SB Nation User Blog: rfirpo

Malcolm Lee

rfirpo — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:29:30 -0000

Malcolm Lee

I saw something against FIU. It was hard to see at times, but it was there. Malcolm Lee is going to be a star. He was out of control at times, trying to do too much, and sometimes he was sloppy. But, he is the most athletic of all the freshman, and by the end of the year, he is going to be a star (surely next year, if not this). The future is bright for this kid--he is the next Collison and Westbrook--you heard it hear first.

UCLA's (and the Pac-10's) Position in the West

rfirpo — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 14:32:29 -0000

I ran into an interesting article in today's Idaho's Statemen Newspaper (Boise, ID). The article purported to be a commentary on the state of college football in the west ("Super Teams: Who are the Best in the West") , and ranked the top teams from the Pac-10, WAC, and the MWC.

You have to take the article with a grain of salt, as Boise, ID is Boise St. country through and through, and therefore it is not surprising to see an article discussing (and highlighting) the relative strength of the Mountain West and the WAC conferences as compared to the Pac-10. Of the 28 teams ranked, UCLA ended up at # 20, behind not only the vast majority of Pac-10 teams, but (gasp) teams like San Jose St. (# 18), Louisiana Tech (# 17), and New Mexico (# 15).

Obviously, I disagree that UCLA in the bottom quarter (or third) of all teams in the Pac-10, WAC, and Mountain West. However, I think this article isn't completely off either, and I think it highlights what's at stake for the Pac-10 and UCLA. Other teams and other conferences are getting better, and those teams and conferences are starting to nab top-flight coaches and players. Utah, Boise St., and Hawaii have been to BCS games, and Boise St. and Utah won a BCS game.

The Pac-10 and UCLA have a lot to lose if these other conferences do in fact create parity (or even the illusion of parity). And while competitive balance is great for college football, it ain't good for the Pac-10 in the west necessarily. It's too bad Cal was never able to deliver on the promise of really challenging USC, and UCLA has been down, Washington horrible, and Washington St, ASU, and Oregon St. inconsistent. All I can say is, in an election year where change and new blood are sweeping the country, let's hope the Pac-10 can shore up its base and return to our rightful place as the unquestioned power in the West.

I think the WAC the Mountain West deserve a lot of respect, because what they have achieved recently is astounding; and I am torn with respect to their rise as conferences. On the one hand, I love an underdog conference beating up on, and expecting to beat, teams from a so-called BCS conference. However, if you are the Pac-10, I think you've got to be a little pissed-off by the rise of the WAC and the Mountain West. Like it or not, some of that rise has come at the expense of the Pac-10 (particularly at the bottom of the conference).

Not sure how good these other conferences are? Judge for yourself: Boise St. (#3 Super Team in the West) v. Louisiana Tech (# 17 Super Team in the West) are on ESPN tonight, primetime.

Bush, Mayo & NCAA Enforcement

rfirpo — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 20:55:42 -0000

Bush, Mayo & NCAA Enforcement

NCAA apparently gets the message--they won't be ignoring the Bush and Mayo scandals. Tick Tock, Tick Tock

Pac-10 Coaches Circle Gets (even) Better: Mike Montgomery to California

rfirpo — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 15:44:33 -0000

The Pac-10 Conference has some really good players. Great players actually. But is there any question that one of this conferences strengths is its coaches? I don't think so. Howland has transformed UCLA, Bennett is working wonders at Washington St., and Sendek is starting very strong in Tempe. Oh, and Kent, Johnson, and Floyd aren't bad either.

Anyway, according to news reports this morning, the Pac-10 coaching circle is getting even better, as it appears that former Stanford and Golden State Warriors head coach Mike Montgomery is headed to California to replace Ben Braun. According to espn.com's Andy Katz:

"Former Stanford and Golden State Warriors coach Mike Montgomery has agreed in principle to replace Ben Braun at rival California, according to a source with knowledge of the negotiations.

Braun was fired as coach last Wednesday after 12 years at Cal.

Montgomery led Stanford to the 1998 Final Four and helped resurrect the Cardinal into a national program.

I must admit that I am surprised by the story. Not that Montgomery is getting back into coaching, but that he might be headed to California. You just don't see coaches leaving one program for a rival program within the same conference.

True, Montgomery left Stanford and went to the Warriors. But after being fired by the Warriors, Montgomery has been working as some kind of consultant for Stanford--so he really is leaving Stanford for Cal. Crazy.

Putting aside the Stanford to Cal story, I think this move is good for the conference. California will get better, and with that, the entire conference is better.

The San Francisco Chronicle was beat to the story and still hasn't filed an official report. However, Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News has this bit about what is now, still just a strong rumor:

Which brings us to Berkeley.

Would Montgomery take the Cal job if offered? Would Mr. Stanford Basketball really wear blue and gold? He's not talking about it - that alone makes me think something's brewing - but longtime Montgomery watchers believe he would seriously consider it. He might not take it, but he would seriously consider it.

The big hurdle - the reason I wonder if he'll ever jump back in - is the recruiting. Montgomery wants no part of the seedy side of college basketball: pandering to teenagers and their families, AAU coaches and assorted handlers.

On The Farm, he rarely had to. The players who were interested in Stanford, and could be admitted to Stanford, were generally well-grounded kids from middle-class, two-parent homes. That's one of several reasons it was the perfect job for Montgomery.

There's also the rivalry issue. Montgomery has spent 19 of the past 21 years at Stanford, but I don't think that would stop him - if everything else felt right - from working for the Golden Bears. He's not a Stanford alum and always has had great respect for Cal as an institution.

Of course, all this assumes interest on Cal's part. If Montgomery's not a bright flashing dot smack in the center of the Bears' radar, he should be. He beat them to a pulp time and again while working with a much smaller pool of recruits.

As stated at the top, Randy Bennett and Mark Fox seemingly make much more sense as successors to Ben Braun at Cal, just as Johnson makes much more sense as Stanford's coach next season.

But both alternate-universe possibilities are pulsating through the West Coast branch of the coaching grapevine - home of speculative scenarios that often seem preposterously farfetched.

Until they happen.

Live From Phoenix - Sweet 16

rfirpo — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 06:01:40 -0000

I have been to the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 rounds the last two years, and I had a blast each time. It's great meeting other bruin fans, opposing fans, and traveling around with the team. For die hards, it is a must-do experience.

This year, I thought I might try to give a relatively-real-time look into the experience. I'm not sure how often I will be near the computer, but hopefully I can contribute enough posts to give those out there a sense of what it was like this year to be in Phoenix on the road to the Alamodome!!

6:00 P.M. -

Finished crafting jury instructions for the judge I work for in San Diego. Thank god, this is one trial that can go on without me. My girlfriend just picked me up, off to the airport.

7:00 --

Flight is delayed until 7:35 P.M. Hopefully it won't be too delayed too long. There are a few UCLA fans who appear to be heading to Phoenix for the games, but not many. I suspect most people traveling to the games will arrive in Phoenix on Thursday.

My girlfriend and I are meeting my mom and sister (and possibly other family members) in Phoenix, but we don't have tickets to the games yet. Good news, however, is that there is free wireless access in the San Diego airport. I just checked craigslist for the phoenix area, and it looks like there are definately some tickets available. Hopefully my sister and mom rented a car.

7:20 P.M. --

GOOD NEWS from Phoenix. My mom and sister just called, and they are in Phoenix. They just checked into our hotel - The Hilton Suites in Phoenix - and immediately saw Ben Howland sitting somewhere near the lobby. My sister is star struck, and my mom is apparently worried that we are acting like roadies following around the team. I can't wait to get there.

My sister informs me that they didn't rent a car, which disturbs me a little. I think we might need to get a car to assist with buying tickets to the games. When buying tickets on craigslist, it always helps to have a car to go pick up the tickets. We'll see.

7:35 P.M. --

Takeoff.

8:50 P.M. --

We made it to Phoenix. The plane ride went pretty well.

9:25 P.M. --

We made it to the hotel, and I am so glad we are staying at the official UCLA team hotel. For starters, when you walk in the front door of the hotel, you are greeted with a GIANT UCLA banner hanging from the rafters like championship banner. Awesome. And there are UCLA folks milling about everywhere. Lots of blue. It's weird, but somehow staying here you feel like you are part of a close knit group of bruin supporters.

9:50 P.M. --

My sister and I have officially changed the desk in our room into what we are calling "The Ticket Center" or "Our Office." We just scoured craigslist for tickets, and we e-mailed a few folks. Someone offered a pair of tickets for Thursdays game only for $400.00. Too steep for us right now. However, it does look like ticket prices are coming down.

10:00 P.M. --

Looking into tickets more the last ten minutes, i can tell you that ticket prices are coming down since Monday. Craigslist has tickets for tomorrow's game in the lower level for $125.00, which I don't think is that bad. This is the NCAA tournament after all. Upper Level tickets should be available for around $50.00, maybe $75.00, if you keep looking.

10:10 P.M. --

We MIGHT have just got tickets. We'll see. We checked in at razorgator.com, which I believe is the official NCAA ticket resaler, and there were quite a few very affordable tickets to be had. We sprung for 4 tickets in the lower level for a bit less than $120 per ticket. Well worth it for the peace of mind in my opinon. However, it is not clear how they (razorgator) can deliver them in time. So we are worried about that. Apparently, the tickets are not guaranteed until they e-mail us tonight or tomorrow with a guaranteeing e-mail, at which point they will charge my credit card. Until then, I can only say we might have bought tickets.

I think our ticket plan is to call razorgator.com in the morning to see what the status is. If they can confirm tickets, great. If not, we'll go back to craigslist and stubhub, and if we have to, we'll go to the arena with cash in hand.

10:28 P.M. --

Here is kind of a shocker. The players seem to be meeting in the meeting areas near the lobby, and it is 10:40 PM at night! I certainly don't say that in a negative way, I am just surprised. Seems kind of late to me. But I'm sure this isn't the first time. Also, I sort of had the sense that Howland would have the team on lockdown. But that doesn't appear to be the case. The players are cruising around near the hotel lobby. Just saw Josh Shipp and, I am almost positive, his brother Jerren.

The players seem loose. Prince Luc was smiling, and and everyone seems happy and healthy.

This is going to be a good week.

10:45 P.M. --

My sister reports that busloads of basketball fans are arriving downstairs. The hotel seems quiet right now, but I imagine it will be crazy tomorrow.

11:00 P.M. --

See you tomorrow. Unless something bruins up tonight.

Update [2008-3-27 14:13:8 by rfirpo]:

March 27, 2008 7:45 A.M. -- It is a beautiful day in Phoenix, and it is going to be hot! I got an e-mail from razorgator.com last night, and apparently my tickets for the games today are confirmed. The only problem is that I need to pick them up somewhere in Pheonix. We are headed out right now for coffee, to pick up the car, and then to try to get the tickets into our hands. The hotel is quiet.

Update [2008-3-27 14:13:8 by rfirpo]:

10:58 A.M. --

Beautiful and Hot day in Phoenix. Scorcher actually.

We just picked them up somewhere a couple miles from the hotel. God, its nice to have tickets in hand. Turns out the razorgator buying experience was a very successful one. Tickets are in the lower level, section 123. Not bad actually. We paid $120 a piece. pricey, but worth it.

Update [2008-3-27 14:13:8 by rfirpo]:

11:07 A.M. --

The team is starting to meet downstairs. Just saw Abdul-Hamid in the elevator.

Someone asked what Howland had for breakfast. I can't answer that question. The area where the team eats and goes through walk-throughs is behind a curtain of blue velvet. But my guess is Ben got something good to eat.

Also, dropped by the Hyatt Regency hotel this morning to pick up a rental car. Looks like the hyatt (which is right near the arena) is the official media hotel. We were able to snag a couple media guides with quotes and pictures and information for the Bruins. I will drop some quotes later.

Update [2008-3-27 14:27:43 by rfirpo]:

11:25 A.M. --

You should see the motorcade preparing to take the team over to the arena. One big bus, a couple cars, and four motorcycle police. Rolling in style, as they should.

Hopefully I can figure out how to get some pictures of this stuff up on this site.

M Bah a Moute to have MRI / Shipp sick with Strep Throat

rfirpo — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 00:44:50 -0000

Hopefully this is no big deal. Hopefully it truly is "just precautionary." However, the fact is that Prince Luc is having an MRI today.

LOS ANGELES -- UCLA's Luc Richard Mbah a Moute was set to undergo an MRI on his sprained left ankle and Josh Shipp was recovering from strep throat Monday, putting two of the Bruins' starters at less than full strength.

Coach Ben Howland said the MRI on Mbah a Moute was being done as a precaution.

"His ankle was swollen pretty severely yesterday," he said. "I was surprised and a little bit down by it. We [didn't] anticipate there being any issue."

Mbah a Moute returned Saturday night against Texas A&M after missing two games. He had two points, eight rebounds, six turnovers and four fouls in 32 minutes of the Bruins' 51-49 second-round victory.

"It hurt his timing that he hadn't practiced," Howland said. "His rebounding, defense and double-teams created a lot of havoc that helped us. I don't think we can advance much further without him."

Howland said the junior forward would play Thursday "barring any unforeseen abnormality on the MRI."

Also, apparently Josh Shipp is sufferring from strep throat. Honestly team, get healthy! I'd say, "can we get a break," but that would probably incense those who think all the breaks are going our way.

With all the Texas A&M post game talk, it's easy to forget that we are still not at full stength. I can't say enough about how Roll being hurt has affected this team, and regardless of how Prince Luc played on Saturday, is there any question that he is one of our most important players? Every team suffers injuries, and it is part of the game. But our run is special considering our setbacks. People can complain about how UCLA is getting all the calls, but for every call (or non-call) I will show you a bump, bruise, tear, or rupture.

Let's hope we get healthy (again).

And Go Bruins!

Filthy Mangy Stray Dogs

rfirpo — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 18:12:02 -0000

Let me first say, UCLA didn't deserve to win. How we were in the game in Seattle is beyond belief, because (a) we couldn't rebound, (2) we couldn't play defense, and (c) Collison just played horrible. We deserved to lose.

However, with 47 seconds left, we still could have won that game. If Morris takes the 5 second call, we get the ball with a chance to cut it to 2 points--and with Washington's free-throw shooting, we could have won.

It doesn't matter which school you are a fan of; NO ONE CAN WATCH THAT PLAY (Morris essentially punches Aboya) AND NOT COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT IT WAS INTENTIONAL. No one. I mean, the play speaks for itself. Morris throws the ball directly at Aboya's face, and then practically dives away because he knows the ball is going to come back at him! Insane, filthy, classless--that's all there is to say about it.

What is worse is Lorenzo Romar trying to defend the play. Bottom Line--there is no defense. Romar needs to step up and take responsibility for a very dirty play. Romar needs to admit that his player opted for unsportsman like conduct to preserve a victory.

I am further incensed with Romar saying the following:

"I know Tim is not one to just go out and bean someone," Romar said. "It was in the heat of the moment and Tim made a quick decision and it happened. If I had thought Tim was trying to hurt someone I would have had an issue ..."

Please. Anybody who watched the play can see that that is exactly what Morris was doing. It was intentional and dirty.

There is only one reason why Romar is protecting Morris: they are family. This from The Daily (University of Washington's newspaper):

Even though six players on the UW's roster have been here longer than Morris, his relationship with Romar began well before anyone else wearing purple and gold.
Romar and Morris are second cousins (Morris' dad is the brother of Romar's mother, for those of you scoring at home). The two met when Tim was 2 years old.

As Romar described with a laugh, back then balance wasn't quite Morris' strong suit yet.

"There's a picture at my house of Morris and my oldest daughter when he was 2," Romar said. "They were hugging for the picture, and they both fell."

Before too long, it was Morris' jumpers that began falling. He caught Romar's attention the first time he saw him play, when Morris was an eighth grader visiting Romar's basketball camp at Pepperdine, where he was coaching at the time.
"That's when I knew. I told his dad, `He's going to be really good,'" Romar said. "We've stayed in touch ever since."

That's right, Romar is protecting his family.

This is so disgusting and disingenuious, I just am beside myself.

Let's not forget, Morris used to be at Stanford. But he couldn't cut it there, and because he selfishly wanted more playing time, he traded in a Stanford degree for a UW degree, and abandoned his team to help himself. This is not a smart kid. I have no doubt that his behavior and attitude problems (which he clearly has) got him booted from Stanford. And the only person willing to take this kid in was his second-cousin, Lorenzo Romar, who Morris refers to as his "uncle."

It was more like an uncle relationship," Morris said.

Someone needs to step in an apologize. We can't expect Romar to do the right thing, he's Morris' uncle or cousin or whatever.

But some unconflicted person needs to do the right thing. It is clear Romar gave a dirty player a scholarship after he blew other opportunities, and now, Romar is trying to protect that player. Who else in the world would protect a Dirty Filthy Mangy Stray Dog but family.

This situation is exactly why Athletic Directors exist. Sometimes players and coaches are just too close to the situation.

Regardless of an apology, let's hope the Bruins can use this as motivation. And this final point can't be made too many times: Alfred Aboya handled the situation brilliantly and with tremendous class. He made UCLA and Cameroon proud on Sunday, and he deserves a lot of credit.

UCLA Student: Special to ESPN.com

rfirpo — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 23:07:05 -0000

Bumped. I was going to blog this tonight. But rfirpo beat me to it. Andrew if you are reading this: fantastic work. An epic article that everyone should read. Proud of you as a Bruin alum. GO BRUINS. -N

In one of the finest pieces on the spirit and soul of UCLA and UCLA basketball, UCLA's very own Andrew Howard hits the nail on the head:

Everywhere you look on campus, you see it.

You see it on sweatshirts, banners, backpacks, at the center of Nell and John Wooden Court in Pauley Pavilion.

It's a slogan that has come to personify UCLA, to wrap up the legacy of the university into two words and a three-digit number: First to 100.

Yes indeed. First to 100.

Anyway, apparently as part of ESPN student spirit week (and probably also related to ESPN's visit to campus), ESPN asked one of the Daily Bruin sports guys to come up with a piece which captures our spirit. Well, let me be the first to say that Sophomore Andrew Howard, newly-dubbed Special to ESPN.com, DELIVERED the goods.

I highly encourage everyone to read his piece, which is linked on the main ESPN college basketball page.

I won't go into the entire thing, except to say that its hard to read the article and not recognize our greatness. Plus, I love Howard's "five things that make UCLA basketball great."

(1) John Wooden
(2) Pauley Pavillion
(3) The Den
(4) Cheers
(5) Ben Howland

I might have included, among the top-5, UCLA's Basketball Alumni (there are just so many great players). But, again, it's hard to disagree with much.

Hearty congrats to Howard for a great job done.

GO Bruins.

Crunch Time: Oregon on the Road

rfirpo — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 17:37:39 -0000

The loss to USC was very disappointing. We suffered injuries at the wrong time, lost our composure, and lost the kind of game at home which could affect our seeding in the NCAA Tournament. A tough afternoon, especially when it was our only game of the week. We had all week to get ready, and instead of slamming the door on USC and ending their post-season dreams, we lost to the then-9th best team in the conference and sent our rival into disgusting revelry. Painful. Oh, and O.J. Mayo threw the ball in the air after the game like he just won the National Title.

As Ben Howland said after the game, the USC game hurt-and it needed to hurt because it forces you to get better and reminds you how much you care. However, at some point we need to look forward. I think a good time to start looking forward is the day before a game at Oregon. That is a Big Game.

Looking forward then, here are some notes and comments I've been thinking about.

(1) Russell Westbrook.

This kid has had a break-out season, and has turned into one of our key players. He is our most athletic guy, one of our best defenders (if not the best), and has been a consistent scorer. Forget that he has been coming off the bench--there is a case to be made that he is our most important guy.

Unfortunately, Westbrook has now suffered 1 and a half tough games in a row. The first half against Washington St. was Westbrook at his best. He hit mid-range jumpers like they were lay-ups, and played superb defense. However, his second half against WSU was VERY poor--on offense and defense--and that carried over to USC. I do not think it is a coincidence that WSU's second-half performance and USC's win coincided with Westbrook's seriously poor play. In fact, I think it shows just how important he has become.

No longer is Westbrook just a surprising benefit, unnecessary, but always welcome. No, the last two games show that he is now necessary. We need him and depend on him. We missed his mid-range jumper and rim-attacking offense last game, and we missed his defensive prowess the last game-and-a-half. Can you blame a sophomore for a couple bad games? No. But make no mistake about it, we need him to start playing better. He is now necessary to our success.

Let's hope Oregon sees Westbrook at his best.

(2) Mata

His concussion is too bad. He is a really tough player, and I hate to see him hurting. In a lot of ways he is the heart and soul of our team-and I hope he feels better.

That said, I think Mata has become somewhat of a non-factor--And I don't like it. Putting aside his injury last week, Mata simply hasn't been getting the quality minutes of the past. During the first 9 games of the season, Mata averaged 23.22 minutes per game, and 5.11 points. Not enormous production, but important. During the last 8 games, however, Mata has averaged just 13.12 minutes per game, and only 2 points per game. Down by half. To me this is interesting, and not a positive development.

Now, it is not surprising to see Mata's minutes down this year. Kevin Love's emergence means less time for Mata, and rightfully so (in part). However, in a year where we have suffered key injuries, it is surprising to see Mata so (relatively) out-of-the-loop at this point. You'd think that Howland would be sucking more minutes out of Mata, but in fact, his minutes are diminishing.

In my opinion, Mata needs to get more minutes. We need our guys to be ready, and Mata can play great defense, and at times, has shown an ability to contribute limited scoring. However, if Mata stays on the bench, he will lose his ability to play at a high level. I've found his performances of late to be only so-so, but I'm not sure that is his fault. I think maybe some of that is his reduced playing time, meaning he is not in the flow and as ready to contribute.

Bottom line-I'd like to see Mata get more minutes so that he will feel like he is in the flow again. Then, when we need Mata-he will be ready to deliver.

(3) Keefe, Stanback, Dragovic

I believe one of these players needs to step up and start averaging at least 10 minutes per game. We need that extra player, sans Roll, who can contribute. It is likely that Keefe will be the guy, but any of the three will do. Keefe's shot looks really good, and he plays the smartest. Dragovic isn't scared to shoot (which I like), but he just isn't knocking them down, and we know Ben is suspicious of his defense. And Stanback-still a question mark. His body is still getting used to D-1 basketball, but he has an upside. I don't care who steps up, but it's time someone did.

Finally,

(4) Finishing off the First Half of the Pac-10 Strong is a MUST

We have four very difficult games coming up: Oregon, Oregon St, Arizona St., and Arizona. Aside from Oregon St., all the games are potential losses, and all the games are very important.

I never thought we'd go undefeated in the Pac-10, and in fact, I think the best anyone could legitimately hope for is 16-2 (and that is asking a lot). Though keeping conference losses to 2 will be extraordinarily difficult, it is possible. But it needs to start with us finishing off the first-half of the conference season with only 1 loss--which means we need to win our next four. It sucks losing to SC at home--but if we can win the next four, we will be in great shape.

It starts with Oregon on the road. An incredibly difficult game, but one that is win-able. Howland doesn't lose two games in a row very often, and the players will all remember Brooks hitting the game winning shot last year. Here's to hoping that we can ride those setbacks to victory tomorrow night, and cleanse ourselves of the USC embarrassment.

Go Bruins.

Memo to Kevin Love: Stop Apologizing; To Darren: Get Better

rfirpo — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 15:17:16 -0000

Two annoying stories out this morning in all the papers and on ESPN.com and cbssportsline.com.

First, there is one of the biggest non-stories of the season--Kevin Love apologizing for missing a Tuesday media session.. Now look, I love that players talk to the media, cause then I get to read great quotes and have more in-depth stories. However, I could care less if a player doesn't talk to the media--and let me emphatically state that in my opinion, no player should ever have to talk to the media at any time. And for god sakes, no player should ever have to apologize to the media for missing a media session.

The media just isn't entitled to anything from a college freshman (or seniors for that matter). They are students who play basketball, not media machines. Pucin makes reference to "a mini-media crisis" --well that's just crazy. If you are a member of the media and you are mad, bite your tongue and move on. STOP GETTING MAD at TEENAGERS! It's ridiculous. And now, every news service in the country is covering "The Love Apology." MEMO to ALL--Love doesn't owe you Jack Sh**!

The second story of the day only highlights the lunacy of the first story. As we read this morning, apparently Darren Collison got severe food poisoning on Sunday night after the Bay Area trip and had to be hospitalized.

LOS ANGELES -- UCLA guard Darren Collison was briefly hospitalized because of food poisoning after the fifth-ranked Bruins' weekend road trip to the Bay Area.

Collison fell ill Sunday night and visited a hospital near his family's home in Rancho Cucamonga where he was given fluids and an IV, coach Ben Howland said Tuesday.

This story is annoying because it is so late. Our star point guard and one of the leaders of this team is in the hospital, and we don't hear about it for three days! Hopefully DC is better, but I wouldn't mind if the media stopped getting mad at teenagers and started reporting on hospitalizations a little sooner.

Go Bruins.