THIS is the best Dan could do? Stanford pulled an outstanding coach out of a smaller conference. Washington State pulled a coach who was coaching a winning FBS football program a year ago.

And THIS is the best Dan could do? All around the country, athletic directors are finding up-and-coming coaches who are aware of the changing environments in recruiting, in on-the-field offensive and defensive innovation, in managing the multiple and oft-times conflicting concerns of modern collegiate athletics?

And THIS is the best Dan could do? Fine, Dan goes after many observers' #1 choice for a candidate, and gets turned down. OK, it happens. But then? Going after a coach who just signed a four-year extension two weeks before? Then going after another coach whose only significant achievements have only come with a once-in-a-generation quarterback? Dan goes from a solid #1 choice to not one but TWO wastes of effort, and then to someone with not even 10% of the college coaching experience of our last hire?

And THIS is the best Dan could do?

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As we discussed yesterday, CRN ended the almost-60-day march in the hiring desert by selecting Joe Tresey as our new defensive coordinator.  Although Tresey somehow managed to be the ONLY candidate out there to not end up on the  laundry-list of DC candidates, it looks like CRN made a solid choice to run the D on paper.  The ultimate results won't be known until the 2011 season is under way, but at a minimum, we have good reason to feel better about this position than we did the past 59 days. 

So, running down the list of inevitable questions for this way-under-the-radar selection:

(1)   Is he qualified?

Um, yeah.  As stated yesterday, Tresey was the defensive coordinator at the University of South Florida (2009 season) and at Cincinnati (2007 and 2008 seasons).  However, Tresey was also a DC at other schools before then.  Per the official site (emphasis added):

Tresey, 52, joined Kelly's staff at Central Michigan [as defensive coordinator] in 2006 and quickly implemented a style that forced 29 turnovers and 31 sacks in 14 games. His MAC Championship defense registered four players with all-league plaudits.

For two seasons (2004-05) prior to joining the CMU staff, Tresey was defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Georgia Southern. The Eagles' defense ranked fourth nationally in total defense in 2004. While in Statesboro, Tresey helped lead the Eagles to back-to-back NCAA Division I-AA Playoff appearances. He also mentored a pair of all-Southern Conference linebackers.

Tresey coordinated the defense and coached defensive backs at Akron during the 2002-03 seasons. He served the previous three years (1999- 2001) as defensive secondary coach at Virginia Military Institute. Tresey began his college coaching career as the defensive coordinator at Otterbein in 1995.

According to this info, and Tresey’s previous bio at both the Cincinnati website and the  USF website, Tresey has been a DC at one college level or another for TWELVE (12) years.   That’ll work.  More after the jump.

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As already referenced in the FanPosts (by littlebrother), CRN has finally stopped making Godot look punctual and made his pick for the long-vacant defensive coordinator position, hiring Joe Tresey, formerly of the University of South Florida and the University of Cincinnati as our new DC.  Tresey spent the 2010 season as defensive backs coach for the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League.

From the official site:

Joe Tresey, who has served as defensive coordinator at both Cincinnati and South Florida, has been named defensive coordinator at UCLA, Bruin head coach Rick Neuheisel announced today.

"Joe has had outstanding success at both Cincinnati and South Florida and I know he is going to be successful here at UCLA," said Neuheisel. "He has an aggressive style that forces turnovers and negative-yardage plays and I feel our players, especially our youngsters, will benefit greatly from his style of play. He is a fine teacher and I can't wait for him to get started."

Took CRN a while, but it looks like he made a solid pick at the almost-eleventh hour.

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According to a report in the OC Register yesterday, Coach Neuheisel is supposed to make a decision "this week" between former Miami head coach Randy Shannon and former USC assistant Rocky Seto.  Obviously, it's Friday, so there's not a whole lot of "this week" left.  According to published reports via the L.A. Times, however, there are legitimate questions as to the kind of decisions made earlier this week.

On the morning of National Signing Day (Feb. 2), at 7:09 a.m., Chris Foster of the Times posted the following on its regular sports blog (emphasis added):

The strange tale of Rocky Seto took a humorous turn late Tuesday night.

Seto, the front-runner for the UCLA defensive coordinator job, was hired by the Bruins, according to a Daily Trojan story posted online Tuesday night. The story included a text attributed to Seto, "[I] accepted the position tonight to coordinate at UCLA.  Praise the Lord!"

Shortly after a text message was sent Seto by the Los Angeles Times, the quote in the Daily Trojan story mysteriously vanished. The story still reported Seto was hired, just without attribution.

A UCLA official said that no one has been hired as defensive coordinator.

Despite Mr. Foster’s jovial interpretation, this story raises two very sobering concerns about the apparent vaccuum of judgment surrounding this "decision." 

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Okay, it's definitely been a National Signing Day unlike one in recent Bruin memory.  Per the official site, CRN was scheduled to have a press conference at 4pm today.  You can stream it in at the official site.

Also, there are scattered reports (subscription info only) that Torien White may not be sending in his LOI to U$C after all, and that he may be honoring his prior verbal to CRN and UCLA after all.

More as we get it.  For now, consider this Part 3 of the NSD Thread.

[Update (M)]:  CRN confirms that Torian White has signed with UCLA. 

[Update x2 (M)]:  CRN says to "make this day about the recruits.  We'll talk about coaches another time."  

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This is a bit of a post I did a few years ago, but it still holds true.

It was nine years ago today.

NINE whole years.

The memory fades over time, but is easily restored with words.

... I ran into a bedroom and woke my wife up with the words, "We're under attack."

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This just in -- from the Kansas City Star, of all places:

The BCS has stripped Southern California of its 2005 Orange Bowl victory over Oklahoma and could strip the Trojans of their BCS national championship for the 2004 season.

The brief article also states:

BCS executive director Bill Hancock issued the statement:

"In accordance with the findings released today by the NCAA, the University of Southern California’s 2005 Orange Bowl game victory has been vacated. We take the integrity of NCAA rules seriously. As a procedural matter, the BCS Presidential Oversight Committee (POC) must meet to formally consider vacating USC’s championship title and the game records. If the POC takes such action, there would be no BCS champion for the 2004-05 season. The POC will meet shortly to discuss this matter.

"In light of USC’s statement that it intends to appeal, we want to make it clear that no action will go into effect until the appeal is heard and decided by the NCAA."

Still awaiting other verification.

WWL is now reporting the butcher's bill, and there is definitely blood on the scales:

The NCAA handed the University of Southern California a two-year postseason football ban and vacated wins in Reggie Bush's final season, among other penalties, for violations in its football, men's basketball and women's tennis programs on Thursday.

The university was put on four years' probation, while the football program was hit with a two-year postseason ban and the men's basketball team was banned for one year from the postseason, which had already been self-imposed by the school.

USC was hit with scholarship reductions in football and basketball and recruiting restrictions for the men's basketball team.

The school was fined $5,000 and forfeits its $206,200 it earned from the 2008 men's basketball tournament.

In addition the university must vacate some regular-season and postseason wins in all three involved sports.

It gets even better:

The NCAA said its findings included "a lack of institutional control, impermissible inducements, extra benefits, exceeding coach staff limits, and unethical conduct by an assistant football coach."

The violations, which span almost four years, primarily involved "agent and amateurism issues for a former football student-athlete and a former men's basketball studen-athlete," the NCAA wrote in its report. 

No doubt, the hits will keep on coming. More updates after the jump.

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Bush's statement to tWWL this morning: 

"I have a great love for the University of Southern California and I very much regret the turn that this matter has taken, not only for USC, but for the fans and players. I am disappointed by today's decision and disagree with the NCAA's findings. If the University decides to appeal, I will continue to cooperate with the NCAA and USC, as I did during the investigation. In the meantime, I will continue to focus on making a positive impact for the University and for the community where I live."  (Emphasis added)

Unbelievable.

M

UPDATE (M):  Daily News' Jon Gold is reporting on their UCLA blog, as of 11:34 a.m, that  "it's only a matter of money":

* This is still only a matter of money. You throw enough money at a guy, he at least has to consider it. If Yahoo offered my $200 grand, you better believe I'd consider it, even though I love the Daily News.

* At this point, if the numbers are true - anywhere from a million to a million-five - UCLA can't and downright shouldn't match the offer. $1.5 million for a college offensive coordinator, whose two UCLA offenses have finished 111th and 88th in the country? Come on.

* Here's my deal: Chow has a year left on his contract. A guy in Chow's shoes deserves more job security. Chris Peterson's name gets brought up at SC? More job security. Del Rio? More job security. Harbaugh? More job security. If this all ends up with Chow getting a raise and some more security, I think he stays.

More as we get it, folks...

ORIGINAL (M):  This is about 3 hours old, but still worth mentioning.  ESPN reported at 9:07 a.m. (PT) that Chow's agent, Don Yee, told ESPN the following (emphasis added):

Meanwhile, sources close to the school told ESPN's Shelley Smith on Tuesday night that a deal is being worked on in hopes of bringing longtime offensive coordinator Norm Chow back to USC in the same capacity.

"Last night's reports are false. There are no negotiations that are occurring. And, as of this morning [Wednesday], we have not received any contact from USC regarding any offers for coach Chow to leave UCLA," Yee told ESPN, adding that no media contacted him about the initial circulation of Chow reports.

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Ding dong, the witch is dead...  The LA Times Blog now has it:

Pete Carroll, who led USC to seven Pacific 10 Conference titles and two national championships, will resign his position at the university and accept the coaching job with the Seattle Seahawks.

Trojans players and coaches learned of the news via text message from an assistant coach, The Times' Gary Klein has learned.

That Pete Carroll:  Classy to the last.

Let's keep the updates coming!

M

UPDATE (M, 1/11/10, 5:35 a.m. PST) -- Petey's departure is now the banner story in the print edition of LAT's Monday Sports Section (emphasis added):

Pete Carroll is leaving USC, and the coach the school considered its top choice to succeed him is no longer available.

Several Trojans players said Sunday night that they were informed by text message from staff that Carroll would become coach of the NFL's Seattle Seahawks.

According to a source familiar with the negotiations, the deal will be signed this morning and Carroll will be introduced as the Seahawks coach Tuesday.

And just because, sometimes, you can't make some stuff up (emphasis added):

Quarterback Matt Barkley said he was watching television with teammates, who had gathered to discuss the team's situation, when he saw the screen flash with news that Carroll had resigned.

"I'm really blessed that I got a chance to play under him for a year," Barkley said.

Barkley said the assembled teammates "all figured Coach would be gone sooner or later," and that they talked of different scenarios that could be in their immediate future.

"It really shows you how much of a business this is, especially at Division I college football," Barkley said. "Every player has to live with the fact that this can happen."

As if this weren't enough cause for celebration, the LA Daily News is also reporting that Petey's brazenly gutting the staff, as well (emphasis added):

None of that matters to Carroll, who is expected to be unveiled as the Seahawks coach as soon as today. Carroll will take offensive line coach Pat Ruel, linebackers coach Ken Norton Jr., and possibly quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates to Seattle, according to sources.

In other words, Petey is not just taking the money and running -- he's taking the money, and as much of $C's hopes of keeping their likely-disillusioned recruiting class with them.

Keep updating as the hits keep on coming, folks!

M

Request to everyone on BN who has a tweeter account please RT:

RT @BruinNation @BillPlaschke is an ACCOMPLICE to Cheatey Petey’s escape http://bit.ly/5NCrWO #falloftroy

That’s better than emailing those guys. Thanks. GO BRUINS. -N

***

Pla$chke is not just a Trojan lapdog.  Pla$Chke effectively aids and abets Petey's high-tail out of town by running media cover-fire for Carroll. 

Pla$Chke starts out promising, asking in his 4th paragraph, and then repeatedly "Is Pete Carroll running to something, or from something?"

But turn the page, and you see it's for naught (you can dig it up via the LA Times website, but I'm not about to give him the traffic):

[Carroll's] no traitor. He's no quitter. He deserves no boos. He was paid to do a job, he did it well for a long period, his performance gave him a chance at what he considers a better job, and so he's taking that chance.

That's not sleazy. That's America.

Forgive my ranting, but my head may still be a bit concussed after banging it against my table upon reading that ridiculous statement.  Or maybe the blatant display of stupidity caused me to rupture a blood vessel in my brain.

No, Bill.  Carroll, like some absconding bank executive or decadent insurance company president, is just another example of what went horribly WRONG with America during the preceding decade.  Deplorable excess, a vaccuum of accountability, and soul-maddening arrogance all encapsulated in one college football program -- a program so crooked it looks like a Norhtridge seismograph reading circa January 1994.

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From the FULL TEXT of his email to the LA Times, the very first paragraph (emphasis added):

I was very insulted in that you co-authored an article titled, "USC investigating tailback Joe McKnight’s use of vehicle" and "rushed" to publish it without comments from myself. My personal life was put in the open without the opportunity to comment (I had to disclose to my wife of the other cars I have purchased or helped buy for other women). I will make a few comments and will also be forwarding my comments to Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times, and other news organizations that I feel should hear from me so they may publish or have it for their records.

Anybody else want to check on what any other $C players' girlfriends are driving?

M

UPDATE (N): Here is the screenshot of the text:

Just in case it gets changed up. This is a very interesting observation indeed. GO BRUINS.

UPDATE II (M):  This gets even weirder, folks.

The link to Mr. Schenter's response is already included above, but here's another notable excerpt (boldface and italics in original):

More information, Johanna Michelle Beltran (Editor's note: This is McKnight's girlfriend and mother of his 10-month-old son) is a long time family friend and is an employee of Smart Bullets Inc. Smart Bullets Inc. has a patent to turn nuclear wastes into valuable metals, eliminating nuclear wastes and actually turning it into usable materials. The company also, called Smart Bullets because a protein (monoclonal antibody) attaches to a medical isotope (radiation) and attaches itself to the cancer cell and shoots off the radiation only attacking the cancer cell without hurting the healthy cells (this being a smart bullet)! My father, Dr. Robert Schenter, ex-director of National Association of Cancer Patients is the chief scientist and world authority on medical isotop [sic] production. We are looking to use this technology for AIDS/HIV, arthritis, cancer, and other diseases.

One catch, though.  Go to the official website for the California Secretary of State website at ss.ca.gov , go to the "California Business Search" option, and punch in "smart bullets".  You know what you get?  This:

No results matched the search term : "Smart Bullets"

Here is the link to the search portal -- try it yourself. More after the jump.

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Bumped. Countdown clock is up. 370 more days till we meet Chetey Petey's classless thugs in our house. GO BRUINS. -N

I HAVE FAITH IN THIS TEAM.

I HAVE FAITH IN UCLA HEAD FOOTBALL COACH RICK NEUHEISEL.

I HAVE FAITH IN THE BRUINS.

Let’s get a countdown clock up for next year’s game. Let’s count the months, weeks, days, hours, minutes, seconds, and freaking heartbeats until we get these guys back on our front lawn.

I’M SERIOUS...

Let’s keep our eyes on the prize, ‘cause the trophies to end all trophies are an ashen-haired noggin mounted over Rick Neuheisel’s fireplace and a white horse-skin rug on the floor below it.

I watched the game with a family of Bruins, and one person — a 40-year-alum whom I truly love and respect — was so frustrated that he actually wanted CRN to be FIRED because they thought CRN brought on Pom-Pom’s move on us and embarrassed us more.

This same Bruin alum was so heartbroken that didn’t want us to go to a Bowl game and get extra practice because they thought we would just embarrass ourselves.

Another Bruin called in via cellphone from a sports bar and wanted NC fired. Not making this up, people. MY watching compatriots were LIVID.

And me, you ask? I was PUMPED.

Not happy, hell NO. No "moral victory" glow here. NO WAY.

But I was ready to suit up and run through a plate-glass window for CRN, and go shoulder-block first into the first Trojan beer-belly gut I could find. Shoot, Ms. M was ready to slash the Humanitarian’s tires herself.

I couldn’t help but wonder when was the last time we thought we had such a good shot at nailing these cheaters that we would get this PISSED OFF.

Now mind you, moral victories suck. They suck colostomy bags.

Am I disappointed? SURE I AM.

Do I think we shouldn’t have gone Dorellian in the past-50 punt, that Jet Ski should have gotten into the game sooner, that Knox would have torn their ain’t-what-they-used-to-be LBs up? HELL YES (albeit with the disclaimer about JetSki’s fumble proving WHY we were gun-shy…. man, get some stickum…)!

But CRN proved one thing to me in last night’s game against the Trojans. If nothing else, one thing was proven to me beyond a sliver of a shadow of a doubt.

RICK. HATES. THE. TROJANS.

Rick hates the Trojans with the fury and conflagration of a thousand suns. Hates them so much that he would never throw God’s Gift to ESPN under a bus, not if it meant he’d have to sacrifice the opportunity to get behind the wheel and DRIVE that bus right over both of Petey’s faces, and then go fishtail-skidding over his nether regions.

And that’s damn well how it SHOULD be.

I am PROUD of this team. The outcome was not ideal, but the improvement was REAL.

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Today's LA Times Sports section REALLY goes over the top in its one-sided portrayal of the Trojans yesterday.

Nope, that's not a misprint.  I said their portrayal of the Trojans.  You say they didn't play yesterday?  That hey ahd a bye?

Apparently nobody told the editors and writers at the Times.

Column 1 of the front page of the Sports section is Bashke’s column on the game.  (Check out Nestor's morning briefing on that piece of work.)

However, Columns 2 through 6, both above and 3 inches below the fold, are dominated by pictures of former $C receiver Sam Dickerson and his alleged “game-winning catch” in the 1969 game.

Let me get this straight — we become Bowl-eligible yesterday, $C has a bye, and the majority of the front page is taken up by $C colors on a player who “won” a game FORTY FREAKING YEARS AGO??? 

We WON our game, improved by 2 wins over last year with arguably our biggest game still to be played, and there isn't a single pciture of a CURRENT Bruin player on the Page C1 of the Sports section?!?  Unbelievable.

BUT WAIT!!! THERE’S MORE!!!

If that weren’t even ENOUGH, so-called UCLA beat writer Chris Foster starts his article on the game with this effing gem:

There are college football programs that have fired coaches for six-victory seasons. There are coaches who have a lot of explaining to do if merely achieving bowl eligibility is a season highlight. there players who view the "Fill-In-The-Sponsor-Bowl as a minor consolation prize.

Not around Westwood. Not at UCLA. Not this morning.

I am NOT posting a link to the article, as I do NOT want to give this hack any more traffic and bolster his backhanded-with-brass-knuckles smack at UCLA, never mind that some football programs would fire a coach for suffering the worst loss in school history on its home field on national television.

Foster also claims that Rahim Moore “stood on the podium and promised victory next week … over USC,” without providing a quote of the supposed promise.   All he has is a supposed quote by Rahim, ’People remember November."    Doesn't sound like a promise to me.

Funny, Ms. M and I were AT the game. Stayed to hear the post game announcements by CRN and the players. Granted, we couldn’t hear everything said by the players, as we sit on the west side of the Rose Bowl.  Still, we REALLY don’t remember any guarantees or promises like that, either from Coach Neuheisel, Reggie Carter, or Rahim Moore when they stood on the podium.

Ms. M,  a lifelong Bruin — even more rabid than me — is actually asking if we should just cancel our 10+ year subscription to the Times at this point.

I hereby move that we only refer to any stories/ quotes/ reports by the Times as “alleged,” because it is now painfully clear that these guys do not value positive news about the Bruins of the past 24 hours to be anywhere nearly as important as Trojan trivia, whether it be from 24 hours or 40 years ago.

What a freaking joke.  

M

In what I hope to make a regular piece, here are my Ps N Qs (Positive/ Negatives/ Questions) for the Tennesee game.  I started this before we had the unfortunate news about Kevin Prince -- and there is obviously one BIG question for Saturday, but let's look abck one last time before looking ahead:

POSITIVES:
(1) “We Dare You to Cross this Line… Oh, Crap, You Did…” — Big props to CB for adjusting from last week. Our push at scrimmage was a lot better than it was last week against the lighter SDSU O-line. I was most concerned that we wouldn’t get pressure on Crompton and the grits-fed SEC line, but just about every D-linemen had a critical play flushing or flattening the Vol QB. AND, HUGE PROPS to our backup DTs on the goal line stand at the Mason-Kiffin line in crunch time.

Proof of how far we’ve come — in South Bend, people lamented how we put no pressure on the Irish QB by rushing him with only our D-line. Last night, on the Vols’ last 2-3 offesnive plays… we only rushed the 4 linemen. Of course, when Price is healthy, it’s like we really are rushing 5 guys.

If, if, IF!!!! we can keep this up consistently, this could be our best combination of strength and mobility on the D-Line since the days of Leisle and the Ball twins.

(2) Traffic Control — Aside from the one overplay by Carter in the red zone, and the ill-advised, but not at all dirty, face mask penalty on Ayers, our LBs did their jobs well — gum up the middle routes for receivers and lock up the runners. No game-killing runs, and something like 13 tackles for our defensive QB, Carter. Seeing Ayers chase down receivers at his size was a brief sign of freakish impressiveness to come.

(3) First-rate Secondary — Holy. Mother of. Heaven. I must admit, I was not ready to christen Rahim Moore as a ‘freak’ before this game. Sorry, but some of the SDSU passes last week just SUCKED, especially the double-reverse flea-flicker canned ham atrocity that passed for a Divison 1 pass attempt. However, Rahim’s closer than a sweater vest red-zone pass coverage in the 1st half, his jump on the receiver for his 2nd pick (the 1st pick was on a pass with all the aerodynamics of beanbag chair), and his sound tackling makes me think this kid could be for real.

I still want to see how Rahim does against a QB that doesn’t have the visual acuity of Ralphie after he shoots out his glasses with his red Ryder BB gun… but for now, if he gives opposing coaches more to stress over, so be it.

That being said, we MUST also give props to Courtney Viney. The guy is shorter than ME, but his heart is as big as my car. He may likely still get overpwoered by bigger, more physical WRs down the line, but he was certainly not afriad to mix it up and wrench players down to the ground on tackels and in coverage. Kid manned up big time.

(4) Magic Legs — Jeff Locke doesn’t have a normal left leg. He’s like something out of a Tarantino flick, with a gosh-darn piece of military armament where an otherwise human extremity should be. Punts AND kickoffs were, if not weapons, were great rebreathers for our offense. Bravo.

No disrespect to Kai, but let’s leave Kai to doing what he does best — GPS guided kicks coming from all angles and ranges. I don’t blame a guy for missing his 1st 50+ yard kick after making all EIGHT of his previous ones. Plus, watching him drain one right after a WTF formation penalty just proves how money he is.

(5) Federal Reserve — Jet Ski is shifty, speedy, and can throw down a very nice run-block. Coleman brings some good brute force to his runs. But isn’t it nice to know we’ve got Milton “Fort” Knox in reserve, too? Bringing a small back that just WON’T go down easily and make people miss is pretty dang scary for a No. 3 back. If, if, IF!!! they continue to develop, we could have our best 3-deep RB by committtee since the 97-98 seasons.

(6) Crowned Prince — bloodied, battered, flat-out beat-up… but NOT broken. I won’t repeat everything that’s been said already, but I’ll leave it at this: when our Yoda says a kid has “it,” he DOES. Prince is not a QB king yet… but be patient, and give him time. Even Cade’s 1st 2 seasons were rocky as all get-out…

NEGATIVES:
(1) Snap, Debacle, Pop — OHHH boy. I know Prince is new… I know Maiava is a transfer… but come the heck ON! Somebody get Kevin and Kai running track baton relay drills at 5 am, doing a bucket brigade for LAFD on the weekends — hell, force them to sit across frome ach other at training table to make sure they don’t have problems passing a ketchup bottle to one another. Maiava was an All-American Freshman Center; he’ll do better.

(2) Jumping the Gun — I lost count of how many offside and false start penalties we had yesterday. I just know TWO of them by our D extended Vol drives for scores. Bullough adjusted VERY well to the concerns over QB pressure. here’s the next hurdle for the new DC.

(3) Tight End, Loose Grip — Logan Paulsen was a reliable receiver two years ago, with a great blend of size and mobility. Now, coming off of an injury year, we’ve had two straihgt games where he’s dropped a pass in his hands. While I trust NC’s apparent game plan to spread the ball around to as many receiver options as possible — probably to make KP as comfortable with as many targets over the long haul — this is starting to be a concern. Our TEs blocked VERY well on end runs, but we need them to catch the ball a few times, too.

(4) Growing Pains — Not trying to bash the improving OL, but hey, we knew it wouldn’t be all positives for them coming in. Tennessee proved to be a tough test, and while our guys proved (as they did alst week) that they can open great running holes and really get downfield to block on stretch and sweep runs (especially our TEs like Paulsen and Moya), our guys must continue to work on their pass-blocking. At least a couple of Tenn’s blitzers came in untouched, right thru the pocket, and Kevin got his bell rung a few times.

QUESTIONS:
(1) Red-Zone Playcalling — I’m curious as to why NC called three straight running plays on Tenn’s side of the field while we were nursing the lead in the second half. Were they trying to protect KP from getting hit on a drop-back, or were they trying to eat a few more precious seconds for the D unit to rest? Given our still young O-line, plus our depth cocnerns on defense, is this something that may continue?

(2) Single-back Per Series — Anybody else noticing Jet Ski and Coleman being substituted only per series, and not in between downs? It’s still early in the season, so it’s hard to tell if there any glaring differences in productivity and skill-sets between our backs. Still, can other teams exploit this in terms of D-schemes and personnel?

(3) New Depth — We’ve seen our D-line reserves step up on one of the biggest stages in Div 1 football. Will we get the same kind of production from our reserve LBs, which was one of the biggest areas of concern pre-season?

(4) What Redshirt? -- For every person who questioned why Brehaut got a series at the end of a game well-in-hand to burn his redshirt, here's the answer.  I actually don't have a problem with CRN calling the end zone rollout on 3rd down -- if Prince had thrown the ball out of bounds, or just taken the safety sooner, we might not have an injury issue this week.  Nevertheless, here is where we are -- and we have a No. 2 QB who at elast got some "live" snaps against an opposing defense.  the key question will be, though, whether the playbook keeps getting opened, or whether we back up a couple of chapters to accommodate the new guy.

Ok, enough from me. Back to work.

M

Haven't found a link or video for it, but Lou Holtz's 1st sticker of the night went to our very own Rahim Moore, with ol' Lou citing Rahim's 6 tackles and 2 INTs today, and his total of 5 INTs for the year so far.

Personally, I think the sticker is a week overdue -- 3 picks and you DON'T get the colorforms decal for your hat?!?!? -- but it's nice to see our helmet at the front of the GameDay table for a change.

Way to go, Rahim.

M

We've all got our superstitions, traditions, our must-have things to set up for football season, whether we're riding the bleachers in the beautiful Arroyo Seco or riding our faithful, custom-fit, personally-indented couches.

For some it's food:  a big pot of chili for some, some ice-blue Gatorade for others, or even the beautiful, unlicensed, "stray" dogs wrapped in bacon and smothered in fried onions, jalapenos, and bell peppers served from those blissfully unsanitary pseudo-grill-carts around the parking lot.

Some plant the Big Blue flag in the lawn, or dig the car-sized model out of the trunk, living somewhere udner the spare tire and the kids' Little League gear.

Others pull out every single SAA shirt they've ever owned out of the summer-month garage exile and start mapping out the autumn weeks on a calendar.

As for me, a 12-year season tix holder (as if that doesn't make me feel old, I just found 2 white hairs simultaneously residing on my head for the 1st time ever), I've got my checklist for the first game of the year, aka the start of Frustration-Venting Season.  As mostly posted in another thread:

Season tickets for me, Ms. M and Ms. M’s cool sister? CHECK.

Bruin Blue colored PT-cruiser with the newly-repaired A/C? CHECK.

Blue and Gold fuzzy dice in the mirror of said cruiser? CHECK.

Free UCLA Season Ticket T-Shirt from CRN’s inaugural season? CHECK.

5 feet of lightweight blue and gold plaid fabric to wear Braveheart-style as kilt , and later as shade?  CHECK.

Cargo shorts to wear under said kilt and smuggle below-mentioned gear? CHECK.

Blue face paint (available from Party City) to cover half of face Braveheart-style? CHECK.

Coppertone spray sunblock, SPF 50, in blue can? CHECK.

Wooden ratchet noisemaker to smuggle past metal detectors? CHECK.

Wooden train whistle noisemaker to smuggle past metal detectors? CHECK.

Keychain-sized metal bike horn (rubber squeeze bulb removed) to smuggle past metal detectors? CHECK.

Pocket-sized tube of ibuprofen to faciltiate screaming head off? CHECK.

Six bottles of water sitting in the freezer, to hbe completely melted by, oh, 5 minutes into the freaking game?  CHECK.

LET'S GET THE PARTY STARTED, PEOPLE.

GAME'S ON.

M

Just caught it during lunch at the end of ESPN's College Football Live telecast.  No link, no crawl at the bottom of the screen -- just a statement, along with the anchor saying, "Let's just hope for UCLA's sake that he can stay healthy..."

If anybody has anything new on this, feel free to bring it.

M

UPDATE:  CONFIRMED --  It's up on the official site.  Congratulations to Kevin, and to the coaching staff on such an important decision.

As stated therein (emphasis added):

"We're going to name Kevin Prince as our starting quarterback," Neuheisel said on a conference call with the media. "It's no secret that he was getting the lion's share of reps with the first team. We just felt like he had requisite skill set to be given that opportunity and we wanted to see what he would do with it. While there were some growing pains, I still believe he showed the necessary poise and the understanding of what Norm Chow is trying to get taught, not only at the position, but also managing the game, that we think there's just a huge upside for Kevin. ...

And as for those Bruins that are new to the party: (a)  Read more BN(!!!); and (b) here's the bullet points:

"I think that he has all of the things you look for. He has great poise. He has size. His arm strength is what you look for. His understanding of the game will only get better and certainly his understanding of our offense will only get better. I'm excited about his progress and I think our team will rally around him."

Notably, CRN has NOT decided who the primary backup will be, as Craft and Brehaut are still under orders to keep competing for it.  Given that we still have youngsters on the line -- even though they are improving -- that's the right mentality to have. 

In any event, you gotta keep loving the fact that we have a coach with this kind of vision for the kind of QB we should have:

"I think we are going to have ourselves a position that we can be proud of. I think we will get the quarterback position back to where we all believe it should be, which is one of nation's finest. I believe we have that in our coach and now it's time to play like that, so hopefully we can do it.

"It won't happen overnight. He's a freshman. There's going to be some growing pains, but I do believe it is the right move and I'm anxious to see how it progresses as we get into fall camp."

Again, congrats to the (new) Prince of Westwood.

M

With the water-is-wet news that Jrue Holiday is going to test the NBA waters, several in MSM and here have wondered about our backcourt depth and who will be back up JA at point guard.

Well, it is way, way, WAY too early to guess, but I'm thinking that JA at point guard should not necessarily be a foregone conclusion.

Instead, I think that we should consider a lineup where ML is our starting point.  After all, ML is NOT new to the position.  Per the Scout.com recruiting page on ML:  (emphasis added)

[ML] can be a big timer. The ability to maneuver in traffic and get to where he needs to be is excellent. Will go on big runs from the outside. Can improve his body and tighten his handle. On the road to being a very elite point guard and good scorer.

Now, granted, recruiting site bios are a dime a dozen (or $29.95 and up per year), but even ML's high school coach said (emphasis added) that point guard is ML's "natural position": 

In the four years since he arrived at North, Lee has impressed Coach Mike Bartee as much with his unselfishness as his uncanny court vision and quick first step to the basket. When North lost several top big men before the season, Lee, who is 6-foot-5, volunteered to switch to center for the Huskies, playing out of position for the rest of the season because that's where the team needed him most.

Lee still put up gaudy statistics as a senior, averaging 23.7 points per game and grabbing 7.4 rebounds among taller, stronger kids. He led the Huskies to the CIF-Southern Section Division 1-A quarterfinals, where their fourth-quarter comeback against Glendora fell two points short.

"You put Malcolm on a team where he can play his natural position and he's 10 times more effective," Bartee said. "He's a natural point guard, and he played totally out of position. I appreciate it big time because he put team before self."

One of my pet theories on hoops is that I am usually opposed to having your #1 AND #2 PGs starting at the same time.  Fatigue, bench rotation, confusion on defensive rotations, foul trouble, playing out of position -- all of these are potential pitfalls when starting 2 PGs at once.  We probably saw a lot of that with DC and JH this year, already.  

Overall, I think ML can be/ is one of our best players going into next season.

Don’t get me wrong, JA has the tools -- quickness, handle, good attitude -- and I do believe he will improve significantly next season… but again, I don’t like having both points on the floor to start the game.  In crunch time like Tyus and Cameron in '95, maybe, but not at the outset.

With that in mind, how is THIS for a potential starting lineup next year?

C — Gordon — 6’9", 235
PF — Keefe — 6’8", 235
SF — Drago — 6’9", 215
SG — Roll — 6’5", 215
PG — Lee — 6’5", 205

Caveat:  this would hinge ENTIRELY on whether Drago can put in a full summer of workouts and improve his defensive rotations. I know, I know, I KNOW that we have debated Drago’s lack of defensive footspeed around here for WEEKS. 

Then again, nobody predicted that Drago would EVER average 5-6 boards a game last year… and he DID. Believe me, I was as surprised as anyone on that front. If Drago can devote his summer to improving his lateral slides and reaction time, the same way he worked on improving his shooting consistency and rebounding, then watch out below.

If we start the above lineup, we get serious advantages:

(1) Backcourt size — Can anyone remember when we started a both-6-5 backcourt?  Didn’t think so.  Malcolm’s hustle and length and Roll’s experience in CBH’s schemes should do wonders to negate any possible lack of waterbug quickness.   Worse comes to worst, we bring in JA to check smaller guards and fight pace with pace, but at least we START with the size advantage, for a change.

(2) Frontcourt size — 6’9", 6’8", and 6’9". That’s 242 inches of frontcourt.  For a team built on rebounding and defense, it always struck me as odd that we started a 6’5" SF.  Granted, with the PF spot manned in past years by LMRAM, aka the Big Yellow Taxi ("Don't it always seem to go/ that you don't know what you got 'til it's gone?"), that hasn't been an issue.  However,  I don’t know if we can do that anymore and still keep our rebounding margins high.  Some extra height wouldn't hurt.

(3) Offensive balance — OK, what do we have with this lineup…

Two outside shooters? Drago and Roll, CHECK.
Mid-range game? Roll has shown that even in limited minutes, CHECK.
Penetrator? Malcolm, CHECK.
Low-post scorer? Gordon was showing a bit more of a pure post game than PAA, and Drago was also showing some down the stretch, so CHECK.
Clean-up/ putback guy? Keefe, CHECK.

By contrast, what did we have this past season? Let’s look in reverse.

Clean-up/ putback guy? PAA, definite CHECK.
Low-post scorer? Eh… sort of.  PAA’s points came more on putbacks or midrange game. NOPE.
Penetrator?  Not consistently.   We screamed for DC for weeks to do it; JH STOPPED doing it halfway thru Pac-10 season. (ML will be another big X factor here, too.)  HALF-CHECK.
Mid-range game? Josh and PAA. CHECK.
Two outside shooters? Drago and Josh and DC, DEFINITE CHECK.

In other words, we had tons of outside and mid-range, but little to no inside or penetration.  Even one consistent, year-long penetrator, or a year-long inside player, would be an improvement on last year.

While certainly not an improvement in terms of experience, I think DG and ML at least will not serve as a drop-off in either of these areas.  DG tried at least two post moves in every game, even in his limited minutes, and ML cut to the basket in every single game.  Assuming he hasn't lost his PG handles and can move WITH the ball, his size and strength may make him a more aggressive (if not immediately better) penetrator than DC was for most of the last P10 season.

Again, this is a way-on-the-horizon view... but wouldn't it be nice to have a couple of size advantages at the PG and SF spots over other teams in the Tournament, as opposed to the other way around?

M

By now, it should be clear that I, along with many others in the Nation, absolutely LOVE that we play style of game based on defense, toughness, rebounding, fundamentals, and smart shot selection.  As a Showtime Fan, however, I also believe smart shot selection and offensive efficiency can be used by all kinds of winning teams, slow-grind or fast-break.  It’s all a matter of playing to the strengths of your personnel, and taking away the strengths of your opponents’ personnel -- and no way under heaven you do that without DEFENSE.

Unless, of course, your strength actually is, I don't know, DEFENSE.  Then this seems to pose a problem.

We’ve heard a LOT about officiating for, oh, MONTHS. Everyone has known that, one way or another, one game after another, we’ve had to deal with bad calls and no-calls, ticky-tack calls and over-the-back non-calls. There are countless good reasons as to why "SPTR" is a well-accepted moniker around here.

Nevertheless, has anyone noticed that it seems like in every single one of the past 4 years, as we’ve flamed out by double-digits against our very final opponent, foul trouble has been an issue EVERY TIME???

Take a look:

2009: Villanova, 2nd round.
UCLA PF: 21
Opp. PF: 22
Margin: -1
Players with 5 fouls: DG
Players with 4 fouls: ND, JS
(Also: PAA with 3 fouls, 2 of them early.)

2008: Memphis, Final 4
UCLA PF: 17
Opp. PF: 14
Margin: -3
Players with 5 fouls: DC
Players with 4 fouls: RW

2007: Florida, Final 4
UCLA PF: 26
Opp. PF: 17
Margin: -9
Players with 5 fouls: LMR, LMRAM, AA (including 2 early ones)
Players with 4 fouls: AA2

2006: Florida, Championship Game
UCLA PF: 22
Opp. PF: 13
Margin: -9
Players with 5 fouls: None
Players with 4 fouls: LMRAM

Everyone knows we play an aggressive man-to-man style of D. That’s our calling card. That’s our CORE, our backbone — and it has worked far, far, FAR more often than not while CBH has been here. We would be nowhere without solid D.

But there's a saying in, of all things, a James Bond novel -- Goldfinger to be specific: "Once is coincidence; twice is happenstance; three times is enemy action."

Why have we been eliminated from the Tournament by double-digits for four straight years?   Why is foul trouble an issue for us in each of our biggest losses?

(1)  Is the issue with the refs, singling out UCLA who believe Pac-10 teams are purely finesse squads who don't know how to play rough D without fouling?

(2)  Is the issue with our players, not learning enough to play defense with their FEET, and avoid the same-old reach-in fouls that our guys get caught on in big games year after year after year?

(3)  Is it our defensive philosophy, as teams that beat us spread the floor and hit threes early, forcing us to scramble and over-reach, thereby drawing more fouls?

(4)  Is it our departing players, who leave voids in terms of size and defensive skills that take us 2 years to recover from?

This post is not meant to assign or impose blame, believe it or not.  Rather, it is to ask the last question: 

HOW DOES OUR TEAM PREVENT A FIFTH STRAIGHT DOUBLE-DIGIT WHISTLE-STOP LOSS IN THE TOURNEY?

Have at it, folks.

M

Back in October, I posted a way-too-early, "On the Horizon" view of what I thought a problem area for us might be, focusing mainly on our ability to cover the perimeter.  (We've already discussed our recent concerns over our ability to consistently cover and rotate out to shooters, ever since Rochestie and Thompson carpet-bombed us at Pauley.) 

My concern today, however, is linked to this disclaimer I mentioned at the very beginning of my On the Horizon post:

Sincere and honest disclaimer -- if LMRAM had come back for his senior year, along with everyone else we've got on the roster right now, I’d already have $50 down on us in Vegas to bring home Banner 12. Yep, d*** serious.

And that's the point of my analysis today:  the 4-spot.   The power forward position, one of the unfailing linchpins of our success in recent years.

ND has improved his game, no question about that.  On the year, ND has averaged 9.3 points in 23.7 minutes per game (mpg), and gone for career-highs at least twice, IIRC.   Most would say ND has been giving us an added offensive threat at the PF spot... but has he? 

I looked back at our team's offensive stats in 2006 and 2007.  I omitted 2008 because our overall team makeup is more similar to the 2006 and 2007 teams, IMO, unless CBH is hinding a double-double player on our bench that we don't know about. 

Anyway, I looked at our production at the 4 from our beloved LMRAM, and here's what I saw:

2006 -- 29.5 mpg, 9.1 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 1.3 apg (LMRAM)
2007 -- 29.9 mpg, 8.2 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 1.9 apg (LMRAM)
2009 -- 23.7 mpg, 9.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.4 apg (ND)

Thus, in about 4/5 the time, ND's offensive output is already comparable to what LMRAM did for us in the past, albeit at considerably longer-range.  The rebounding, though, is considerably LOWER.  In our last 5 games, in particular, ND has given us the following stats:

(A)  ND (last 5 gms):   
149 minutes, 59 points, 29 rebounds, 12 fouls. 
29.8 mpg, 0.396 ppm, 0.195 rpm, 0.080 fpm.

Now, take a look at THIS stat line during the same 5 games:

(B)  ?? (last 5 gms):
41 minutes, 15 points, 14 rebounds, 4 fouls.
8.2 mpg, 0.366 ppm, 0.341 rpm, 0.098 fpm

If you take the stats of Player (B) and project them out to the same 29.8 mpg (or just 0.5 mpg more than LMRAM in 2007), you get the following:  10.90 ppg, 10.16 rpg, and 2.92 fpg.

In the same 5 games, ND has produced the following stats: 11.80 ppg, 5.8 rpg, and 2.3 fpg.

Even at ND's average of 23.7 mpg this year, Player (B)'s per-minute projections from the last 5 games would still come out to some very LMRAM-like numbers:  8.67 ppg, 8.08 rpg, and 2.3 fpg.

Granted, no single player can replace all the Swiss-Army-knife contributions LMRAM gave to us the past 3 years, but I'm sure many of us would like to have a PF who can give us 8 and 8 or 9 and 9 while riding shotgun with PAA.  My point today is this: we already DO have such a player.  And his name is James Keefe. 

It may be unlikely, it may be too late, but I sincerely think that for us to regain our defense, our toughness, our CORE, we should get JK back in the starting lineup asap.  At a minimum, I think JK needs to earn/ play/ get as many minutes as possible. 

Keefe could be the KEY for us in three areas where we've been having trouble all year:

(1) Defensive rotation -- Next to Aboya, Keefe is our physically strongest AND most experienced big-man defender.  Simply put, he knows how to work the double-team AND the hedge better than ND.   We need our PFs to close the lane from penetrators, and crowd post-players without getting burned by being a step too slow or not properly sealing off an exit lane for a pass-out. Drago's been having a lot of problems on exactly these kinds of rotations and shifts for the past 2 weeks.  If Keefe can take ND's minutes away by providing solid D, I have no doubt that our prospects will improve.

(2) Rebounding -- Pat Riley said, "No rebounds, no rings."  Around here, we can easily say, "No boards, no banners."  We all know that rebounding is a BIG part of CBH's overall team philosophy.  If you outrebound your opponents (either on our misses or theirs), they get less possessions, we get more, and we can control pace WITH our possessions (either by running more breaks or slowing down the game with grind-out plays.  The first rule of any ball-control offense is, by definition, GET THE BALL.

The Huskies rightfully took the Pac-10 season crown by having the kind of rebounding margin WE used to bury opponents with.  If we end up brain-locking and settling for outside jumpers at any time during the Tournament, the only way we may be able to generate points for mintues at a time may be on putbacks and garbage points.  Aboya has greatly improved for us this year, but he can't clean the glass alone.  

Possessions will undoubtedly be at a premium in the Tourney.  He may not be able to maintain the same pace at 8 mpg over a more healthy 29mpg, but Keefe has been averaging half as many rebounds as ND in barely more than one-quarter the time.  With Josh's shooting touch restored, I think we need more force and less finesse at the 4 spot.  No boards, no banners.

(3) Inside scoring -- I know, I know, JK is no Tim Duncan.  Shoot, he may not even be Mark Madsen.  However, while Drago has certainly improved his footwork in the post, when Darren and Jrue drive and are unable to connect, they need someone who can muscle in a basket.  If a thin, but athletic shotblocker like Gibson can flummox us, what will the bigger, wider, bulkier trees from the East region do to us? 

At present, our starting lineup lacks the traditional Howland-type bangers, aside from PAA.  If Keefe can draw fouls inside just by showing the toughness to get IN there, that helps us down the stretch by fouling out or slowing down enemy bigs, or by simply getting us to 1-and-1s a lot faster.   As the $C game and the UW games have proven, if you're looking to draw fouls on an enemy big, ND is not EXACTLY the guy to do it.

I BELIEVE IN THIS TEAM. 

I BELIEVE IN COACH BEN HOWLAND.

I BELIEVE IN THE BRUINS.

AND, I also believe, based on the last 3 years running, that the TOUGHEST teams are the one who go farthest in the Tournament.

As I've said before, toughness is a choice.  It's a decision. It's what the CORE of this team under CBH is all about.

With that in mind, how about we throw a big man pairing of the 6-9, 245-lb. Aboya and the 6-8, 235-lb. Keefe at people and play Howland's defense again from the opening tip, rather than hit the boards 20 pounds lighter than we used to do?

What would we rather have?  ND giving us 12 and 6 like he has the past 3 weeks; or Keefe giving us 9 and 9?

OK, enough from me.  Feedback is welcome.

M

You know, sometimes, the "featured" writers of the WWL get it right. They currently have an online magazine piece on the Top Gus Johnson Calls of All-Time.

We ALL know which one they picked:

And the commentary is priceless:

No brainer. Here ya go. We spent a solid year of our life coming back from bars and playing this, bursting into laughter. We're pathetic. Attempting to deconstruct everything that's amazing about this clip would probably take two entire years. Most underrated part: "FOUL!" "ON WHO?"

Too freaking priceless.  I may just order the Zaga game from the NCAA on DVD just for that call alone.

M

I know not everyone's a fan of Rome, but he's been a big CBH booster ever since he was coaching at UCSB (Rome's alma mater).

Plus, there's a whole fan-based superstition built up around Rome giving "karma" to anyone who appears on the show.   Basic idea is, you show up, you do well, you end up winning the following weekend.

That being said, CBH will be on today, 570 AM (KLAC) in SoCal.

M

OK, the Pac-10 Office just released their  Conference Honors List on its website, and our Ben Ball Warriors are all well-represented.

Darren Collison -- 1st Team All-Conference; All-Defensive Team:

Photo Credit: E. Corpuz

Josh Shipp -- 2nd Team All-Conference:

Photo Credit: E. Corpuz

Alfred Aboya -- All-Defensive Team; Honorable Mention All-Conference:

Photo Credit: E. Corpuz

Jrue Holiday -- All-Freshmen Team:

Photo Credit: E. Corpuz

I'm proud of all of our guys, but especially proud of PAA being named for All-Defensive Team.  With all of us reasonably concerned in pre-season about PAA's ability to harness his high-energy, even higher-impact game and avoid foul trouble, I think PAA's efforts this year prove just how far he's come in his 4 years here.  Smart player, smart play.

Other notes on these honors:

-- The 1st Team actually includes TEN players.  The 2nd Team only names FIVE... and our 'friends' across town still didn't get anybody on the 1st team.

-- The D team names FIVE players.  The Freshmen Team names SIX players.  Huh?

M

AP is reporting that former Trojan and current Celtic Gabe Pruitt was arrested on a DUI.

Boston Celtics guard Gabe Pruitt apologized Thursday after he was stopped on a Hollywood street and arrested for investigation of misdemeanor drunken driving.

Pruitt was pulled over around 3 a.m., hours after playing five minutes in the Celtics’ 93-91 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. He failed a field sobriety test, police said.

He was released at 8:30 a.m. on $5,000 bail, police Officer April Harding said.

Pruitt is from the Los Angeles area and played college basketball for Southern California.

M

In years past, I've posted my ideas on the critical components of Championship Defense.  Obviously, I am most likely not fit to get water for a graduate assistant for CBH's staff, but I think I have some good ideas to explain what's worked in the past, what's missing now... and what I believe we can do to fix things now. 

It's not one thing that's missing, or one person.  Instead, it's a slight decrease in pretty much all of the different elements of our defense, resulting in a systemic lowering of the quality of our overall defensive effectiveness.  In other words, we're the sum of our parts, and our parts have really changed.

Here are my basic elements of Championship Defense, with the newly added/ realized element of No. 4 (for illustrative purposes, examples are taken from the starters for the 1995, 2008, and 2009 teams, along with descriptions excerpted from some of my past posts):

(1)  INTERCEPTOR -- A guy with sufficient quickness to disrupt the opposing PG's movement, and delay the immediate set-up of the opponent's base offense (halfcourt or breakneck transition).  Preferably your PG or other good handles guy who can steal the ball and score at the other end on his own.
1995 - Tyus Edney
2008 -- Darren Collison
2009 -- DC.

ANALYSIS: DC still has the speed, quickness, and experience of a top-flight interceptor.  However, without a dominant post-presence, and without an experienced backup at the point, DC has seemingly gotten tired more and more at the ends of games.  Continued growth and steady minutes by Jerime Anderson -- ready or not -- should help keep DC fresher on D.  However, one player does not an entire defense make.

(2)  SEEKER -- If the other team has a freakish shooter off screens, or a crazy slash and finisher, you send THIS GUY to cuff him and stuff him.  However, this person needs physical toughness to fight over screens, stamina to chase and change direction for 30+ minutes a game, and sufficient length to bother shooters when he's a step behind.
1995 -- Toby Bailey
2008 -- Russell Westbrook
2009 -- Jrue Holiday

ANALYSIS:   Personally, I am not big on having seekers at 6-3 or less, as I think it leaves us vulnerable to bigger 2-guards, although RW did an outstanding job last year at 6-3 based on his intensity. In any event, JH has the quickness and length, but right now, the question is not his physical size, but his physical toughness.  Indeed, CBH noted specifically that JH did not handle screens well early against WSU, allowing Rochestie Klay Thompson (thanks, H) to get hot.   JH has the physical tools, but he has to learn to just lock people down and shut them up. 

It may very well come in time, but for now... it just is not there yet.  If needs be, I think Malcolm Lee may yet take the job before the season's out.  From what I've seen, he has JH's quickness, but more size, more length, and, after playing center during his senior year in high school, more practice banging around.

(3)  INTERCHANGEABLE WINGS -- Again, you know the types.  Mainly perimeter defenders, 6-4 to 6-8 guys, long-armed, good quick-twitch muscles.  Guys who can double the post and still get back to the shooters.  Guys who can switch off on pick and rolls or fon regular screens, yet can still pick up the other guy's man with no worries.  These can include your seeker or even your interceptor, or even the 'new element' (No. 4).  Since it's a plural designation, you need 2, but 3 is better.
1995 -- Bailey and Charles O'Bannon, occasionally Ed O'Bannon.
2008 -- RW, JS and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute.
2009 -- JS and Nikola Dragovic.

ANALYSIS -- You need two good interchangeable wings, and our two are... Josh and Nikola?   Yep, and they're looking fairly good doing it.  JS has improved his transition defense (just check the blocks on breaks), and, combined with 4+ playing years in the system and his new decision-making on offense, is establishing himself as an effective two-way presence (if not necessarily a lockdown-stopper).  ND has been visibily more active with hands and feet, and is improving on the double-down.  Again, however, guards have to run more, and without JH filling in at the switching-wing role as in the past, our schemes look a bit different, as designated backcourt shooters are lighting us up more than shooters at the 3 and 4 positions.

(4)  SHOTGUN -- On stagecoaches, there were always two guys riding up top -- the guy wih the reins, and the guy packing heat.  Shotgun was there so the driver could do his job.  Shotgun gave cover-fire when bad guys were chasing, stiff-armed robbers trying to grab the bank pouch, and glared at would-be trespassers with a nail-spitting glare.  On defense, you know who the shotgun is -- he gets rebounds or boxes out so his teammate can get them, he double-teams the post or in the corner when the ballhandler gets lost, he shifts over when a perimeter teammate gets beat. 
1995 -- Ed O'Bannon
2008 -- LMRAM
2009 -- ND

ANALYSIS:  ND is improving every week at the glass, and his hands are active in the mid-range passing lanes.  He's like a sniper rifle for us on offense.  But a SHOTGUN?  Hooo boy.  With LMRAM, we had one guy covering a lot of defensive ills -- or if not ills, then a lot of "just OK's" -- with a lot of superlative play.  At 6-8, 230, with a 7-foot wingspan and tireless (if somewhat injury prone) ankles and feet, LMRAM was the prototypical shotgun.  Ed O'Bannon also filled much of the same role, filling gaps and punching holes when needed.  At 6-9, 216, the lighter, thinner ND is not getting outworked, but he is occasionally out-toughed

What now, then???  Well, we can balance an OK shotgun with great wings, or vice versa, but we can't fix all at the same time, since our guys are either too young (the froshies) or a little light (ND) or not producing (Keefe).  Either JH HAS to step up at the seeker, OR we put ML there, OR we put in Keefe at shotgun and risk losing our sniper.  I had thought/ hoped Keefe was well on his way to riding shotgun in pre-season, but he hasn't kept the playing time.

(5)  BACKSTOP -- Shotblocking is great, but not entirely essential, depending on the team.  However, the backstop has to take up space (by muscle or plain mass), control that space (by length or by strength), and make other guys regret going into the surrounding airspace (block 'em or rock' em).  Plus, like in baseball, a backspace has to control any and all balls that clang, tip, ricochet, or otherwise just miss their target.   In other words, the backstop controls the REBOUNDS. 
1995 -- George Zidek
2008 -- Kevin Love/ Lorenzo Mata-Real
2009 -- Alfred Aboya

ANALYSIS:  Whether by drawing charges or going beast-like on the glass, AA2 is chipping in with 6 boards a game and effective post-defense.  However, we still have a drop off from last year's 6-10, 255 backstop in Love.  Add it with all the little drops at each defensive position, and the problems mount.

So, if you made it this long, the point is this:  At both the first line (interceptor) and the last line (backstop) of our defense, we're fine. But from seeker to wings to shotgun, we are all a bit different from last year.  It's those slight scratches and bends in our gears  -- a slow-reacting seeker, resulting in a mis-matched pair of wings, plus a hunting rifle instead of a sawed-off -- that's making our defensive engine stall and sputter. 

An opponent's dribble penetration looks burns us 3-4 plays in a game when the interceptor has to go without the interchangeable wings adding defensive backup, and the opponent can drive without changing direction or being forced to give up the ball outside the paint. 

Another 3-4 shots become wide-open when a seeker loses sight of his man.

We lose 3-4 offensive rebounds without another physical presence covering the backstop.

Each of these items is small on its own.  But add them all up, and what do you get?  Anywhere from 3-12 defensive breakdowns a game.

Seem like a lot?  Think back over the last 5-6 games. If the devil is in the details, so is our DEFENSE.  And our details still need work.

OK, enough from me.  Feedback is welcome.

M