SB Nation User Blog: bruinponcho

Death, taxes, and UCLA Dance team

bruinponcho — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:33:12 -0000

Death, taxes, and UCLA Dance team

Bleacherreport.com has a list of the top 25 cheerleaders in college basketball. In no surprise to anyone, UCLA came in at number one. What was a huge upset was $C somehow coming in third.

"Their basketball team may not be the strongest this year, but their cheerleading and dance squads never ever have an off year."

Go Bruins!

Josh Smith is a Bruin!!!!

bruinponcho — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 03:42:37 -0000

Josh Smith is a Bruin!!!!

HUGEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE news. CBH is developing another stellar recruiting class.

Welcome to Westwood Josh.

Ben Ball 09-10, Day 1

bruinponcho — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 07:12:04 -0000

Well that was fun way to start the season. Everyone's blood going?!? Good. I was going to wait until tomorrow morning to do this, but I had all these thoughts in my head and I figured I might as well get them out now. They are a little scatterbrained, but so was the play tonight, so I think it works. I'm sure Nestor will have a writeup with the stats, which are available here, but I don't think the stats are too important from a game like this.

DC will be sorely missed. I know JA wasn’t in the game, but without ball pressure, CBH’s defensive scheme becomes much weaker. Also, the lack of a definitive leader to throw the ball to at the end of a shot clock is something that will have to be worked out through the course of the season.
JA's groin cant get healed soon enough. Mustafa Abdul-Hamid played as good as can be expected and nailed that clutch 3, but a Pac 10 starting point guard he is not.
ML showed flashes of what we all are hoping for. ML showed off an improved jumper and did a fantastic job penetrating, however he needs to add some more muscle to allow him to finish around the rim better. He still has a tendency to pay out of control and doesn't have the best handle in the world, but with more playing time, I'm sure he will get more comfortable on the floor and play more under control as the season progresses.
DG will be the heart and soul of this team and that is a very good thing. DG showed off an improved offensive repretoire and seemed to gobble up every rebound, especially in the closing minutes. He had an embarassing moment when he got hung up on a dunk, but other than that, he was by far the player of the game.
I was very pleased with JK. Its hard to describe, but he just looks less "stiff" this year than he has in past. He was active on both offensive and defense and played with a confidence that has escaped him in his three previous years. Let's hope JK finally puts it together and becomes the McDonald's All American he was in high school.
JMM walked off the court with a trainer in the second half and it looked like he was holding his lower back. Hopefully there will be more news on this (or no news at all, would be the best news) tomorrow morning. JMM showed off his new body, but he needs to gain some weight now in the form of muscle as he looks a like a middle school kid who lost all his baby fat and now is kinda lanky. He did show a few good post moves and a soft touch which were promising. JMM got the start today, but I fully expect DG to be the starting center once the season starts with JMM being a very capable backup.
ND didn't have a great shooting night, but I still feel like every time he shoots the ball it is going in. What I was very impressed with was his improved playmaking. ND helped bring the ball up the court to break the Concordia press which was killing us and made some good semi-drives and passes in the half court offense that showed signs that ND is finally becoming a complete player.

More thoughts and an analysis of the freshmen, after the jump.

Tyler Honeycutt (TH) and Mike Moser (MM) have a loooooooooooooooong way to go. Both struggled tremendously on defense guarding quicker guards getting burned multiple times and were pushed around both on offense and defense. Their lateral speed just isn't yet up to CBH level defense. Offensively, both were rather lost and struggled with spacing. I'm positive that both will get better over the course of the season, but anyone expecting a Kevin Love or even Jrue Holiday type impact from them should go take a cold shower.
Reeves Nelson (RN) showed a lot of promise. He will be an excellent bruiser and rebounder in the mold of Aboya, but he has to figure that out first. Unfortunately, RN played more like a perimeter player and over-dribbled on offense and was a little lost defensively. However, as a fifth big off the bench, RN will have a very succesful season backing up DG, JMM, JK, and ND.
Anthony Stover (AS) looked pretty good in warmups. He didn't get in the game though which doesn't bode well for his chances for playing time this season. A redshirt for both AS and BL (who has been out with an injury) could be likely this year as I don't see anyway that they crack the rotation of the five bigs in front of them.
MR's impact on the offense cant be overstated. I'm not talking about his great shooting, but his entry passes. With a thin bankcourt even when JA is healthy, MR's ability to make entry passes to our low post scoring threats and his ability to handle the ball will be crucial to making CBH's offense flow.

In sum, this is a very young team and this was their first game together after barely practicing as a team this past week. However, I think it is pretty safe to say that the success of this team will depend on (1) JA and ML developing into a guard combo who can limit turnovers and apply ballpressure, and (2) the four bigs (DG, JK, ND, and JMM) dominating the glass and getting easy baskets.

Strap yourselves in Bruins Nation, this is going to be a ride like one we haven't had in awhile. I for one am looking forward to it.

Go Bruins!

Keflezighi’s ‘U.S.A.’ Breaks the Tape

bruinponcho — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:34:47 -0000

Keflezighi’s ‘U.S.A.’ Breaks the Tape

Just another reason to be proud to be a Bruin.

NCAA enforcement proving again who you are "doesn't" matter

bruinponcho — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 04:31:42 -0000

NCAA enforcement proving again who you are "doesn't" matter

UK star recruit John Wall has been "cleared to play by the NCAA" after the discovery that his AAU coach was a licensed agent. In the NCAA laying down the law, Wall must sit out two games (which will occur at the beginning of the season against two schools no one has heard of).

Meanwhile, in a situation similar to our very own ND, a West Virgina freshman has been suspended for 20 games because he played for a Turkish team that had a professional player.

To recap, have one of your closest confidants be an agent = 2 game suspension. Play on a team with one professional player = 20 game suspension. Seems like an organization focused on an individual's amateur status should find the other way around. Of course, unlike Wall, no sponsors, tournaments, or the NCAA itself are making millions off of that WVU kid.

Pathetic.

Ben Ball Unranked & Injury Update

bruinponcho — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:49:40 -0000

The ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll came out this morning with Kansas at number 1. After the loss of DC, PAA, JS, and JH, CBH's team is unranked. Based on the number of votes, we came in at number 29. I'm not sure what the official number is, but off hand I feel like this is the first time in about 4 years that CBH's team isn't ranked.

As I've stated before, as much potential that this team has, they are devoid of players who have proven anything yet. I am fully confident that by the end of the season, we will definitely be ranked. I think it is really a credit to CBH that this team has gotten as many votes as it has based merely on other coaches' faith in his coaching and recruiting skills.

Injury updates after the jump...

Good news from the LA Times blog. JK is practicing with full contact. ML is back from his concussion JMM is back practicing in non-contact drills. Unfortunately, MR, JA, and BL are all still out. I really hope that JA can get healthy soon both for his own development and so the team can have a realistic practice with the only true point guard on the roster.

First exhibition game November 4th!!!!

Go Bruins!

Prince to start at OSU, Brehaut to play

bruinponcho — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:42:19 -0000

Bumped. GO BRUINS. -N

Just saw this in the LA Times blog. Just as CRN handled the Carroll-twitter incident, it appears that he is handling this situation well. Here is the statement from CRN:

"We studied the tape, and I talked with Norm, and we decided that Kevin would be the starter this week," Neuheisel said. "But I asked that Richard get some playing time the final five weeks. He has merited getting playing time."

Adding some fuel to those who see CNC (not me) as one of the problems our uninspired offense, it appears that the decision to stick with Prince has been from CNC.

As for the decision to start Prince, Neuheisel said, "Norm has been in the meetings with those kids, and he believes Kevin is the best bet for us as it stands currently. I don’t disagree."

I remember in the summer there was a quote from CNC alluding to his belief that Prince could challenge for a Heisman by the time he is done at UCLA. I know CNC prides himself and his built his reputation on grooming high quality quarterbacks, but I hope his commitment to Prince is truly because Prince is, in Chow's eyes, significantly better than Brehaut and not because Chow doesn't want to look wrong on his prediction. Meanwhile, it looks like CRN is going to look for using Brehaut during the game next week. More after the jump.

I couldn't agree more with CRN's view of the situation.

Yet Neuheisel said he is locked into using Brehaut during the game. Chow’s philosophy has been against multiple-quarterback situations.

"We have two young quarterbacks, and we’d like to see them both develop," Neuheisel said. "It’s time Richard gets some chances."

I understand the whole arguments against using multiple quarterbacks, but if one of your boats is sinking, it is foolish to just ride it down to the bottom because you think that jumping into another boat might be marginally worse.

Here's hoping that both Prince and Brehaut play well in practice this week and perform against OSU this Saturday. I think we would all love to have a quarterback controversy as the result of their mutual success than their mutual failure.

Go Bruins!

Shock: Calipari star recruit may be ineligible

bruinponcho — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:38:13 -0000

Shock: Calipari star recruit may be ineligible

Not this this should be any surprise to anyone not a blind Kentucky fan willing to sell their soul to the devil to win a championship, but Calipari's star recruit John Wall's status as an amateur is under investigation.

The main issue is that his AAU coach is a certified agent. But come on, where there is smoke there is fire. Wall will probably get cleared since it is in the SEC and NCAA's financial interest to have him on the court, but I guarantee you this isn't the last we've heard of a Calipari recruit's eligibility issues.

Ben Ball Injuries Cumulating

bruinponcho — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 05:37:52 -0000

Ben Ball Injuries Cumulating

ML has a mild concussion. BL has a twisted ankle. MM has a strained back. JK is still out with his shoulder.

But of bigger concern is that JA wont practice at least until next week. Cross your fingers that JA gets well soon because if he isn't healthy, it could make for a paper thin backcourt.

CRN's Lavinesque Quote

bruinponcho — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 21:08:19 -0000

The worst development yesterday wasn't on the field but in the press conference after. There, CRN decided to channel the beloved Steve Lavin and say something so stupid to alienate the fanbase that it defies comprehension.

Nestor summed up what a lot of us, including myself, are feeling today already. However, the most dissapointing development for me from yesterday wasn't our defense looking great for 4 plays and then clueless for the 5th or our receivers dropping passes a division one football player should catch, it was this quote from CRN when reportedly asked about the bruin faithful in the LA Times. His first statement, which I have no problem with, is something that we have heard from him every week and is the standard coach speak:

"I understand their dissatisfaction, especially given the 3-0 start and that things were turning [around], and so on and so forth," Neuheisel said. "All I can tell them is that we're going to keep working at it.

Sadly, the next sentence is absolutely indefensible and disheartening:

"It's too long and too hard a story to give all the details, and frankly I don't think they'd understand all the details. We have to keep working at it, no excuses."

While I like the last sentence, the first one pisses me off to no end. Really CRN? I understand that we aren’t genius coaches like you and Chow, but please try and explain why your team is essentially the same today as it was in week 1. To me, the only conclusion from a statement like this is that 1) maybe the details are too difficult for CRN’s assistants (Defense and Special Teams) or players since; they don't seem to be fixing these details; and 2) CRN doesn’t know the reason why his team is stuck where it is. Since I am too dumb to understand, I sure hope CRN can come up with some answers in the next few weeks.

Just like you N, I fully support CRN and think that he can turn it around. But the reason I think a lot of us liked him was because he was so affable and you couldn’t get him to stop talking. If he is going to go down a path of "the fans are too dumb to understand what I’m doing," he will lose my support very quickly. I hope this is just an aberration said after a frustrating day.

Go Bruins.