To Go

Nestor — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 11:54:26 -0000

DC is heading to the Big Apple today for the NBA Draft (tomorrow is the big night). He is done with all of his workouts and he sounds excited and fired up for the next stage of his basketball career. He also sounds defiant and anxious to prove himself (even though he has nothing to prove here on BN after four great years in Westwood). He offered the following perspective to those who are questioning his NBA potential because he didn't take the same (or I guess these days one can say "conventional") route of leaving for the pros early in his college career:

The 6-foot-1, 170-pound Collison often worked out against underclassmen who declared early, much like he was expected to do a year ago before a last-minute decision led to a return for his senior season. And the more he worked out and interviewed with teams, the more he heard about questions in his game - like a lack of strength, inconsistent jumper and questionable on-court vision, according to scouts.

"I feel like just because I went to UCLA for four years my stock is dropping," Collison said. "That doesn't make any sense to me. You can't tell me a four-year guy is not going to contribute more than a two-year guy."

Apparently DC has been getting badgered by questions about how he does it feel for him to see his younger backcourt mates such as RW and Jrue Holiday getting more hype and attention from the NBA scouts:

"I asked them, `Am I still playing basketball?"' Collison said. "If I'm still playing the game of basketball, that's what's important to me. I really can't control who is higher. I'm going to have an opportunity to showcase my talent.

"Jrue deserves it. He's going to be an awesome player. Russell deserves it. Their careers have nothing to do with my career. That's what I told them. They wanted to see how I reacted to it."

All three are point guards, but Westbrook and Holiday played the off-guard position while Collison played the point at UCLA.

Collison said he didn't flinch when the subject was broached, but added it will serve as motivation.

"It's definitely more fuel for my fire when the summer league starts and the NBA (season) starts, but I don't have any issues with Russell and Jrue," he said. "Those are my good buddies. Off the court it's one thing, but on the court it's not just those guys. It's (all) guys that are drafted ahead of me that does add fuel and gets me pumped up."

Over the years I think we noted number of times how in some ways DC has been an extension of Coach Howland on the court. We can see the way he conducts himself with class and grace he is applying everthing he learned from Coach Howland off the court. It's going to be some moment when he gets his name called (hopefully) in the first round (fingers crossed) tomorrow night. We will be following via our open thread here on BN.

GO BRUINS.

Growing Up In Westwood (AKA Howlandwood For Ben Ball Warriors)

Nestor — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 12:24:41 -0000

As I was reading the stories this am about UCLA the theme became pretty clear right up front. It's about growing up experiences of student athletes who have (or will have the privelege) to put on a UCLA uniform in Westwood. Ovewhelming majority of the kids who have come through UCLA "gets it" in terms of what it means to develop and mature not just as an athlete but also as a young man or woman through their most memorable years on campus. Unfortunately every once in a while some don't make it and falter a bit. However, as noted above most of the time they shine, leave their mark as other Bruin greats and then come back to contribute even more to the family.

Today as we do this roundup, we will start with news on couple of kids who have a lot of growing up to do. First on the football front apparently E.J. Woods is considering transferring out of UCLA:

The 6-foot, 210-pound Woods plans to transfer to a junior college - College of the Canyons and Southwest Los Angeles College are two possibilities - and play for a season and then transfer to a four-year school, sources said.

He still wants to play in the Pacific-10 Conference, but it is possible UCLA would not release him to a team on the upcoming schedule. By going to a junior college and earning his associate's degree, Woods could transfer to any school.

UCLA planned to use Woods as a hybrid linebacker in 2009, with his focus on being a pass rushing specialist.

The hard-hitting Woods also has an outstanding legal matter. He still faces six misdemeanor counts of battery and sexual battery. A pre-trial hearing is set for Wednesday.

I don't think this is a story worth losing any sleep over. It doesn't matter what position E.J. settles into (if he wants to stick around at UCLA), it needs to take a back seat to his legal situation which needs to get resolved first. A kid like E.J. would be better served if he focuses on his off field related issues first (so he never ever again gets himself into a situation like that) before getting caught up with charging up the depth charts of a football program. If E.J. is not willing to learn that lesson, he and UCLA are better off if he learns it somewhere else.

Speaking of someone who has a lot of growing up to do, ESPN's Chad Ford has an amusing update on Jrue Holiday's workout in NYC (emphasis added):

Chad Ford: UCLA's Jrue Holiday was feeling the pressure. He was in New York today for a callback with the Knicks -- a team he would love to go to at No. 8. His first audition wasn't all that it should've been. He was overshadowed by more experienced players like Stephen Curry and Gerald Henderson. He struggled to shut down Curry defensively. He got frustrated. A little down. And then those old feelings of self-doubt, the ones that were on display all season at UCLA, started creeping up.

Apparently the Knicks (who you know have such a great reputation for talent evaluation) still invited him back for another workout during which he looked "much better" against Miami's Jack McClinton. Whatever. That's the second time in a week we have heard about Jrue getting frustrated in these workouts. It happened the first time in Minnesota. Reading these updates one gets the feeling that Jrue right now is doing everything he can to cash in on his reputation that was made in high school and during controlled settings of NBA draft workouts. Perhaps another reason Jrue Holiday didn't want to come back to UCLA was because he was afraid of getting exposed even more when given the responsibility of running a basketball team under intense pressure. Whatever it is, I guess under the current "one and done" rule can't really blame him for cashing out but on the other hand no one will ever mistake him of being a "Ben Ball warrior."

Speaking of Ben Ball warriors next year's freshmen are already on campus for summer school and look who is hanging around to teach the ropes. Coach Howland tweets:

Russell Westbrook came by earlier today. He is in the same summer school class as our freshmen! Its great to have him showing them the way.

RW is not the only alum hanging around Howlandwood:

Just sat with Arron Afflalo for a half hour in my office. He is up on campus lifting and playing everyday.

For some reason I can't see Jrue Holiday showing that kind of loyalty to Howland and the program after his first year in the NBA. Anyway, going back to the freshmen here is Howland's update from yesterday:

The Freshmen love it here already. What a great group! It was a lot of fun to sit with all of them together this morning before class.

If any of you are around campus this year and are checking out some of those legendary summer games at Howlandwood, would love to get some updates.

BTW freshman Ben Ball warriors are not the only freshmen who have checked in for summer school. Brian Dohn has this update re. freshmen joining the football team:

On campus today and saw freshmen offensive linemen Stan Hasiak and Xavier Su'a-Filo, and thought I would pass along how big and strong they look. In my six years covering UCLA, I cannot remember two offensive linemen coming into school with that size.

Here is to these guys having a healthy and productive summer. Right now going into next season our team is still a huge question mark. I think the difference between a 5-7 and 6-6/7-5 season will be a healthy and improved offensive line that will be able to keep our young QBs healthy and get our anemic running game going. These two kids might have the opportunity to emerge as a huge (no pun intended) factor in that OL.

So I can't wait to see and read about them in Fall camp starting this August. It will be fun to watch all of these growing up as Bruins in Westwood. I have high hopes that those two will have the opportunity to grow and develop and contribute to the efforts of rebuilding UCLA football, the same way AA and RW left their marks in Westwood.

GO BRUINS.